Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

50 reviews

jakobmarleymommy's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

larajgriff1's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

Sufficiently scary in the horror way while also being scary in the interpersonal way.  Though warning: if you don't like gore, don't come within 10 feet of this book.  Much like blood from the walls, it oozes from every page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Gaslighting

shesaidlividly's review

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization

_rhea_'s review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Gore, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Death of parent

judassilver's review

dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury

beholderess's review

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Dementia

Minor: Suicide

lucylou's review

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

Interesting addition on a haunted house genre. Definitely check the content warnings before reading (domestic violence, child death, and gore being very graphic).
Minor gripe about this book: the author almost only describes characters’ eyes as “wide,” so often that it was actually distracting. 

I read 3/4ths and listened to the last 1/4th, and I would recommend listening to the audiobook- Kimberly Farr does a fantastic job.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Vomit

Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

tabookish's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Dementia

throwback682's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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 would’ve been a 5 star for me except for the stigmatizing of mental illness/painting mentally ill people as violent. There’s even a passing remark that mentally ill people aren’t typically violent but it rings hollow given the context. I find it really upsetting and tired. So, minus 1.5 stars for that oppressive nonsense. 

As someone said on Reddit, “I think that it’s an entertaining ghost story that is better as a deconstruction of abusive relationships.” and I couldn’t put it better myself. If you’re not reading this book as allegory then you’re fucking up. Part of me thinks the comparisons were laid on a bit thick, but given the amount of people who didn’t seem to read it this way, maybe not. I also thought it was very funny, especially the early chapters, but again many folks don’t seem to see the humor. 

Yes I guessed a twist way ahead of time but it was also sort of not the point - a slight red herring for a bigger twist. 

In short: it was a funny, spooky book, that dealt with very heavy and potentially triggering subject matter in a novel way. 

I think everything people complained about in other reviews (the annoying, infuriating daughter; the repetitiveness) all served a purpose. I think it worked really well. 

I just wish it hadn’t relied on ableist stereotypes/stigmas against mentally ill folks, is truly my only real complaint. 

Read with caution if you’ve been a victim of intimate partner violence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse and Confinement

Minor: Forced institutionalization

Tons of body horror and blood throughout, including involving children. The entire book is an allegory for an abusive relationship involving alcoholism. Mentally ill people are stigmatized as violent.

daepyonimst's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Gore

Moderate: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse

Minor: Forced institutionalization