Take a photo of a barcode or cover
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Eating disorder, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was a great, suspenseful read. I couldn't put it down. It was a cool experience to read a horror novel mainly from the perspective of the dog. That said:
I didn't like how Thor was trained/punished. He was hit a lot to correct his behavior and I just don't accept that as a beneficial training method, at one point the family provokes Thor for fun and one of the kids gets away with a little scare because dogs aren't toys and Thor mildly told him off, and the dad proceeds to throw Thor down a flight of stairs and he is shut in the cellar as punishment. I can understand that they started having doubts about Thor because his behavior, sometimes reacting violently, didn't make sense to them, but instead of seeking professional help (to be fair, I don't know how far they were in the 90s in that field), the dad decided to sent Thor to be put down. Not even considered getting another opinion, maybe get someone with experience to adopt Thor to get him out of the house and away from the kids. Really? Ok, I guess it adds drama, but no. Sure, their handling of him was most often fine, but still. And you can see that it especially messes with Thor toward the end. It is the early 90s, I guess. I tried to overlook it and try to remember that I only knew what I knew because I was inside Thor's head. That being said, I wouldn't have done what they did and I felt quite frustrated with some of the family members.
Other than that, small things that I personally didn't care for, but are, I believe, subjective and therefore not worth mentioning.
Spoilers for the ending because I know some will want to know does-the-dog-die: He doesn't, although he comes close to it and he is depressed af. A kitten is killed - not by Thor, mind you. We still get somewhat of a happy ending and I feel it shows promise that the family learned something from their experience, especially in regards to Thor.
I didn't like how Thor was trained/punished. He was hit a lot to correct his behavior and I just don't accept that as a beneficial training method,
Other than that, small things that I personally didn't care for, but are, I believe, subjective and therefore not worth mentioning.
Spoilers for the ending because I know some will want to know does-the-dog-die:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content