Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

51 reviews

raes_library's review

challenging dark emotional 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: Xenophobia, Homophobia, Self harm, Transphobia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Bullying and Sexual harassment

archaicrobin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

3.5

3.5 but Goodreads doesn’t have half stars. Tell Me I’m Worthless is a haunted house story that is so much more than that. I went into this pretty blind with no expectations and I’m glad I did because if you pick this up looking for just a haunted house story you will be disappointed because there is so much social commentary on trans rights, misogyny, violence against minorities, and our disjointed and hateful culture in todays world.

This book had scenes that were absolutely horrifying and had so many references to other literary haunted house stories, like The Haunting of Hill House and Bluebeard’s ghost. While the horror elements were superb this book at times read like a fever dream with chapters that were strings of consciousness from the characters, including the house itself. The author intertwines the supernatural horror with the horror of bigotry, hate, and sexual violence so well that there were scenes I struggled to read. 

If you’re looking for a unique horror story with diverse characters and a meld of horror and social commentary then I highly recommend Tell Me I’m Worthless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Gore, Racism, Animal death, Misogyny, Death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Vomit, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Blood, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Sexual violence

noemi_qu's review

challenging dark tense 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

3.25

This is not a story you read for escapism, it was a challenge to get through most of the graphic yet realistic details. Take the content warnings very much to heart and be in a good headspace to digest it all. 
The third act unfortunately felt too "eyelids forced opened a la clockwork orange" but still feels in line with what the author wanted so I'm going with a mid rating for that and the epilogue. It was a book that had something to say and it said it loud and brutal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, Death, Body shaming, Transphobia, Rape, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Deadnaming, Antisemitism, Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit, Racial slurs, Animal death, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, and Pedophilia

woweewhoa's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Rape, Antisemitism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Gore, Excrement, Drug use, Sexism, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Xenophobia, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Infertility, and Homophobia

Minor: Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, and Fire/Fire injury

thesk3tch's review

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Self harm, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Gore, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide attempt

gellyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

I really like the idea of this book more than the actual book. I think the way some of the conflict resolution was a bit too neat and some of the POV switching was a bit too jarring.

Like, we just resolve her being transphobic and the fact that the house raped both of them by just saying well, they love each other? And not showing that conversation on page, but I read how many gross rants?! K.

Overall, this was worth reading, but I don’t know that I would say that it was enjoyable or especially deep, since it essentially throws the message continuously at your face. But that’s also the point, and it feels needed. But it also feels less artistic that way? I don’t know. I’m so conflicted on this one… 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Rape, Transphobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Racism, Torture, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Self harm

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.

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Do you ever finish a book and have a headache but, like, in a good way? Like you’re going to need several hours or maybe several lifetimes to process what the fuck you just read? Like you’ve just emerged, somehow physically unscathed, from a gruesome fever dream made real? That is how I felt after finishing Tell Me I’m Worthless. 

How can I even explain to you that this book is not SCARY, but it IS terrifying? It is horrific in a way that I wasn’t fully prepared for, and also in ways that I can’t even fully comprehend. It’s gutting. It will haunt me, and I’m grateful. 

Please read the trigger warnings before reading

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Antisemitism, Blood, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Self harm, Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Violence, Suicide, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Bullying, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Transphobia

hexedmaiden's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.25

This story was so fuckin hard to read due to some of the triggering content inside and so very fucking unique. 

I loved that weird freakish timeline shit that proves both characters are telling the truth of what happened that night they were in the house. 

 

 

Having the house as it's own character is one of my favorite tropes that doesn't seem to happen that often in haunted house books.

I loved how all the characters were very flawed and you didn't want to root for either of them. They were both messy as fuck. 

I was happy to learn this was written by a trans author because I wouldn't have trusted a Cis person to tell this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment and Rape

Moderate: Antisemitism, Body horror, Blood, and Transphobia

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