Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

40 reviews

call_it_kizmet'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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dysphoria, Grief, Self harm, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Murder, Racism, Rape, Death, Drug use, and Hate crime

This book does not hold back but it’s a good and important read.

studydniowka's review

dark funny mysterious tense 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

2.0

Dla mnie ta książka nie miała sensu, a to, co się w niej działo, było po prostu śmieszne. Kiedy książka promowana jako horror bawi, zamiast wywoływać strach, to jest coś bardzo nie tak.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Gore, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Sexism, Bullying, Death, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Hate crime, and Homophobia

jamieleepilk's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Rape, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

nialiversuch's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Cursing, Dysphoria, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

travelseatsreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

If you think the cover and title of Tell Me I’m Worthless are out there (which in fairness they are a little bit) strap in and be prepared for the most terrifyingly haunting and shocking read of your life. TMIW is nasty, vile, graphic and truly brutal yet also wildly intelligent and completely consuming. Be prepared for this book to chew you up and spit you out, leaving you cast aside as sloppy shattered detritus.

I feel this is a book best to be experienced blind to allow its repulsive nature swarm and consume you without any preconceptions so I won't go heavily into the plot. However, in saying that this book comes with the trigger warnings of all trigger warnings. It is a haunted house story which forcefully weaves trauma, violence, horror and sexual assault with the themes of fascism, capitalism and TERFism.

In all honesty, I felt completely lost and eviscerated for the majority of the book's pages. Rumfitt's talent lies in the ability to completely repulse and terrify you to the point that it gets too much and you can handle no more while simultaneously leaving you infatuated and unable to leave any page unread. Alison's unapologetic social commentary, striking imagery and bewitching prose were so jarringly effective that on each page I was left with something else to question in my exhaustion.

I think too often it is said by book reviewers, myself included, that books are like nothing we've ever read before but with TMIW it can be said with complete honesty. Its visceral annihilating nature and menacing imagery will long torment me. The only comparison I can make is that it's like if Shirley Jackson and Carmen Maria Machado had a beautiful yet psychopathic love child.

A harrowing, propulsive and relentless read which will continue to haunt long after that final page is read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Cursing, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Misogyny, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, Deadnaming, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gore, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Hate crime, and Sexual content

auroragoody's review

dark reflective 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: Outing, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, and Animal death

anxiousbookclub's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Antisemitism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

ivan_tw's review

dark emotional sad 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

5.0

What a masterpiece. It's hard to believe the author is so young and then is her first book. Timely, disturbing, and incredible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Grief, Transphobia, Torture, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Gore, and Body shaming

szpetot's review

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Murder, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Death, Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Addiction, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt

danidamico's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Uf, qué viaje que es esta novela. Tell Me I'm Worthless es el debut de la escritora inglesa Alison Rumfitt. Es una novela intensa y con mucha personalidad, mucho carácter. Es clara la influencia de Shirley Jackson que la propia autora menciona, me gustó esa mezcla de terror clásico con una violencia político-social que está muy vigente. También eso es algo a destacar creo yo, que la novela es super actual y captura el clima de la época, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta los grupos de extrema derecha que están creciendo en todo el mundo; desde Gran Bretaña, donde ocurre el relato de Rumfitt, pasando por VOX en España, los libertarios en Argentina, José Antonio Kast en Chile y muchos otros etcéteras.

Bien, mi problema es que por momentos el libro se me hacía demasiado intenso, como si Rumfitt quisiera abarcar demasiados temas y reflexiones en un mismo texto. Y siento que esa es una característica muy común en los debuts literarios, les escritores intentan meter todos los temas que les apasionan, todo lo que les interesa, todo todo todo, como si fuera la única vez que van a ser publicados. Hay escenas de la novela que me parecieron magníficas y me fascinaron, mientras que ottas me resultaron forzadas y algo toscas, como que le faltaba un poco más de sutileza tal vez. A veces se logra expresar mucho más a través de la elipsis o de pocas palabras que mostrando absolutamente todo, siendo 100% literal y explicando todo (

Por ejemplo, la escena en la que Hannah es doblada y transformada en una esvástica, me pareció muuuy forzado y algo torpe

). También hay capítulos que me parecieron casi perfectos, pero otros que se sintieron caóticos, un poco desordenados. No sé, eso, como que es un toque desequilibrada. 

De todos modos, no quiero dejar de destacar nuevamente el entusiasmo, la intensidad y la pasión que están presentes a lo largo de todo el libro. Fue una lectura muy particular y bastante fresca, comparable a Boy Parts de Eliza Clark en ciertos aspectos. Quedo con ganas de seguir leyendo el trabajo de Alison y es un gran comienzo para su carrera. La verdad que las nuevas escritoras británicas me tienen enamorada, siempre tienen algo interesante para ofrecer.

P.D.: Tiene muuuuchos trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Torture, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Gun violence, and Grief