Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Edinburgh by Alexander Chee

13 reviews

nini23's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

3.75

I really thought I would rate this higher like 4.5 through the first third of the novel when the boys were in the choir. Although it's in the blurb, what are the chances he would run into the choir director's son, who confusingly resembles Peter?

But let's talk about the writing, because it's beguiling. Some have described it as a lullaby. To me, it captures well that surreal cotton wool quality where something terrible has happened, fracturing into a 'before' and 'after' yet normal life still continues despite one feeling like dying inside.  Accordingly, there is a dissociative quality to the writing, as well as used as a coping mechanism. 

Sexual abuse of minors is an abhorrent crime and we see the effects of the damage effervesce in each of the boys as they grow up.

I see why there have been comparisons to A Little Life and it boils down to plausibility. Have choir boys been sexually abused? For sure. In fact, while Chee was going into detail about the Kyries (medieval profession of praise and love to God) the choir was singing, underlay there was the bitter ironical knowledge of the numerous cases of boys sexually abused by Catholic priests.

The section where Fee is in college doing drugs is when I started disengaging. The writing is still splinteringly beautiful but it's normal sophomore experiences.

I am in disbelief that adult Fee as a swimming coach and teacher does have sex with a student who turns out to be Big Eric's (his abuser's) son Warden who he last saw toddling learning to walk. He himself was abused by an authority figure and yet .... Also, it gets into major makjang territory when the son falls in love with Fee, fainting spells, stalking etc and kills his father by burning him and photos of the adolescent Fee as revenge on his behalf. Fee at that point had a seemingly stable respectable life and he just self-conflagrated. Warden I have no clue what's happening with him. If this is all to show the damage is permanent in these abused individuals, then it's really twisted and hopeless. 

Human psychology is complex and atrocious things happen everyday, like my review for A Little Life stated, many shitty occurences can believably happen to a single person. It's not so much about resilience as cause and effect. Big Eric planted the seed of a time bomb in these boys and they detonated in their own way in time. There was a painful innocence in them that was destroyed forever.

If we continue with this analogy, this reader was left rather shell-shocked after finishing. I was in the same activities in secondary school and college (choir, swim team), Chee writes with inside knowledge. I liked the red hairs of Korean folklore and admire this particular strain of technical writing. My first Alexander Chee book and I am open to reading more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Alcohol, Grief, and Mental illness

lisbethleftwich's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Child abuse

lilywg's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault

sedwards's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Child abuse

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

My friend recommended this to me, and although I was aware of the content warnings (which I’ll put below), I was unaware of the extent that this would affect me 🥲

It is clear that the aftermath of abuse is horrific and hard to read about. I would not recommend this to anyone going on their own healing journey with abuse.

However, this book was written so beautifully. Even as Aphias (Fee) struggled through his life and the trials and tribulations of it, you could tell he had a certain vibrancy that kept him going.

I also loved when Albright (Bridey) came into his life because that felt like it was somehow restoring some of the right into Fee’s world 🥹

I really grappled with this book, because with similar tones to My Dark Vanessa, it’s inconclusive ending felt as though it was cheating Fee out of something.

Warden burning down Big Eric’s house was incredible, but is it bad that I kept wanting more bad things to happen to him? 🫠 Maybe it wasn’t a necessary narrative in Fee’s perspective!

I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars ✨ Thank you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Pedophilia, and Self harm

buttermellow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Pregnancy and Racial slurs

cosmicpasta's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Suicide

milliebrierley's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

leah_alexandra's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I don't have much more to say about this book other than, "wow." I thought the ending was a little bit of a weak spot, but overall, astoundingly sad and beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Terminal illness

drizzlybear's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, Terminal illness, and Racism