Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Where I End by Sophie White

5 reviews

woodsybookworm's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

🪢Where I End🪢

"After the freedom of sleep, I am once more confined to my life"

I was warned this would be unsettling, nonetheless I read on.

Where I End follows Aoileann, a young woman who assists her paternal grandmother in caring for Aoileann's invalid mother - whom she has nicknamed the 'bed-thing'. Aoileann has completely disassociated herself from her mother's condition and turned her into an object or as she says, 'a relic of a human', 'a nuisance', 'a chore'. 

When a young artist in residence named Rachel arrives with her newborn child, Aoileann finds herself infatuated. Aoileann begins stalking Rachel, sneaking into her house at night, dreaming of a life with her - without the bed-thing and the baby to hold them back. Her desire for human connection, lacking in her own family, has created a monster within herself that even the townspeople fear. 

Sophie White made the mundane aspects of everyday life, of caring for a family member who cannot care for themselves, into an absolutely unnerving nightmare.

Even considering all this, the book was a slow read for me and there were a few points I almost DNFed due to boredom and frustration. While I will not be getting the imagery of this book out of my head, I still didn't find it an enjoyable enough read to come back to or possibly even recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Self harm, Chronic illness, Excrement, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Stalking

sylvestra's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, and Body horror

alexorr's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.75

mmm very weird, scary, and gross!! was genuinely creeped out for a while. i’ll always love the personification of land, sea, and houses

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical trauma, Grief, Excrement, Gore, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual assault

rosebache's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, and Stalking

Moderate: Rape

thebristolreader's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Body horror, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Medical trauma