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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
This is easily the most gruesome and explicit book I've ever read. Heim's descriptive powers are a double edged sword when it comes to telling this story. The abuse is painfully detailed and often had me physically recoiling from the book, but I was drawn back in with the beautiful descriptions of rural Kansas and the characters that inhabited it. Mysterious Skin will undoubtedly haunt me forever.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't able to finish reading this even though it held my interest and I was intrigued... If you have PTSD or some type of trauma-related struggles, I would recommend passing this one up. I'm disappointed that I had to, it's beautifully written, many of the scenes only became way too intense for me to finish.
For a book with a dark and disturbing subject, it didn't seem too melodramatic. The author wrote with some restraint and allowed the story to naturally unfold. I really liked that. This in turn made some parts a little predictable and I’m sure readers figured some things out before some of the characters were able to, but that wasn’t necessarily always a bad thing! It made the characters realistic. I think both characters didn’t see the truth because they didn’t want to believe and accept it as truth. And, wow, that final scene was really satisfying!!
(I did think Neil remembered Brian a little too quickly, though. I also wish the moments in which he experienced shifting views of his relationship with Coach were a little more drawn out.)
(I did think Neil remembered Brian a little too quickly, though. I also wish the moments in which he experienced shifting views of his relationship with Coach were a little more drawn out.)
This was a pretty depressing book about childhood sexual abuse. It had some strange twists and turns in the plot that made it somewhat interesting. The ending provided some closure, but left more questions than answers.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gaslighting
Ouch.
I honestly don't know how to rate this book. I read it on the basis of hearing it was about a boy who believes he was abducted by aliens, and it's my own fault for not paying attention to the synopsis that I didn't immediately realize that there were, in fact, going to be no aliens. This book is about the different ways people process the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, and the descriptions of said abuse are very graphic. I was emotionally hooked by the story, the writing was simple and managed to illicit the emotions it was meant to illicit, but this is a book you can't recommend to someone unless you know them very, very well.
A list of content warnings for anyone wondering 'how bad does it get' since I haven't seen them listed elsewhere: graphic descriptions of sexual abuse of a child, child on child sexual assault, graphic depictions of rape, animal death, drug abuse, assault on a mentally handicapped child, STIs, prostitution, mentions of self harm, homophobia typical to Kansas in 1991, and probably other stuff I'm forgetting.
I honestly don't know how to rate this book. I read it on the basis of hearing it was about a boy who believes he was abducted by aliens, and it's my own fault for not paying attention to the synopsis that I didn't immediately realize that there were, in fact, going to be no aliens. This book is about the different ways people process the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, and the descriptions of said abuse are very graphic. I was emotionally hooked by the story, the writing was simple and managed to illicit the emotions it was meant to illicit, but this is a book you can't recommend to someone unless you know them very, very well.
A list of content warnings for anyone wondering 'how bad does it get' since I haven't seen them listed elsewhere: graphic descriptions of sexual abuse of a child, child on child sexual assault, graphic depictions of rape, animal death, drug abuse, assault on a mentally handicapped child, STIs, prostitution, mentions of self harm, homophobia typical to Kansas in 1991, and probably other stuff I'm forgetting.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
finally got around to reading this book as it’s the source material for one of my favorite movies of all time and while this story is near and dear to me, it is incredibly difficult to stomach. i think the reason why i find dark narratives like this so compelling is because it is fascinating to look the worst of humanity in the face and reckon with what that means for the people who fall victim to it, like neil and brian. i found the movie sickening, and the book was somehow more graphic, which i didn’t expect. without the flare and the gorgeous aesthetics that the film adaptation possesses, you have no choice but to grapple with the cold and unforgiving narrative. the closing lines brought me to tears. an incredibly writen and so so important novel, but i can confidently say i will never read it again
p.s. i LOVED learning more about eric’s character than we do in the film and brian’s pov was so much more fleshed out, which i really appreciated
p.s. i LOVED learning more about eric’s character than we do in the film and brian’s pov was so much more fleshed out, which i really appreciated
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix