Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

40 reviews

sakshiagrwl's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Hate crime, Grief, Torture, Self harm, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, and Body horror

Moderate: Antisemitism

Minor: Addiction

magellen's review

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

I...am guessing this might hit different if youre british? 😒 Good god its so far up its ass rambling most of the time you're stuck waiting for it to find a plot. This book reads like its reaching to top Evangelion. I was about 40% through when I really started wondering like...what the hell is this trying to accomplish? It just...spilled rather than building. 

The synopsis that pulled me in was so loosely the basis that if the content actually stood by it you'd have about 20% of the whole damn book left. 

Also I mean when the friend turned into a meat swastika i was like alright we're just...rolling with that...happening. there's a lot of gore and transphobic talk obviously and like SHRUG be ready for that? It...gets old FAST.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Death, Cursing, Colonisation, Antisemitism, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Grief, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Gore, Drug use, and Blood

ecn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

I don’t even know what to say about the book. It was absolutely brutal in every possible way and I could barely get through it. This book contains seemingly every trigger so check that before moving forward.
I can’t say I enjoyed this book but it was really well written and reflective of everything evil and vile about the world we live in. It’s hard to read a book with shitty MCs who are also not shitty and oppressed by society. I know that’s the point but phew. There was nothing light or good to hold into in this.

The ending also left me kind of confused as to what actually happened (whether this was bc of the multiple POVs, the jumping around of timelines, or bc I read the audiobook, I have no idea).

Overall feeling very ???? I would like for my scowl and jaw to unclench but I doubt that will happen any time soon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Antisemitism, Rape, Vomit, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Deadnaming, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Dysphoria, Drug use, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Animal death, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Hate crime, Drug abuse, Deportation, Death, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Classism, and Blood

emzhay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Very bingeable yet graphic read. It’s complex and in your face about what what it aims to be. Some portions get a bit on the rambling side of things and the message gets lost.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Transphobia, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Homophobia, Vomit, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Torture, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Gore, Blood, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Grief and Genocide

Minor: Pedophilia

hobbithopeful's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The most horrifying and disgusting book I have ever read. 
Also one of the most excellent.
Will give you nightmares and make you nauseous. 
Absolutely brilliant book about trauma, Fascism, and the Trans experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Death, Excrement, Grief, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

zetafiction's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Brutal, moving, darkly funny, perversely sexy. Devastation and what lies beyond it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Homophobia, Excrement, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Murder, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, Gore, Vomit, Torture, Suicide, Mental illness, and Lesbophobia

erica_reads_things's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow. What an intense, incredible read. Unlike any other horror book I have ever read. The messaging was strong, terrifying, real, and very present. Loved the writing style and the voice that Alison gave these complex characters. The imagery and metaphor of the House was so well done. 

Please please read up on the trigger warnings though, especially for LGBTQ and Jewish folks. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Rape, Sexism, Body horror, Body shaming, Self harm, Antisemitism, Grief, Racism, Gore, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexual content, Ableism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Drug use, Suicide attempt, War, Vomit, and Adult/minor relationship

miggyfool's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death, Excrement, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Classism, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Body horror, Addiction, Outing, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Colonisation, Gore, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, and Rape

ericarobyn's review

dark tense slow-paced

2.0

Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt is a horribly bleak story told from various perspectives that are all linked in the darkness of a past that won’t let them go. 

Content Warning:
This is one of the darkest books, centered around fascism and trauma. The author has a wonderful warning at the start. For my full list of content warnings below.

Three years after a traumatic event in an old house, two individuals struggle with trying to overcome the past. Spirilng, rather than healing, they soon realize there’s only one way out of this… they have to go back to the house.

A slow, rambling tale told from various perspectives, we have:

• Alice – Told in the first person. Alice struggles with finding a place to settle as the atmosphere of each place slowly starts to become too much. Alice tells one story after another, slowly revealing her traumas and struggles as she continues to recall the past and tries to outrun her ghosts.
• Ila – Told in the third person. Ila is determined to get involved in anti-trans groups. She has a hard time moving forward trying to find herself as so much of her thoughts are stuck in the past.  
• Hannah – A friend of the first two who just wanted to be seen and respected by her friends. Unwaveringly loyal, even when she saw the red flags, she went along with her friends' plans anyway.
• House – The house has a long history, but the house doesn’t care about the past like the two others, instead, the house just wants the two back inside it now. 

Reading Part One, which spans the first half of the book, from Alice and Ila’s perspectives, felt like dealing with two friends that are fighting and each of them are trying to turn you against the other. Now you’ve seen the cracks in both of their stories and arguments, and you can’t believe either of them because of how unreliable they are. 

Part Two gives us some much-needed backstory as we jump back in time to see the traumas each have been trying to live through within the first half of the book. And boy, are these traumas brutal.

Part Three brings the two friends back together, for better or for worse. But is what they’re about to do going to help or hurt?

There are so many dark elements that were woven into the text here. Terrible things like transphobia, homophobia, wicked violence, and much more. Just one very small element that was displayed was the toxicity of social media and the internet in general when used for harm. 

An all-around dark, depressing, and brutal story that doesn’t hold back with the raw, real-world horrors.

My Favorite Passages from Tell Me I’m Worthless 

There was a thick fog in the air. When cars and trucks shot passed, down the road, their headlights looked like the eyes of ghosts.

Haunted houses are rarely neat. If the House was truly haunted, then that haunting spilled out of its broken or boarded up windows, soaking into the fertile earth around it. The trees still grow, but the squirrels in their branches often feel the sudden need to bite each other in the eyes.

In the mirror lla can see that she is a haunted house. She does not possess herself; her traumas sometimes come and peer out of the windows of her eyes and that is very frightening.

Now, if three girls enter a house and only two leave, who is to blame?
And if both girls tell a different story, but you read online that you have to BELIEVE WOMEN, what do you?

Memory is a difficult thing to navigate, especially traumatic memory. It splinters. You can cut yourself on the edges of it so easily.

My Final Thoughts on Tell Me I’m Worthless

Reading this felt a bit like walking in the dark house, complete with twisted hallways that suddenly split, sending you on a new path feeling bewildered, sad, and angry. 

For readers of the extreme that don’t mind very, very dark, and upsetting tales, this one will be a good fit for you. However, I cannot stress this enough, this is a book to tread lightly with. If you are easily impacted by darkness, this may not be a good fit for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Lesbophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Hate crime, Racism, Transphobia, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Gore

nohealani_'s review

dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

The writing of this book was amazing but it was so dark and honestly a little confusing that I had a trouble getting through it. It’s an amazing book that I would definitely recommend but if you read it make sure you give yourself time to reread parts and be completely focused on it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Grief, Antisemitism, Violence, Sexual assault, Gore, Rape, Racism, Homophobia, and Hate crime