Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Ei enää Eddy

Very real and very heartbreaking. Interesting to read about a traumatic childhood from a sociologic perspective, some interesting insights. The author went through so much, and does a very good job articulating how he may have felt. His words are clearly his weapons.

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juttis's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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rosannariah's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Le sujet du livre est intéressant, c'est un peu le miroir social de la pauvreté et le portrait d'un jeune garçon qui lutte avec son identité, mais c'est vraiment dur à lire (j'ai sauté quelques paragraphes parce que les faits racontés étaient trop insoutenables pour moi => lisez les trigger warning avant de commencer ce livre)

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jmc2187's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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? No

3.5

Listened to it as an audiobook in English.

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astridrv's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

I have seen the author compared to Ernaux, and I can see why. A troubling account of poverty, bullying, and homophobia from a narrator whose conflict with social and gender roles in his family and village provided him with a self aware analytical gaze on social behaviours and class patterns. However, none of it felt as novel and thought provoking as I expected, given that this book was all rage when it came out. The writing is unremarkable, which feels almost rude to write, but remains important to me as a reader. The story matters, but is banal - arguably, that is why it does.

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

The End of Eddy is a heartbreaking autobiographical novel about the tough realities of growing up poor and homosexual in rural France. Eddy’s home life was blighted by violence and addiction, on top of the mocking he received for his effeminate behaviours. At school he was subject to demeaning gut-churning bullying which he chose to endure alone rather then report and risk being mocked.

The novel unfolds episodically or thematically rather than chronologically. The narration is mostly matter of fact and dispassionate. Scenes from childhood Eddy are interspersed with comments from adult Edouard meaning the book often reads like a series of essays rather than a more traditional work of fiction.

As well as recounting his childhood Louis also paints a picture of his village. It’s a picture full of economic depression and resentment, low literacy levels, violence, alcoholism, racism, machismo and homophobia. It may be a rather depressing picture but it is an important one to understand, linked as it is with the rise of right-wing politics. And not just in France.

The subject matter of this book is such that enjoy is not an accurate word to describe the reading experience. It was hard going in places. But the writing style and short charters make it very accessible and I’m definitely the richer and wiser for having read it.

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