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nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Outing, and Gaslighting
Beautifully written and the use of perspective shift was well-used and powerful. Sad but sweetsib_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Outing, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
samiramsayeed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
maess'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
smedina20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
valentina05'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual content, Violence, and Outing
reader_in_the_meadow's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
1.5
The plot on it's own had a great premise, but didn't deliver in my opinion. By making the whole story just really revolve around only these three human beings it got boring at one point. But I have to say that I would be pleased if this novel would be rewritten by the author so that these flaws could be fixed.
The characters were not my kind of dish. People who know me know that I really need well worked out characters in books. That means that they have to be diverse, have depth and not behave the same way all the time, unlike the characters in this book. I'm not saying they were bad, I'm just saying, that I personally didn't like them.
Also, I really really disliked the reapresentation of gay/achillean men in this book. The character of Patrick was in my opinion build wholly on the prejudice that gay men are sex driven and can only think about that. And that is not a good way of representing our minority.
The writing was okay. It wasn't all bad and it could buold a really beautiful atmosphere at some points by describing not too detailed but just detailed enough. But then there were moments, when that atmosphere was just suddenly tore to shreds.
Again, people who know me, know that I don't like first person POV very much, and it definitely didn't help about my opinion on this book.
So, was there anything that I liked? Not really. And I don't want you, dear reader of my review, to just read my review, because there are people out there who like this book. And maybe you are one of them.
So, yeah, I didn't like this book, but just like with all books, that is just one opinion.
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
hmatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Despite how synopses may read, this is absolutely not a book about the title policeman (Tom). While he is the main subject, the story tells us very little about him except for how his wife and lover perceived of him throughout time. It really tells us more about the relationship between his wife and his lover. A reader who neglects to acknowledge the unreliability of these two narrators loses the point of the story entirely, in my opinion. I found it brilliant because they are each so selfishly obsessed with their own idea of this man who doesn't have a voice of his own throughout the narrative.
'What about my silence, Marion? Did you ever think about that? You have no idea...' His voice cracked. He loosened his grip on me and turned his face away.
Graphic: Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Outing
Moderate: Sexism and Grief
Minor: Hate crime, Sexual content, and Violence
period-typical homophobia, sexismmaddywinger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Sexual content
neptunereign's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Alcohol