Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

100 reviews

grey_jayne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Alison Rumfitt's debut smashed my expectations. I wonder if a cis person would get as much out of this art but as a trans person, I felt very seen, especially in the darkness. What a terrifying haunted house and such traumatized people. And that ending! Make sure you check the content warnings: when Gretchen Felker-Martin calls something "brutal", you know it's gonna hit hard. And it does.

Rumfitt is such my kind of author that I will be rolling into her follow up Brainwyrms soon. In the U.S. both books came out this year so I'm playing catch up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Animal death

kessejeen's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Transphobia, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Grief, Death, Vomit, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Racism, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Drug use, and Alcoholism

eegred's review against another edition

dark 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

I’m struggling with rating this one-I didn’t enjoy it.  I should have heeded the content warning. This book disgusted me with its body horror, which I feel like at times could have been toned down and still had the same effect. The metaphors and message were painfully painfully obvious and literal. That being said, there were aspects of the book that I’m compelled to think deeper about, but on the surface it was very in your face and unsubtle. I loved the audiobook’s narrator-her range of characters was so engaging and impressive and her delivery really made the book even more disturbing. I found the split/dreamlike/alternate reality-ness of the plot line to be somewhat confusing but was ultimately something I enjoyed. I would read something from this author again, but preferably something less graphic 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Sexual violence, Body horror, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Gore, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Rape

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Vomit and Drug use

catatlanta's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

I don’t know how to rate this. An uncomfortable, compelling, experimental exploration of fascism, and particularly the rise of transphobia in the UK. Genuinely horrifying and painfully real even in its most exaggerated moments. Essential queer reading but not something I am comfortable recommending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Body horror, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Vomit, Rape, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual assault, Gore, Excrement, Violence, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt

rosekantorczyk's review

challenging dark sad 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: Body horror, Physical abuse, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Self harm, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Gore, Rape, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Classism, Vomit, Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Excrement, Gore, Blood, and Deadnaming

Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Alcohol, Animal death, and Pedophilia

ananamauvais's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Dysphoria, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Blood, and Cursing

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

sylvestra's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Misogyny

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Body horror, Dysphoria, and Pedophilia

jazthegreat's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Antisemitism, Body horror, Addiction, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Excrement, Racism, Alcohol, and Blood

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