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mobymaize's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Vomit
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Lesbophobia
hazelbynature's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Confinement, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gore, Incest, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Body horror
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Excrement
magicant's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Gun violence, Rape, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Violence
Moderate: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Suicide, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Violence, Physical abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Addiction, and Drug use
definitelynotreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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If you've never heard of this book, the concept is that this old man dies and his neighbor's friend finds this old trunk full of a manuscript for a book that's typed, scribbled on scraps, disorganized and all over the place. So this guy, Johnny, decides to organize the manuscript and adds his own footnotes to it. The manuscript is an analysis of a Blair Witch style movie about a house that's bigger on the inside. The catch is- this movie doesn't actually exist. In the process of putting this book together, Johnny goes crazy and you get a front row seat. It's a story with so many layers, insane formatting and it's a wild ride.
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My friend and I read this together and started the read terrified that it was going to be the scariest thing we've ever read. What actually happened is there were a few spooky chapters (don't get me wrong, reading the end late at night in a basement was not a good plan) but all the built up tension would get lost in long philosophical passages or a footnote describing Johnny's latest depraved escapades at his local club. Don't even get me started on the formatting of chapter 9 😨.
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I'm ultimately glad that my friend introduced me to this book. Someday I may go back and re-read only the Navidson Record (the part about the house) because those were the relatable characters and the best story. For me, I'm glad I pushed through the insanity, but this is definitely not a book for everyone and were it not for buddy reading, I'm not sure I would've made it through.
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If you do plan to pick it up, there are definitely some content warnings you should look into, especially towards the end.
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
funmilayo's review against another edition
In conclusion: the idea for the story and the interesting concept and layout seemed really promising but fell through completely. I cannot and will not reccomend this book to anybody. There's much better (psychological) horror books and stories out there that are scary without being completely dehumanizing.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
veganecurrywurst's review against another edition
This book just wasn't for me (to quote the beginning)
I wanted to be scared and I was looking forward to all the riddles. But the more I read the less I cared. I just wanted it to be over. It wasn't even the academic style of writing or Johnny (although I sometimes felt that Johnny was only written for a shock factor and to be "edgy", which made me lose interest a bit)
The author is undoubtedly very talented and a lot of work went into this. The weird thing is, that I actually enjoyed some of the discussions about the book on Reddit. Maybe I'll pick this book back up in a year or so.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cursing, Death, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Alcoholism
orcgrotto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In general, if you are looking for a piece of media that will break the fourth wall, or just be wacky/meta/self-referential, there's a lot out there that you can consume in less time than the reading of these 723 pages. As it stands, there are so many movies and videogames that do just the same in a more interactive way. But I will reiterate that this book is unlike anything else I have ever read. It filled me with a genuine fear and anxiety unlike one I have ever felt. I think I went through all five stages of grief in the process of reading it.
If you want to give it a shot, know that no part of it is an 'easy' read. The author expects a lot of you, and the content warnings are no joke. Take your time, and take heed of what heavy topics exist within its pages.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Suicide
dogfishpoem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Eating disorder
Minor: Rape