Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

75 reviews

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

August 2021 reread: Ugh. Literally every time I read this collection it rips out my heart. Especially "The Husband Stitch" (one of my absolute favorite short stories of all time, and I've made everyone from my old roommate to my ex read it now) and "Mothers." The stories about the end of the world (mostly "Inventory" and "Real Women Have Bodies") hit extra hard during a global pandemic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content

Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Rape

readingthebacklist's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

4.25

I haven’t read many short stories, but the ones I most enjoy seem to have this abstract, unsettling quality that invite me to nick through the layers of a story or leave me wondering what just happened. This collection has a mix of both elements. The women in these stories are not conventional and are not here to accommodate the reader’s sensibilities.  

My favorites: MOTHERS— it’s hard to explain why, it left me cold at the end of the story. I initially thought it offered an unfiltered look at motherhood, but after further reading, it left me wondering if the “baby” was more of a metaphor for abuse in a relationship. 

EIGHT BITES— a story about self loathing and how typically we only find self-acceptance in hindsight, by which point we’ve wasted years tormenting our bodies and minds.

ESPECIALLY HEINOUS— snappy “recaps” akin to stories shown on Law & Order SVU.  Machado’s skillfully combines the episode titles with her own sharp writing to create darkly humorous abstracts that made me chuckle at times. Of course there is a certain dissonance to the humor when one considers the topics. I think, the aim was to portray the prevalence of female violence in entertainment and how we’re largely inured to it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual violence

cosypuck's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Murder

aykdanroyd's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Grief

gay's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse