Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Penance by Eliza Clark

15 reviews

em815ily's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Outing, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Violence, Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Self harm, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming

darlingsterns's review against another edition

5.0

5 ★ raising my rating to five stars because i read this in july and think about it every day


content warnings: Spoiler arson, murder, torture, blood/gore, sexual assault (mentions), pedophilia, rape of a child (past), school shooting/massacre (past), necrophilia (mentions), bullying (graphic), body shaming, humiliation, toxic relationships/friendships, manipulation, violence, cutting, self-harm jokes, Holocaust joke, homophobia/lesbophobia, homophobic slurs, ableist language, racism, classism, outing, abortion (mention), miscarriage (mention), drug/alcohol use 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Outing, Toxic friendship, Torture, Physical abuse, Bullying, Murder, Violence, and Body shaming

Moderate: Drug use, Sexism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Racism, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Rape, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Antisemitism, Abortion, and Miscarriage

bek_p87's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

This was dark, twisted, and thought-provoking on several levels. Presented as a non-fiction true-crime book about a horrific fictional murder in a small seaside town, this is about evil, our fascination with it, and how capitalism monetises this fascination. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Alcohol, Drug use, Homophobia, Ableism, Murder, Sexual violence, Bullying, Child death, Violence, Gaslighting, and Child abuse

Minor: Suicide

deannamartin113's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

3.75

A mimic book. A book that is a novel, but presents itself as a non-fiction, true crime book. It explores the damage that the true crime community (podcasts, Reddit groups, Tumblr, books, and others) can have on the victims, the victim’s families, the perpetrators, the perpetrator’s families and the community at large.

I had a true crime season. I thought I partook responsibly, but I’m rethinking that.  The true crime podcasts I listened/watched are very well made. Their stories are well written and captivating. How much artistic license is taken with their stories?

They can tell us until they’re blue in the face that they’ve spoken with the victim’s family and have their blessing, but they give no proof, or receipts (in internet parlance).

I was becoming more uncomfortable with one of the TC podcasts I watched when they covered current cases, or even open cases with suspects, because one host was particularly intense about who she considered guilty. Once she considers you guilty, she’s like a dog with a meaty bone.  The comments and innuendo never stop. Her jokes about the suspect never stop. ‘Innocent until proven guilty’ is not a phrase she particularly likes, however she will yell long and loud about her own freedoms.

I find a gaping disconnect there. 

Penance is not a book to read lightly. TW for s**cide, miscarriage, murder, some graphic, teen drinking violence, SA off page, misogyny language, gaslighting all over the place, gross sexual language and jokes, and probably more I’m missing. 

I think I am finished with True Crime podcasts and books.  I’m not sure how I feel about crime documentaries, except that they need a governing body to impose standards.  I’ll stick to reading the court documents, watching the actual trials, and listening to the commentary of real lawyers - there’s plenty of them on YouTube now. I’m looking at you, @theemilydbaker 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, and Gaslighting

katerina_l's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Body horror, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Gore, Grief, Bullying, Murder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Homophobia, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

mashapopeskovic's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Blood, Classism, Drug use, and Lesbophobia

sgonzo's review

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

aloe_v's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The blurring between fiction and non-fiction was quite trippy when reading the book,

and given the ending guardian interview, within the fiction, which accuses the in-book author of blurring fiction and non-fiction, I realise now the interesting parallels there between the fictional readers and real readers.

It was also interesting that, as I read, I thought it was actually a male author because of the in-book author, and only reading the acknowledgements did i realise it was not. This was another interesting thing that "caught me", as I'd felt a bit uncertain about a male writing about teenage female relationships, and that it was a bit infantilising/dismissive at times, and I realise now, that was likely intentional on the real authors part - or at least, thats my intepretation.

Reading time 5h54m.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Torture, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Self harm, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Homophobia and Racism

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

zoebill96's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Vomit, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Mass/school shootings, Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Bullying, Gun violence, and Pedophilia

chronicacademia's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An incredible, uncomfortable, horrifying dissection of the true crime genre and its “fandoms.” A must read for anyone who consumes true crime. 

Adding a content warning for necrophilia as well as the content warnings listed below. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Incest, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content