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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
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
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
I remember when the film adaptation of this came out. It was quite a big deal but somehow both the film and the book seem to have dropped off the radar. Perhaps it's because of the subject matter (child sexual abuse).
The premise is quite clever of this story divided in three parts, each gathering chapters alternating the voices of mostly the three main characters (Brian, Neil and Eric). The language is pared down and effective, almost emotionless despite describing some pretty big emotions. That means that the story a bit of slog to read and didn't really come to live for me until the last quarter.
On the whole I was left fairly indifferent, which is not what you'd want from such a book.
The premise is quite clever of this story divided in three parts, each gathering chapters alternating the voices of mostly the three main characters (Brian, Neil and Eric). The language is pared down and effective, almost emotionless despite describing some pretty big emotions. That means that the story a bit of slog to read and didn't really come to live for me until the last quarter.
On the whole I was left fairly indifferent, which is not what you'd want from such a book.
I saw the 2005 film adaptation years ago, but picked this up at a Goodwill recently since the plot of the movie had become hazy. There’s an interesting tension in this story. Heim pushes his characters deep into the dark obsessions that make them feel special because of how unusual they are. But as he strips away the illusions, making them more mundane, he reveals them as much worse than they could have imagined.