Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Animal: A Novel by Lisa Taddeo

46 reviews

citybound13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

This was the hardest to read book I’ve ever encountered and I’ve read some very gruesome and scary books. Be kind to yourself while reading this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Suicide, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Vomit, Miscarriage, Death, Murder, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Dementia, and Death of parent

ktwoolen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

I loved this story but as a mother I was so triggered and disturbed by so much of the dialog and imagery. Truly a heartbreaking read for me. A lot of reviews said it’s about how being in your 30s can make you want to kill- but to me it was about how parent trauma and send you on a spiral of self degradation, and how being treated like you’re disposable by everyone that’s ever come into your life can make you want to kill. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Infertility, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Sexism, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Addiction, Gaslighting, Dementia, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Vomit, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Really hard mother/daughter trauma to get through, along with detailed description of a miscarriage.

haileyeh's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Uhhhhhhhh…..ok then

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, and Suicide

Moderate: Pedophilia, Stalking, and Vomit

Minor: Infertility, Abortion, and Cursing

haleydoeshairs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Death of parent, Dementia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Physical abuse

ev23's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.0

taddeo’s prose is beautiful and punchy but this story was so disjointed to me and definitely lagged in some parts. i think a lot of it read as kind of trauma porn almost ? definitely check the TWs. i guess i understand the hype around this book but it just did not land for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Miscarriage, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse

flowerwineandbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Unhinged characters, so much female rage, stream of consciousness. Best read in a short space of time. Incredibly challenging with poignant lines. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Death of parent, and Drug use

kendoge's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I loved this but holy hell was it tough to hear. I listened on audiobook and the narration was amazing. The prose was beautiful and incredibly well written but so difficult and heart wrenching. This gave me every emotion and thought I wanted Nightbitch to give me. The content warnings are as long as the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Infertility, Child abuse, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Child death, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Grief, Physical abuse, Murder, Drug abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Violence, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexism, Self harm, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Infidelity, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent

addythebookbat's review

slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

rachthecreator's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Murder, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, Miscarriage, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Dementia, Suicide, and Vomit

astoriareader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

SYNOPSIS:

• On the first page, we are told a man killed himself in front of Joan. This sends Joan to flee across the country to LA. She is in search of a yoga instructor named Alice, but we have no idea why. We do know that her parents are no longer alive, and nothing seems to be keeping her in New York City.
• She moves into a compound, where several other people live. Her landlord is a strange older man.
• Joan vaguely refers to some trauma that happened when she was a child.
• There are lots of questions. Who is Alice? What happened to her parents? What trauma did Joan experience? Who is Joan narrating the story to? What is up with the landlord? Why did the man kill himself in front of her?

MY THOUGHTS

• This book is very dark & uses vulgar language in different parts. If you have any triggers, it is worth it to check out content warnings.
• The execution of this novel is impressive. It’s like a train wreck that you can’t look away from. Taddeo gives vivid, unsparing descriptions, and I can see this being divisive among readers. This will be either a book you love or a book you hate. I don’t see it falling in the middle.
• Although some parts are hard to read, I found myself unable to put down.
• Joan tells us the story, and despite being unlikable, she’s actually a fascinating character. Taddeo deftly makes it so you understand the character, even when you don’t like her. I found myself rooting for her, which I can’t say I have ever done for a main character that I didn’t like. Joan is complex & layered. She’s both a victim and a villain.
• We get a lot of flashbacks & insight into Joan’s past. Taddeo skillfully plots the book & intertwines stories from the past. There are deep wounds in her childhood. The family dynamics are extremely interesting. With the flashbacks, I felt for Joan, and I saw at her core that she was a little girl that only even wanted love (particularly her mother’s). The book looks at how our childhoods shape us & intergenerational trauma as well.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️not for everyone, but for those who connect with it, it’s an impressively executed novel. be sure to look into trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Abortion, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Infidelity, Rape, Abandonment, Child abuse, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse