Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

60 reviews

cait_henry56's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.75

This could have been so good. I tore through this book in two days, and maybe that is my fault for how annoyed I am after ending. The haunted house and the extended metaphor for familiar relationships was realistic, terrifying, and heartbreaking. But my suspension of belief cannot handle the motivations of Margaret and Katherine, why they were both so hellbent on the former not explaining about the house, and the latter looking for Hal even after the shoe drops about him.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Minor: Child abuse

thegayestghost's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

amyalwaysbooked's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

3.0

The premise of The September House was interesting. Margaret and her husband Hal buy their dream house in their middle age. When things prove to be a bit more haunted than expected, Margaret refuses to let go of the house and learns to deal with the spectral residents. However, when Hal goes missing Margaret has to keep her daughter from snooping around and finding out about the "pranksters" in her home.

I had expected this to be a horror-comedy when I went in, and to an extent, I think that's what Orlando was going for. I didn't find it all that funny or endearing. Margaret comes off as absent-minded and accommodating to the ghosts in the house which I found annoying more than charming. When you add Margaret and Hal's daughter Katherine to the mix it's even worse. She's an angry, short-tempered character that never grew on me. 

I gave the book three stars because I can see what Orlando is trying to do with this book. Margaret's willingness to follow the "rules" of the house and its ghosts is clearly a metaphor for

being the victim in an abusive relationship

but it's all so on the nose that I rolled my eyes more often than not. If I had felt more attached to Margaret and the other characters this could have worked better, but it all fell flat for me. 

The last twenty percent or so really ramped up the action, horror, and gore which I appreciated. However, after the climax, it all peters out into a lackluster resolution that leans back into the book's attempt at horror/comedy which doesn't hold up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, and Alcohol

Moderate: Mental illness, Police brutality, and Gaslighting

Minor: Self harm

karenreadsbooks's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism

bookwyrm_kate's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

I loved that I thought I had things figured out, initially was shown to be correct, then everything was subverted and went batty. A lot of fun, and watch out for a LOT of body horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Dementia, and Alcohol

Minor: Mental illness and Gaslighting

sarah984's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

4.5

This book dragged a little bit in the middle but overall I really enjoyed it. The voice was fun, there were some surprisingly effective scares, and it managed to surprise me a few times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Confinement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Cannibalism

Insect/bug content

rnr516's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

d0505's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Gaslighting

bambooboy's review

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

It can be hard to write an allegory for domestic violence without coming off insensitive or ham-fisted. In The September House, Orlando manages to gracefully use the metaphor of a haunted house beautifully. This book was darkly funny, with engaging characters that keep you wanting more of them after you put the book down.

I was concerned that she was going to go the coward's route and have the protagonist institutionalized after being characterized as crazy, but luckily she does not!

There is real growth among the characters and you find yourself rooting for them, even those that you might be surprised by. The descriptions are artistically disgusting, and the detached nature of the protagonist's voice is startlingly realistic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, and Gaslighting

Minor: Self harm, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Detailed description of content warnings below

--Father is an alcoholic, who becomes sober and then relapses
--Father is emotionally and physically abusive to mother; attempts to be abusive to daughter so mother removes her from home
--Multiple child murders, graphic descriptions of torture and murder
--Gaslighting protagonist as to existence of ghosts
--Many graphic descriptions of bodies being twisted and deformed, tortured
--Protagonist is abused emotionally and physically for many years and the ways she copes are covered
--Multiple people commit suicide in the house, deaths described
--Multiple descriptions of vomit, especially vomiting flies
--One character is murdered in a fireplace, attempts made to burn entire house down
--Daughter attempts to institutionalize mother

ericweitzel's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, and Torture

Moderate: Gaslighting