Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

98 reviews

jaelynna's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

My thoughts - this certainly was a ride. I give this book at 2.9 out of 5. I don’t think it was a bad book. It was just not my cup of tea. It was alright. 

Parts I liked - 

• how unhinged it was. I’ve never read a book with such an insane narrator. I liked how by the end I was also trying to figure out what was actually happening and what wasn’t. Irina was so chaotic, but also tried so hard to get peoples attention. It almost didn’t come naturally for her. She was trying too hard and it consumed her to the point where she was just bat shit crazy. 
• The writing was great. Eliza Clark didnt try to make us sympathize or care for Irina. We all knew she was psychotic, toxic and a narcissist. 

I didn’t dislike any parts necessarily, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. It was very artsy - which isn’t a bad thing. But for me it was meh. I didn’t even mind the gore and liked how unhinged it was. I didn’t finish the book feeling like I just read a WOW story. I just read a book about an unreliable and chaotic character and it was a good read. Nothing to really complain about but also nothing too memorable? Besides her literally murdering someone, abusing her subjects, killing a cat, and imagining glass in everyone’s eyes. I have a feeling I’ll forget about this book in the next year. Maybe it’s because I was so focused on starting other books. Maybe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcoholism, Body horror, Sexual content, Drug use, Eating disorder, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Pedophilia

Minor: Body shaming and Bullying

perthalus's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective sad medium-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

Will write review later.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Animal death, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Death, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Murder, Rape, Abandonment, Misogyny, and Cursing

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Gore, Fatphobia, Body horror, Abortion, and Body shaming

Minor: Abortion and Cultural appropriation

winterdevil's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-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

5.0

 ...nothing matters, and nothing lasts. Everyone forgets, and everything disappears. ... Would anyone miss you, if you went away? Would anyone look for you? Would anyone listen, or even care, if I hurt you? If I put my hands around your neck and crushed your windpipe and chopped you up, would anyone find you? And if it's a no to any of these, did you even exist in the first place?

This book is not for everyone, but it is definitely for me.

From the first page, we know protagonist Irina is not a good person, but Clark renders her inner dialogue and the responses to people around her so well. We know what they're warning about and responding nervously to, even as we're forced to see it from Irina's perspective. Irina looks down on so many people; she is extremely condescending and resentful, yet the side characters were still sympathetic and well-rounded. We feel for them as we watch Irina take advantage.

I think the comparisons to American Psycho are apt, particularly regarding Irina's personality which feels in conversation with Patrick Bateman. Not a copy, but from an overlooked subject that broadens the discussion to include gender in the performance of power and violence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Sexual content

alicemelvin's review against another edition

dark funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault and Drug abuse

whittaker's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

4.75

Irina is the pinnacle of unlikeable female narrator. But her story is gripping. Part of it is: did any of it happen? And then the second part, completely dependant on the answer to the first part, an answer we will never get: is she a psychopath or is she traumatised? There's parts that argue she is a psychopath, she is not crazy, but rather cold, calculated and this may all be a product of her trauma. And then there's parts that appear to show how unreliable and unreal her account is that implies she is traumatised, and whilst the events didn't happen - she has convinced herself they have. I don't think anyone in this novel was likeable - but it's proof that a book does not have to be likeable or palatable to be outstanding. This book is infinite shades of fucked up, and I think it should be marketed as such. And it drops from 5 stars because I don't think it /is/ what it boasts to be, with the blurbs and quotes on the cover. It does explore gender, especially female psychopathy, but it isn't stressed upon enough how disturbing this book is, and how it isn't a novel that explores misogyny the way Convenience Store Woman and countless other novels do. 

This book kept me gripped, truly, and I enjoyed it so much, whilst enjoying it not at all. It is not necessarily a book I would recommend to the masses, but I would recommend it to people who enjoy horror, especially female driven horror. That is what I think this book is, a psychological horror, and I don't know who the victims are: if they're in the book or if they are us.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Gore, Death, Body horror, Murder, Toxic relationship, Torture, Drug use, and Pedophilia

owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

"I have a photo of each leg, each arm, and his torso: all these boy parts, which I can arrange on my living room floor like a jigsaw."

Solid satire with some really funny moments and interesting characterisation. I really like how Irina's perception of Flo is slowly undercut by external glimpses of Flo. The final conversation about what Flo thinks Irina can give her is such a good example of this, as Irina interprets Flo's doomed desire for her as pathetic, when there is actually something deeply sad about Irina being functionally unable to recognise love and desire as a genuine investment in someone's wellbeing, rather than a means to an end. Irina's cynicism slowly being undercut by her delusions and the optimism of those around her was also really interesting - her voice can be quite compelling so the moments where you realise how flawed her own narrative is about herself and her world was enjoyable.

I did wander what this book was moving towards. The last act felt comparatively slower than previous sections. Anticipating the end of the book, I began to realise it was probably going to lack substantial payoff, which is odd when the first two acts were quickly-paced. Given the prominence of Irina's 'friendship' with Flo, I did feel like that should have featured more in the final conflict.

I have really mixed feelings on this book. The deliberate gratuity was interesting and having also read A Certain Hunger this year I understand the market for and am interested in literary fiction that centres female psychopathy. The commentary on desire and forcing yourself into different boxes was insightful (e.g. Flo only liking who she was supposed to like). I think my main problem is it feels like something is missing, but I just don't know what. I wanted to like it more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

bl41's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.0

“I could train a camera on a man and look at him like a man looks at a woman; boys, too, could be objects of desire.”

It was deranged and hypnotic

Reversing the male gaze into the “female gaze” with the perfect batshit insane  protagonist. It was super unsettling, darkly funny, and provocative— it references pop culture but not in a cringy type of way, so major props to the author. I devoured this book, and anyone who loves the unhinged woman trope should definitely give this one a go.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Self harm

ahlexcz's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

This book was awful. The characters are poorly written. The plot was bad and so was the execution.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Blood, Eating disorder, Gore, and Vomit

catesm's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Gore, Rape, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

caitatkinson_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I’m genuinely not sure what to make of this book at all. I liked that it was from my hometown? I liked some of the social / political / class commentary throughout but it was really odd. Not at all what I was expecting, so much more violent and graphic - super uncomfortable in places! It was such a strange reading experience, I’d definitely check trigger / content warnings before reading this one! I didn’t do that and it was just almost the complete opposite of what the blurb seems to imply. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Body shaming, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Blood, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Vomit