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Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
“A child weaned on poison considers harm a comfort.”
utterly nauseating. intimately triggering. deeply, deeply troubled.
overall rating — 2.75 stars
trigger/content warnings — self-harm, child abuse (emotional & verbal), rape & sexual assault (referenced with details), ephebophilia, provocative descriptions on the appearances of minors, alcoholism, murder, psychiatric hospitalisation, animal cruelty, occasional fatphobia, graphic desc. of corpses, drug use, mentioned suicide, extremely strained and toxic mother/daughter dynamic
“I just think some women aren't made to be mothers. And some women aren't made to be daughters.”
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape
Minor: Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Murder
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
I think she’s a very talented writer but in some instances throughout this book the way she presents new info felt a little off.
For something that Flynn really emphasized plagues Camille’s every waking thought and influences every aspect of how she interacts with others, it just felt funny to “reveal” it half way through the novel. A novel being narrated by Camille no less.
Same thing with Adora’s violent tendencies. Up until Camille recalls the cheek biting incident, Adora was just presented to be a slightly overbearing, distant but possibly well-meaning mother. For being such a core memory you would think she would have brought this up, just, like, a little bit sooner. I understand the way to build suspense and all the strategies authors use to “leave breadcrumbs” in a story all the way up until the final climax. I understand the reason why these things couldn’t all be brought up at once. But sometimes it just felt like Camille had this selective amnesia until it was convenient for the narrative.
It felt funny, that’s all. But that’s just me being nitpicky.
Another thing that felt weird was the way Richard and Camille just, never spoke again immediately after the climax. I’m not saying it’s not realistic or that I craved any further “romance” between them, it just felt like a loose end Flynn didn’t know how to tie up so it was dropped altogether.
Anyways, those are just some of my thoughts. Great novel overall. Very twisted (in a good way) exploration of the dynamic between mother and daughter- which was rightfully the center focus of the book. Everything beyond that isn’t worth nitpicking too much. (Unless you’re like me and you like nitpicking :))
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Murder, Alcohol
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Alcohol