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redrockhoney'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
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content and Excrement
Minor: Abortion
seawarrior's review against another edition
5.0
I gleefully suspended my disbelief while reading this story, relishing in Tiny's devotion to her daughter and Chouette's unembarrassed honesty and wanton destruction. Throughout the book, Chouette's father, who noticeably calls his daughter by the wrong name, refuses to interact with her unless he's found a new medical intervention. While some of these interventions are imagined, others that are briefly mentioned, such as forcing a child to ingest poisonous chemicals, are abuses that have been documented as supposed "cures" for autism: Parents are poisoning their children with bleach to 'cure' autism. These moms are trying to stop it (https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/moms-go-undercover-fight-fake-autism-cures-private-facebook-groups-n1007871). Alternately, Tiny learns what Chouette needs and frenziedly provides it for her, while warring against her private doubts that Chouette's aggressively determined father may be right that she must be profoundly altered in order to exist peacefully in the world. I was moved by the meaning of this story, and exhilarated by its unconventional approach and rich descriptions of the natural world. While this novel may not be understood, much less loved by some readers, I treasured Chouette and its strangeness.
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Animal death, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Gore and Animal cruelty
hotdrinks'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
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Excrement, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Dementia, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Child abuse
Minor: Racism, Abortion, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Grief, Car accident, and Body shaming
anitra2319'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
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Gore, and Violence
conspystery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ultimately, though, I think my favorite thing about Chouette is the versatility of its resonance-- something that is achieved, I think, by Oshetsky’s authenticity in this story. No matter how you interpret Chouette, no matter what allegorical or literal meaning you find in it, it has something important and personal to say about the measures society uses to evaluate, predict, and judge individuality-- and how we can and should transcend those measures which emphasize perceived acceptance over authentic personhood, no matter what society has ingrained in us to do instead. I adore Chouette. I can’t wait to read it again.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Excrement, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Ableism, Medical trauma, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Infidelity, Grief, and Vomit
Minor: Forced institutionalization
antimony's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, and Ableism
Moderate: Gore
cviii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Excrement, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, and Gore
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Pregnancy, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Vomit
Minor: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Abandonment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Cursing, and Religious bigotry
catwhisperer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Animal death and Gaslighting