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hamstringy's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
2.5
I wish I had liked this more. The concept really drew me in—a magical realism take on pica and its relationship to violence and trauma should have really been up my alley. For what it’s worth, Reyes does a really good job of writing an insidious book.
I really struggled to get a hold on any sense of timeline, and I couldn’t tell if that was because this is written very sparsely or because the timeline wasn’t well constructed. I think I’m not very well suited to this kind of minimalist writing. I also struggled with the slang and descriptions used. It felt very jarring at points, and I don’t know if this was due to translation or actual writing. Just. Ugh. I wish I liked it more.
I really struggled to get a hold on any sense of timeline, and I couldn’t tell if that was because this is written very sparsely or because the timeline wasn’t well constructed. I think I’m not very well suited to this kind of minimalist writing. I also struggled with the slang and descriptions used. It felt very jarring at points, and I don’t know if this was due to translation or actual writing. Just. Ugh. I wish I liked it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, and Death
bookishbrenbren's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
If you love Selva Almada, I think you'll enjoy this book, it's very similar to her writing.
I think this book had a lot of potential. It's written in a brilliant voice and it's vibey. Even though it's very dark throughout, I would describe it as ethereal, in the way that you can never really grasp onto what point the author is making before she's reminding you of this other point you need to pay attention. Unfortunately for such a short book, that means that a lot of the points she was trying to make were never fully delivered upon or developed completely. I thought it had a lot going for it but the ending was somewhat disappointing.
I think this book had a lot of potential. It's written in a brilliant voice and it's vibey. Even though it's very dark throughout, I would describe it as ethereal, in the way that you can never really grasp onto what point the author is making before she's reminding you of this other point you need to pay attention. Unfortunately for such a short book, that means that a lot of the points she was trying to make were never fully delivered upon or developed completely. I thought it had a lot going for it but the ending was somewhat disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Body horror
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking
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