Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Geisterwand by Sarah Moss

161 reviews

maryclaire92's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Both quick and quiet. I found myself dreading what happens next while also being unable to put the book down. Moss’s prose is gripping as she leads us through protagonist Sylvie’s life and innermost thoughts. This is the most “finished” unfinished ending I have read, and I predict that Sylvie’s journey will stay with me for awhile; I hope she is happier now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

chloem_'s review against another edition

4.0

It was quite hard to read at the start but as you read further you got used to it - it being written as a sort of string of consciousness absent of punctuation like speech marks?…however it contained some great writing and had elements that did make me feel sick (but I suppose that’s a sign of good storytelling).  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

clareehebert's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

Moderate: Child abuse and Misogyny

thura's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

3.5

Violence lurks in every phrase of this story, from distilled fear to the main character making hersef smaller and smaller to a scene of full on physical abuse. A harrowing and difficult read for me, triggering past experiences of abuse. I couldn’t stop reading it, but I’m so glas I’m done with it. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have read it. 

Very interesting - and confronting - to read other reviews praising this book as a somewhat positive read about nature and coming-of-age. I have a feeling such visceral, conflicting responses were in the author’s intention though, so I do praise her writing. Perhaps these reflect that the story is not as far fetched as I would like to believe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Animal death

kiddocut's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Fantastic quick read about a boiling family drama, framed in a setting that calls back to class, gender and academic background-and how that affects our ability to interpret  the world both in a literal and emotional sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Classism, Child abuse, Sexism, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Bullying, Body shaming, Racism, Blood, Torture, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Sexual content, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Cultural appropriation

There is a use of a slide one time-to describe a character’s inability or stubbornness to adapt his language to modern terminology in a historical context. I didn’t anticipate it and I wish there was someone who mentioned it. It’s a story heavily about a fractured and demanding father whose daughter is just discovering herself. It is well written and I think all TW that I applied are accurate.

tombomp's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Cntent warning for non-sexual child abuse/domestic violence as being the main theme of the book. There's only one scene explicitly depicting it, but it's enough. The way the tenseness and fear infects the rest of the book is very real. The feeling of being constantly on edge, constantly needing to please, knowing it's usually not enough anyway. It's intense and powerful. 

The book is the exact right length, staying constantly taut. The ending is maybe a little pat and I can understand it being frustrating but somehow it didn't bother me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

bossybookworm345's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Gaslighting, Death, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Vomit

audreyxine's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was so weird. I loved it. It won't be for everyone, but it was for me. The writing style was confusing and the ending was anitclimactic, but those seem so intentional I can't give this book less than 5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Torture, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Death, and Cursing

Minor: Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, and Homophobia

rabelais's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

tinyblkbird's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Racism