Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Tell Me I'm Worthless

I’m struggling with rating this one-I didn’t enjoy it. I should have heeded the content warning. This book disgusted me with its body horror, which I feel like at times could have been toned down and still had the same effect. The metaphors and message were painfully painfully obvious and literal. That being said, there were aspects of the book that I’m compelled to think deeper about, but on the surface it was very in your face and unsubtle. I loved the audiobook’s narrator-her range of characters was so engaging and impressive and her delivery really made the book even more disturbing. I found the split/dreamlike/alternate reality-ness of the plot line to be somewhat confusing but was ultimately something I enjoyed. I would read something from this author again, but preferably something less graphic

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catatlanta's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

I don’t know how to rate this. An uncomfortable, compelling, experimental exploration of fascism, and particularly the rise of transphobia in the UK. Genuinely horrifying and painfully real even in its most exaggerated moments. Essential queer reading but not something I am comfortable recommending.

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rosekantorczyk's review

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ananamauvais's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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archaicrobin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 but Goodreads doesn’t have half stars. Tell Me I’m Worthless is a haunted house story that is so much more than that. I went into this pretty blind with no expectations and I’m glad I did because if you pick this up looking for just a haunted house story you will be disappointed because there is so much social commentary on trans rights, misogyny, violence against minorities, and our disjointed and hateful culture in todays world.

This book had scenes that were absolutely horrifying and had so many references to other literary haunted house stories, like The Haunting of Hill House and Bluebeard’s ghost. While the horror elements were superb this book at times read like a fever dream with chapters that were strings of consciousness from the characters, including the house itself. The author intertwines the supernatural horror with the horror of bigotry, hate, and sexual violence so well that there were scenes I struggled to read.

If you’re looking for a unique horror story with diverse characters and a meld of horror and social commentary then I highly recommend Tell Me I’m Worthless.

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chelsevie's review

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Punk. Queer. Horror.

3 words on the cover of this book that drew me in, in the hope of reigniting my reading habits and discovering something that would be 'right up my street'.
In many ways, Tell Me I'm Worthless was that, and there is a lot to applaud it for. But even as a hardened horror fan, I found the sheer violence and explicit imagery a little tough to bear at times and readers should definitely be cautious of some of its more inflammatory content.

What if the evil of fascism was secretly thriving in the UK? What if the very heart of it had a precise location, and a paedophile politician built a large foreboding house right on top of it, a house with a diseased soul that infects all who find themselves within its reach? What if 3 girls enter that house, and only 2 leave, deeply scarred and conflicted by their experiences within?
The trouble is, the two women have dramatically different recollections of what happened there, and the memory of the place and its inescapable haunting presence has set them on very different, but equally destructive paths. Are they haunted by their trauma? Or is their trauma a series of unreliable memories formulated and implanted by the haunted house? 3 years later, can they agree to put their differences aside and trust each other enough to go back to the house and attempt to put an end to it?

Honestly, the finale; the 'You' chapter towards the end, was disappointing to me. Interesting as a literary experiment, but too jarring in its construction and its placement within the narrative, brazenly skipping over the one integral scene that as a reader I'd been thirsting for for pages beforehand. Anti-climatic and too confused in its message.

Whilst there are some great, imaginative passages within this book, there are also many over long and over wrought sections that are far too 'ranty'; not only wearing its politics on its sleeve, but shamelessly beating you with them in a way that seemed at times too patronising and reductive.

Having said that, I really enjoyed the chapters that were written from the perspective of Albion; the house itself, an embodiment of fascism that lives and breathes and yes, talks, to the reader and to the central characters. Haunted houses may just be one of my favourite horror sub-genres, and Albion was unique and refreshing in many ways. Haunted, not by ghosts, or vengeance or even 'evil' - however you define that - but by an ideology. This house wasn't turned bad by some destructive force or traumatic event, rather it was a darkness that had always been there, lying in wait below the surface, invigored by the tools of man that gave it bricks and mortar and a tangible structure to inhabit and prey from.

I'd also like to admit, rather embarrassingly , that this is the first book I've read with a trans lead character, and in this case that fact is intrinsic to the story, which is not a detraction against the book at all, but an important point nonetheless. We need more queer writers, more queer stories and characters, but even more so than that, we need more authors who are able to unflinchingly lay bare the 21st century trans experience - warts and all - and for that I commend Rumfitt.

There is much more to say about this book, and Ill enjoy reading other reviews and perhaps returning to in the future. Whilst, I'd be very careful who I'd recommend this to, this is a promising debut from Rumfitt, who I hope will remain in the horror genre for years to come.

Approach with caution.

Content Warnings

aerlune's review

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This is not a story you read for escapism, it was a challenge to get through most of the graphic yet realistic details. Take the content warnings very much to heart and be in a good headspace to digest it all.
The third act unfortunately felt too "eyelids forced opened a la clockwork orange" but still feels in line with what the author wanted so I'm going with a mid rating for that and the epilogue. It was a book that had something to say and it said it loud and brutal.

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