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lgiery's review
dark
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
I wouldn't say that I enjoyed this book, but I did find it introspective and tremendously insightful. It's about memory, life, death, grief, and survival.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Abandonment
my_a's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Not what I was expecting- in form or focus. The vignette style was unique and I really enjoyed it, short and sharp, this kept my focus and gave the story a more fluid and emerging narrative.
I feel like the focus of the book is slightly mis-sold by the blurb and quotes etc. It's less about the sister coping post-loss, most of the book is about their lives growing up, then his final few months and only the final section of the book is the years after.
But still, I enjoyed it. The prose was direct but precise and layered in places. The final sentences got me.
I feel like the focus of the book is slightly mis-sold by the blurb and quotes etc. It's less about the sister coping post-loss, most of the book is about their lives growing up, then his final few months and only the final section of the book is the years after.
But still, I enjoyed it. The prose was direct but precise and layered in places. The final sentences got me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Death, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault
natbue's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
julicke95's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Als je geen woorden hebt kan je beter maar niks zeggen, dus zal ik enkel zeggen wat ik in volle zekerheid kan zeggen nadat ik de laatste bladzijde omsloeg en de betovering verbroken was. Dit boek heeft me diep geraakt op een manier dat boeken zelden bij mij voor elkaar krijgen. Door herkenning ja, in bepaalde dingen, maar ook door de rauwe emoties die Jente Posthuma blootlegt, uitgesproken en verborgen, te groot en te klein, te veel en niet genoeg.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
read_with_bi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide
thetokenfatboy's review
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
schadenfreudes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is too heart-wrenching for me, about a twin that grew apart when they lived different lives. The brother got depressed and then drowned himself in his favorite river. The twin sister told her coping mechanism in a sorrowful and poignant way to overcome her sadness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
jacss's review
challenging
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
TW: Suicide.
A speed read if there ever was one!
In What I'd Rather Not Think About, the narrator shares her innermost feelings before, during and after her brother ends his life. Another main theme is individuality and agency amongst twins, and the abondonment and loneliness that ensues when one of the twins decides to need other things in life. And the strain this leaves on other types of relationships. But even with this, the characters felt one-dimensional and they didn't really come to life for me.
It was a quick read, with short chapters switching between present, past and future.
What I'd Rather Not Think About is shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
A speed read if there ever was one!
In What I'd Rather Not Think About, the narrator shares her innermost feelings before, during and after her brother ends his life. Another main theme is individuality and agency amongst twins, and the abondonment and loneliness that ensues when one of the twins decides to need other things in life. And the strain this leaves on other types of relationships. But even with this, the characters felt one-dimensional and they didn't really come to life for me.
It was a quick read, with short chapters switching between present, past and future.
What I'd Rather Not Think About is shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Physical abuse and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
sinneblommen's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
A novel about grief, loss, and love, told through a series of vignettes by a woman who has lost her twin brother to suicide. However, it is about more than his death, it is about how being a sibling (and especially a twin) affects your outlook on the world. How you spend a childhood with someone else, orbiting each other, pulling at each other, and growing around each other.
It reminded me of my own relationship with my brother, being so similar, yet so incredibly different. Although we never were as co-dependent as the main characters are in this, I really want to give him a hug.
It reminded me of my own relationship with my brother, being so similar, yet so incredibly different. Although we never were as co-dependent as the main characters are in this, I really want to give him a hug.
My brother had gone and with him, all of my past. I came from nothing and was going nowhere.
The writing is incredibly direct, honest, without frills, which works well with the vignette style of telling the story. You skip around a lot, but you always knows what’s going on. Plus it really showcases how grief changes over the course of the mourning process. You remember things, you lose touch with your feelings, you want to know everything, you hold on too tight, and eventually, you let things go.
Considering it is a book about suicide, there are definitely some dark moments, although none of them are graphic or obscene. There are vignettes about bullying, sexual assault, depression, loss of a sibling, and suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Suicide