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fernash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Violence, Child death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Body horror, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Rape, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Minor: Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Drug use, Bullying, Incest, Racial slurs, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Homophobia
annahollamby'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: Emotional abuse, Violence, Animal death, Grief, Gaslighting, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Excrement, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence
nialystic'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: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, Cursing, Excrement, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, and Sexual harassment
pierreadsbooks'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
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Mass/school shootings, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Animal death
hysrae'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: Child death, Mass/school shootings, Death, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Bullying, Eating disorder, Incest, Medical content, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
klwpvfc'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? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Sexual content, Murder, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Violence
madelinequinne'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Hate crime, Eating disorder, Blood, Death of parent, Classism, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Racism
phantomgecko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Franklin sucks in general, but in regards to a child, he sucked hardcore. A great way to ruin your marriage is to put your kids first. And like, yeah postpartum depression and even postpartum psychosis make Eva a little rough, but dang dude. He didn't need to gaslight her like that. If you legit take the word of your child over your spouse, you're proving the trust in your relationship isn't there. And if you don't trust each other, what is the point?
Is Eva an unreliable narrator? Probably? Should she have had kids? With her motivations, probably not. Did she try her damnedest? Looks like it. Should she have gotten her entire family counseling? Yeah, baby! She also should have stood up for herself more? But these things aren't what makes her suck. It's the stuck up, hypocritical attitude that Kevin rightly points out. (This side of her doesn't come out super often throughout, so she sucks the least.)
And obviously Kevin sucks because that's the point of the book.
There's a lot of philosophizing and social commentary and introspection in this book. Like it's 66% that. Interesting monologue, but it does make everything drag so
Also don't think the nasty mess with the drama teacher was necessary. It was overtly obscene.
Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Animal death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Sexism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Murder, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
triangular_pascal'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
2.75
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Murder, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Body horror, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Murder, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Body shaming, and Gaslighting
boundforinfinity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In regards to the Nature vs. Nurture debate, which surrounds this novels primary focus (Kevin), I would argue more than ever that the majority swings to the nurture side. I, as a reader, find that whilst Eva's actions weren't necessarily harsh or unloving - her tone and attitude towards her son breed the hostile nature that he harbours. Yes - parenting is hard - and especially when the child is not what you were expecting. Franklin's character, whilst also repulsive and pretentious, held a fair stance on parenting.
Why was it that Kevin left Eva? Not necessarily to torture her, I don't think, but because he craved attention and love from the person who put up a façade of a doting mother. A mother who would look after him but would scream about him being a monster and evil when she thought he couldn't hear. In response, he grabbed her attention in the way she'd alluded to in different parts throughout his childhood. Her "favourite" things.
I realise this is just my view on the book coupled with my own opinion on parenting - but I stand by it.
A great read for the opinionated and interested in psychologies of killers.
Graphic: Violence, Death, Child abuse, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Child death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Freud would love it.