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

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

123 reviews

thebechdelbitch's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Jesus Christ, I feel slightly broken having finished this. This is not for the faint of heart, but it's a truly imaginative, absolutely ORIGINAL book which voiced and confirmed some of my deepest fears about this shit show of a country I live in.

The haunted house metaphor was very on the nose but I don't really care.

This made me absolutely cringe with fear and disgust before weeping with some sort of joy at the end. I don't think I could give this book less than five stars for inciting such visceral reactions, but definitely approach with caution.

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chefboyavi's review

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challenging dark sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

I like Rumfitt’s writing style quite a bit. I enjoy books that are disjointed, change perspective, and expect the reader to put in the work to understand what’s happening. However, I found it a bit heavy handed and there were times when I think Rumfitt could have had a bit more restraint.

Getting to the chapter titled “You” was probably the highlight of the book for me.

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errie's review

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challenging dark

3.5

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mesy_mark's review against another edition

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dark tense

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

3.0

This is transgressive horror, a genre I don't know much about and heard of in another book in the same genre reviewed by Jessie Gender. It was in short a grossly weird ass book that I liked even if I was confused at times by the text.

Listening to this book, the narrator sounded androgynous and was present to listen to (even if the content was any but). I like the description of the house and how it festers through time-changing motives but always has the same result in the end. Ila, our terf, Alice, our trans friend, and Hannah, the third, go into the house abandoned and hunted and only Ila and Alice come out. Now both women need to return home after some years of hard life.

This is my first foray into transgressive horror and to say it is interesting genre is lacking the depths of the graphic nature of this text. Heave handed in the fascism of Britain weave through the people that in turn are all tied to the house. It festered and you want to come home. Besides being graphic and jarring to get through that I did have some difficulty at some points seeing what the author included and what scenes. Some of that confusion was cleared up by the end but a couple lingered out.

In short I think this is a weird ass book that does intrigue me to try this genre again.

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partly_stars's review

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

It's a book that crawls under your skin to stay there. Its dark and gothic and full of trauma and horrible things happening. Si much exploration of trauma and its manifestations. Discossion on gender and transness, fascim and righr wirmng hate rising in britain. Its so very quer and so very british in its matter but also carries a lot of emotional weight that i think would carry over to non british audiences too.
Rumfitt is a skilled writer that boldly delves into darkest places and makes the reader feel them viscerally. The narrative voice weaves and blends tge perspectives of the characters, The House and omniscient narrator referencing things that have not yet came to pass. It makes you qestion what is really happenibg and what is in the mind, the nightmare state
This book is dark, trigger warnings galore, but it's not used for shock value. It all has a purpouse to tell a story and tobcreate thisvbleak universe that explores some of teh darkest things in midern british hearts that yet have roots deeply within this nations heart. It's both the worst case scenario and a warnungod what could happen
I love horror that has a messege that is explored through it and this one certeinly does. It made me want to step away and take a mental shower but i thinkbitsva really good book
Chilkung in its horror elements too like holly shit

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spinebinding's review

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challenging dark emotional tense 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? Yes

5.0

A compelling horror novel that felt like looking in a grimy bathroom mirror. A complex story dealing with the complex intersections of transness and racial identity, how fascism or psudo-fascist states and cultures eat into and violate every person living under them and how it violently separates us and turns us against each other for it's own benefit, making us both the victim and victimizer.

This story focuses heavily on the fascism and socio-political climate of England. As an American reader, the themes and concepts did translate and the story resonated deeply with me, but you will find it feels slightly misaligned with American fascism simply because they are different breeds of the same species.

Some may find the imagery and messaging too heavy handed, but for me it never really felt out of place. When reading others' opinions I would think 'of course it's heavy handed, fascism is heavy handed. It beat's itself into you and many do not even notice.'

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