Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

27 reviews

elenavarg's review

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

It’s been a while since a horror book managed to truly horrify me, but this one certainly did. It had an overpowering sense of dread through-out as well as some truly terrifying scenes. It managed to walk the thin line between misery porn/exploitation and horror imagery.

I’m taking off one star because some of the more stream of conciousness chapters were not for my liking (they’re very hard for me to read, so I don’t enjoy them as a stylistic choice), one particularly on the nose scene of swastika-related body-horror (the scene was so absurd it made me laugh) and the weird, off-putting feeling I get when I’m not quite sure of an author’s ethnicity while their work discussed racism (I couldn’t find out, if Rumfitt herself is Jewish and/or brown; if so, this critisism is totally unrelated and unfounded).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Body horror, Hate crime, Blood, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Rape, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Drug use, Mental illness, Violence, Racism, Death, Deadnaming, Cursing, Xenophobia, and Self harm

Moderate: Islamophobia, Grief, Confinement, Sexual content, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

ciaranolio's review

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

One of my favourite books, outright. An incredible, twisted horror story about fascism, womanhood, and social privilege, revolving around a haunted house (which is also England), among the finest of its kind in the storied and ghost-ridden neighbourhood of horror writing. Reminiscent of Gretchen Felker-Martin and Jonathan Sims in writing style and subject matter, this book concerns itself heavily with radicalisation, gender, and intersections of identity. Rumfitt's POV characters are incredible, both sympathetic and unlikeable in their own wholly separate ways. A must read, in my mind, for those not immediately put off by the graphic subject matter. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Racism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Rape, Body horror, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Blood, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Self harm, Gore, Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Body shaming

Minor: Alcohol, Deadnaming, Drug use, Genocide, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death

Violent nazism, fascism, and especially modern white nationalism are at the core of this book. Proceed with caution if these are difficult topics, as Rumfitt (quite rightly) pulls no punches with the subject of the horror she describes.

maecaitlin's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Ghosts are born from trauma and violence.” A particularly modern take on gothic horror taking you down to the depths of the haunted house that is England.

All the trigger warnings do apply to this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, and Violence

augusts_2020's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Outing, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Rape, Colonisation, Death, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Torture

beckjimenez's review

dark slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Racism, Murder, Mental illness, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Drug use, Drug abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Antisemitism, and Blood

gilroi's review

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 While this novel is searingly raw, absolutely none of it is undercooked. A testament to the work, considering how many incredible risks the writing takes, not just with form, but with content. This is a very specific book, about a very specific time, and a very specific experience. I don't know how people will understand this book if they're unfamiliar with how the internet treats trans people-- the TERF 'movement', mumsnet and #IStandWithMaya and trans widows and 4chan Nazis and sissy hypno. All of these things are real. All of these things are not parody. The book is about these things. Which is to say, fascism.

This book is a slap in the face from someone who loves you. Maybe you can forgive the violence. Maybe you can't. That's your choice. It might be the only choice you have. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gore, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Blood, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Moderate: Racial slurs, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Outing, Deadnaming, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Excrement

lindseyas's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I think that this book was just not my cup of tea. We read the introduction to it in my "Literary Hauntings" class last semester, so when I saw it at the bookstore I picked it up because I recognized the title. It is a refreshing, political take on the haunted house trope and the idea that ghosts stem from trauma, but it was just really, really heavy. The sexual violence and horrific language and situations were a lot to get through, but the symbols really shine through in terms of the representation of fascism, transphobia and hatred. I think that it was well-written in that sense, but there were some moments where it was overwhelmingly and honestly the aura didn't feel necessary. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Sexual content, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Vomit, Sexual assault, Self harm, Racism, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Rape, Gaslighting, Hate crime, War, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Outing, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Racial slurs, and Pedophilia

bunandababy's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Classism, Death, Deportation, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Toxic relationship, Violence, Drug use, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Slavery, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Gaslighting

gagereadsstuff's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

3.5

This book is not for the faint-hearted. It's a story of a racist, xenophobic, hateful house representing the racist, xenophobic, hateful history of a country with racist, xenophobic, hateful people as the main characters. And FUCK, it does mess you up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Alcohol, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Drug use, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Classism, Deportation, Pedophilia, and Colonisation

More specifically, there is cutting.

coffinwraith's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Islamophobia, Dysphoria, Gore, Body horror, Transphobia, Racial slurs, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Hate crime, and Homophobia