Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Chouette by Claire Oshetsky

10 reviews

redrockhoney's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

alyssapusateri's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, Excrement, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, Sexual content, Blood, and Bullying

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

i'm not really sure how to tag this considering there is such a mix of metaphors or what i thought were metaphors... i don't even know

savvylit's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Chouette is a beautiful and brutal depiction of motherhood, mental illness, toxic marriage, and loneliness. Despite her delusions, Tiny is a main character who is easy to root for. Though she battles with postpartum depression, her absolute love for Chouette is undeniable. In direct juxtaposition, Tiny's husband is a horrible man and a textbook example of toxic masculinity manifest. He belittles all of Tiny's concerns, he ignores all signs that Tiny needs literal help, he doesn't contribute to household chores, he's distant from Chouette, and he thinks he can "fix" his child with invasive procedures. Any time the (unnamed) husband appears in the story, he is infuriating.

Utilizing magical realism, Oshetsky leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not baby Chouette is an actual owl. I personally am firmly in the camp of readers who believe that this whole tale is a metaphor for the challenges of raising a disabled child. The way that Tiny's in-laws call her "courageous" for raising Chouette, the way that her husband is obsessed with finding medical "fixes"... It's more than clear that Tiny's isolation throughout the novel is due to other people's heartlessness and lack of understanding. The people around Tiny refuse to acknowledge her mental illness before and after her pregnancy. And they refuse to engage with Chouette, choosing to be frightened by her differences.

All in all, Chouette is an emotionally devastating book written in an engaging, lyrical manner. I highly recommend reading this - as long as you are prepared to join Chouette & Tiny as they take on the world alone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Animal death

hotdrinks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

kys831's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Pregnancy, Ableism, Gaslighting, and Mental illness

emilyexley's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

beatboxboyfriend's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Animal death, Pregnancy, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Body horror

Moderate: Abortion, Mental illness, and Sexism

fairygodfish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

Let’s see if the world is ready for a creature like Chouette!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Animal death

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Lesbophobia

cocoreads02's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• 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

Unreliable character, story written in a parable, owl baby 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

bibliophilecrocodile's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Wow, I don't know what the f I just read but that it's unexpected and grotesquely beautiful. The way motherhood was described here is just very different and phenomenal. Totally recommend reading. Great start to a new year for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Violence, and Excrement

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Vomit