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challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
When I first read this I wasn’t as blown away as I was by Bunny, but maybe that is an unfair comparison to make.
The alignment between the main character’s story and the play contained within is done with an interesting twist on the expected. The narrator is more than just unreliable - her whole reality is shaky and confusing to all the characters too - and therefore the plot becomes like jelly, wobbling unexpectedly and slipping through your fingers just when you think you’ve got a hold on it.
At time of writing this review I read this over a year ago and it has stuck with me really strongly, so I think my current rating is higher than it would have been at time, because creating such a stand-out concept and novel is certainly a feat.
The alignment between the main character’s story and the play contained within is done with an interesting twist on the expected. The narrator is more than just unreliable - her whole reality is shaky and confusing to all the characters too - and therefore the plot becomes like jelly, wobbling unexpectedly and slipping through your fingers just when you think you’ve got a hold on it.
At time of writing this review I read this over a year ago and it has stuck with me really strongly, so I think my current rating is higher than it would have been at time, because creating such a stand-out concept and novel is certainly a feat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use
Hallucinations
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gorgeous prose, oh my goodness. I was afraid Bunny would be a one-hit wonder in regards to my own enjoyment of Awad's work, but clearly that isn't the case! In fact, I'm a little peeved that this hasn't gotten the same amount of hype as Bunny, because it's fantastic IMO. Less comedic & visceral but equally as dark. I wish I wrote a review right after I finished this instead of putting it off for a week so that I could've gushed more thoroughly.
Apparently some people found Miranda's POV tiring, but I was engrossed. Awad does love her "can't tell if they're still experiencing reality" protagonists. I work in the medical field so the discussion about chronic pain was doubly haunting to me; I don't ever want my patients to feel unheard, to become this hopeless, although I understood the struggle of treating an "invisible" illness. Other than the Weird Brethren, there was probably a bunch of other parallels to Shakespeare's work that sadly went over my head. I already enjoyed this so much, I can only imagine how cool it must be to have that added perspective. Even the interview with the author at the end made for great reading, with the explanations about how theater/performance/pain can intertwine.
I'll leave a few of my favorite quotes here because I don't know what else to say other than I LOVED THIS, it was so freaking good.
Apparently some people found Miranda's POV tiring, but I was engrossed. Awad does love her "can't tell if they're still experiencing reality" protagonists. I work in the medical field so the discussion about chronic pain was doubly haunting to me; I don't ever want my patients to feel unheard, to become this hopeless, although I understood the struggle of treating an "invisible" illness. Other than the Weird Brethren, there was probably a bunch of other parallels to Shakespeare's work that sadly went over my head. I already enjoyed this so much, I can only imagine how cool it must be to have that added perspective. Even the interview with the author at the end made for great reading, with the explanations about how theater/performance/pain can intertwine.
I'll leave a few of my favorite quotes here because I don't know what else to say other than I LOVED THIS, it was so freaking good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content
dark
tense
something about this book just rubbed me the wrong way. a big part of that was definitely the way disability was talked about/used almost like a horror element in parts....it feels like it's supposed to show the reality of life as a woman with chronic pain, but it just ended up pushing cure rhetoric and framing disabled people as crabby old hags with "dead legs" who are resented by their former loved ones until they are cured and "back to normal" for the happy ending
I am literally begging authors to stop using the magically disabled and tragically disabled tropes in their books. it really shouldn't be this hard.
I also felt like Awad was trying to have an unreliable narrator but made her so unreliable that half of the story was lost. we only needed one sentence from a onlooker's pov to make the entire book make sense, but we didn't get that. instead, we got a bizarre ableist fever dream without any clear messaging. wild.
I am literally begging authors to stop using the magically disabled and tragically disabled tropes in their books. it really shouldn't be this hard.
I also felt like Awad was trying to have an unreliable narrator but made her so unreliable that half of the story was lost. we only needed one sentence from a onlooker's pov to make the entire book make sense, but we didn't get that. instead, we got a bizarre ableist fever dream without any clear messaging. wild.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Alcohol
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical trauma
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief
Minor: Violence, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Minor: Suicidal thoughts