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quiltmom14's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Vomit, Sexual assault, Suicide, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Pedophilia
pun1sher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a dark, dark comedy where the bad guys get away with what they've done, kids go crazy, and adults are all liars or sad or both. Skippy dies is about everything and nothing at all; at moments it reads fast, on other occasions its slow and painful to get through. It takes effort to finish this book because it's weird illogical unsettling and resembles a dense mud puddle. I'm not sure if those struggles are exactly worth it for everyone, but I'm not going to regret the time spent finding out why Skippy died and what happened after. Those 600 something pages are a tangle of horny teenage boys, private schools, disturbing secrets of the Catholic priests, failed inventions, grief, toxic relationships, donuts, and whatnot.
Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Eating disorder, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Animal death, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Infidelity, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, and Adult/minor relationship
homophobic slurs, vulgar discussion of sexual intercourse, fantasies of noncon/rape (including child rape), nword usage by white characters, attempted druggingalingtori's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
At the center of it all is of course, the titular character Skippy, whose death we encounter at the start of the book. Despite having his name in the title, Skippy doesn't really stand out much in the story. Instead, we get to hear from a wide set of characters--from students, teachers, priests, school administrator, and even a staff of a diner. Various themes and topics are also discussed--from string theory to pop culture to drug abuse. This might seem chaotic, but the author manages to piece them all together into a story.
It's funny, it's dark, it's informative, it's thoughtful, it's distasteful. But isn't that what life is?
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Cancer and Fatphobia
hrhacissej's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
The setting is a private boys school in Ireland. If you have spent any amount of time with teenage boys, you will know that nothing is safe from sexual innuendo. Murray captures the banter and the testosterone fueled behavior of teen boys really well. Avoid this book if you can't stomach it. Otherwise, it is worth your investment of time.