Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

9 reviews

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book where the narrator is addressing the possible killer directly throughout while telling the story of how events in the past and present unfolded. The story was a bit predictable but it took you on a wild ride before it got back to the obvious resolution, which was entertaining. The characters are loveable even though I’m not convinced they’re supposed to be. The plot was definitely believable as well. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Violence, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Sexual violence, Murder, Bullying, Cancer, Rape, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Abortion, Blood, and Body shaming

summerb's review against another edition

mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Cancer, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Body shaming, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Hate crime, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, and Drug abuse

karen_lo's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective sad 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

3.5

3.5 stars

It's confusing at the beginning, but once you pick up the pace, it's okay.

This is a very slow-burn book that reflects heavily on sexism, racism, gender-based violence, and memory.

I liked it, but I was expecting a confrontation that never came. I guess it's a parallelism with life, and how sometimes you're just left wondering the what-ifs, the could-haves, and the should-haves of important things.

I definitely wanted justice and liberty for the innocent ones.

It was a bittersweet read

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Rape, Racism, Infidelity, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Alcohol, Death, Sexual content, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Cancer, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder

Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Cancer, Mental illness, and Fatphobia

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Classism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Alcohol, Body shaming, Murder, Confinement, Death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Rape

Minor: Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Homophobia

ecn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Death, Classism, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Rape, Physical abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Racism, Mental illness, Infidelity, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Pedophilia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming

caylorquinn's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Grief, Confinement, Death of parent, Classism, Murder, Bullying, Death, and Racism

kimveach's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

This book grabbed my attention from the start and held it through to the end.  I loved the story of a podcaster looking into her own school history of a murder of a classmate.  With her students attempting a podcast similar to Serial, she examines not only the original murder but also society as a whole in this Me Too age.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Self harm, Drug use, Eating disorder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Cancer, and Domestic abuse

mads_jpg's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

As someone who isn't a big fiction reader, I probably would never have read this book if it weren't for my work book club, but I'm so glad I did. 

I'm also really skeptical about the true crime entertainment industry, so this book's take on the genre was incredibly refreshing. The author's frequent references to real life cases, and her deliberate choice to not name perpetrators and instead center the experiences of both victims and survivors was fantastic. This book left me angry at the injustice of the justice system and the microagressions that eventually lead to violence against women and people of colour. 

Overall, it was an insightful take on true crime as a form of entertainment, and my only real critique was that the ending left me somewhat wanting.

While I'd loved the use of "you" as this ongoing mystery, I was disappointed we never had any kind of climax/closure with Mr Bloch. And while I know in reality Omar would probably never get justice, I really hoped the book would opt for a happy ending for him. Lastly, the final chapter felt like an odd way to finish the story. Aside from Bodie reflecting on Carlotta's death, it just felt like a moment of pause before the actual ending, so I was genuinely surprised when I realised it was over.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Drug use, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexism

wynnebirchmaple's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I couldn’t wait for it to be over which is markedly different than dying to know how it would end. Sad commentary on sad commentary and meta sadness all around. Structure is hard to manage in this work that was laborious. Too many characters, too many distractions and disruptions, a shallow swim in a phenomena no one has been able to explain—national obsession with true crime. Glad I didn’t buy it, own a previous work by the author that I haven’t read and am not sure I want to even though there’s big buzz, award kudos the whole thing. Author tried to over-serve and that’s what happens when you have a prior best seller and it’s easy to create a national conversation and vogue situation that everyone still rollicking in loungewear needs to get on board with. I am in no way better for reading this and I will look at Lake Forest Academy differently for now on. Author went there, lives there and has situated her novel in a similar but different place. Creepy really…

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Dysphoria, Death, Deadnaming, Drug use, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

I don’t know why people like this kind of stuff. I’m really annoyed that this was so long and not because there was no payoff, it was just crap—like a compilation of Kepnes’ adapted work, “You” Emma Cline’s “The Girls” Kukafka “Girl In Snow” and Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones” I didn’t like any of them and this one is now on the virtual shelf of harmful books to women that hijack political themes to make them sell or have obscene page count. Sheesh…