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sapphoxes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The story, to me, was largely about abuse and how it can bleed out from what happens to one person throughout their life and into the lives of the people around them; how it can spread. Yes, I believe abuse to be a part of the queer community in a way that historically it is not in the straight community (speaking as a queer woman), but I do not think of abuse as the sole most important aspect of queerness or even queer history. This is all to say that yes, the characters are queer, and yes, abuse is prevalent, but a story about queer people being abused does not automatically define it as a book about queerness. If anything, I found it to be more about the abuse of the disabled, be that mentally or physically, and how abuse in childhood will inevitably follow a person into not just their adult life but the lives of everyone they keep close.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical content, Ableism, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Gore, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Rape, Child death, Cursing, Death, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Confinement, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Be careful while reading. Take breaks.cassiopeiacaeli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
On a purely craft level, it annoys me. This entire book is supposed to be character-driven, but the characters are either incredibly bland or incredibly unbelievable. Jude especially annoyed me. His backstory started off sad, but eventually got so laughably outlandish that I couldn't even care about how much he suffered. This book is only suffering. Half of the content warnings/triggers available on this app included on this one book.
This book also just makes me so angry. What was the point of writing this? What message was the author intending to send? Regardless of what message Yanagihara intended, the message actually told in the book was that eventually a depressed person's suffering gets to the point where their only option is to kill themself. What kind of message is that. Why is it being praised. I find it especially interesting that Yanagihara has not done a single but of research on the heavy topics she deals with, but that she is seemingly proud of her lack of research.
This book and all of Yanagihara's other books are about gay men who get abused and suffer. The best descriptor I can come up for Yanagihara is Fujoshi. Not in the more modern definition of the term as one for someone who enjoys a lot of bl, but the original meaning of a Fujoshi: a straight woman who fetishizes gay men. Yanagihara only writes about the suffering of gay men. Something which she has both not experienced and not researched. Honestly, if this book was adapted into an anime or manga, it's plot would fit perfectly with other badly written yaoi.
Was this book sad? Yes. Does its plot and message hold any value (to me)? No.
This book disgusts me.
Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Violence, Grief, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Ableism, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
nrougely's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Body horror, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Torture, Toxic friendship, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
hannah_go03's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Pedophilia, Violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
iiheartmariah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Car accident, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Addiction, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Terminal illness, and Self harm
missmethven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Drug abuse, Child death, Drug use, and Vomit
czara89's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Sexual violence
katiemichaele's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Self harm
lynseyray's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse
_ayala2004_'s review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Self harm