Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

44 reviews

walkonpooh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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: Grief, Homophobia, Body horror, Deadnaming, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Gore, Drug abuse, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, and Death

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.

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.5

A phenomenal novel, if not entirely enjoyable, it is a harrowing exploration of trauma through bigotry and intergenerational fascism can lead to prejudice and self-loathing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Cursing, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Outing, Death, Murder, Self harm, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Deadnaming, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Vomit, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, War, and Excrement

Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment

Be prepared for instances of INCEL culture, terrorism, bombing, disturbing hate symbols, TERF culture, woman-on-woman sexual assault, serial killing, self-hatred, strap-on sex, the loss of a friend, and public sex.

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

cannibaldear's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

This house is racist and there's nothing you can do about it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Torture, Sexual violence, Racism, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Blood, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Ableism, Suicide, Sexual content, Self harm, Death, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, and Deadnaming

Minor: Deportation

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

lynxpardinus's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Vomit, Antisemitism, Blood, Deadnaming, Death, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Deportation, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, War, Child abuse, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Bullying, and Classism

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Incest

runlaurarun's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Homophobia

Minor: Gaslighting

sargasso_c's review against another edition

Maybe I'm just not getting it, but the book seems to layer queer trauma on top of queer trauma without pausing for a breath or a speck of narrative. At a certain point, I just wasn't enjoying myself. The novel isn't particularly scary in an enjoyable, horror novel way - it's just genuinely horrifying in the real-life and sad way. And I don't read to experience that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Body horror, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Pedophilia

bookishfaye's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

What a brilliant & rageful albeit explicitly horrific & triggering exploration of trauma, fascism, transness, transphobia, racism etc utilized through haunted house metaphor. A really powerful read holy moly

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Racism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Body horror, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Self harm, Violence, Sexism, Excrement, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Deportation, and Dysphoria