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Mellors writes in the modern style, I first encountered when I read “Girl. Woman. Other.” It’s pervasive, a book on my tbr list, “I’m a Fan” is also written in a similar style. Morally grey characters who make morally ambiguous decisions. Cheat on their partners, humiliate themselves in public and are never sober.
I can never read more than a couple of these books a year. They’re too modern. I prefer confronting my emotions through several layers of illusion. This one, was brilliant however.
The characters are well-crafted, written with such empathy that it’s easy to see yourself reflected back in them, even the bad bits. Frank’s story particularly resonated with me.
Theme exploration in this book felt like a caress. It felt like someone had dug deep underneath my defences and helped rearrange things. Finishing this felt like I’d shaken something out of a favourite coat. I understand myself better now.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria
Minor: Animal death
Cleo and Frank have had a shit childhood and although they’ve 20 years difference their darkness pulls them together to try to make light. Green card or not Cleo loves Frank and a few months after they met they get married.
This is really a story about the group of people surrounding the recent couple and Cleo and Frank themselves, a story where the characters move the plot, which is a picture of addiction, pain, broken childhoods, depression and to be an adult filled with grief and confusion, to still be finding yourself, to realise sometimes it takes forever, the journey is it, sometimes it’s laugh, friends, finding a support system.
I did saw myself in the details of many of them and none.
It’s weird, it moved me but it didn’t fill me, maybe my own grief and depression made a barrier between me and this grief stricken story so I wouldn’t hurt - it’s been a rough year.
Still, loved it just not immensely.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Abandonment
Moderate: Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment
I kept waiting to read about the way that Cleo and Frank's relationship actually impacted their friends, but it never did!
It's just a variety of characters that somewhat link to Cleo and Frank, with a bunch of additional characters while mentioning a huge number of topics without exploring them much. The characters don't do much except drink and drugs.
The number of characters is huge, some are only mentioned briefly. I did not care for a single one, not even the main characters. They had no redeeming qualities, just really immature and self-absorbed and not developed well.
Shocked to discover it took 7 years to write! I did not enjoy this book, I cannot recommend it.
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
Minor: Sexism, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent