Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

161 reviews

runlaurarun's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

Instantly compelling, traumatic at times, but ultimately thought provoking and real. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent

mr_cain's review against another edition

4.75

All too real. Rips your heart in two and forces you to confront how you exist in the world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Homophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Eating disorder, Drug use, and Body shaming

mckinleyj's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

“Smells of beer and sweat”, “smells like beer and sweat”, “smelled like sweat and beer”… WE GET IT, everything smells like sweat and beer in this book. I truly wish I liked this book more. I thought I would. It feels like I should in theory. I want to feel bad for Wallace, and I did at least a little throughout the whole book—though my sympathy and empathy slowly ran out as I read—, and feel as though Taylor wants the reader to, but it’s hard to not feel as though many of Wallace’s current problems are almost entirely his fault. Yes, he has experienced horrific trauma and is in a less than hospitable environment, but I don’t know if there is a single instance in the book where he makes a choice that doesn’t cause himself and nearly everyone around him further harm. And again yes, this is likely a result of the things he has been through, but at some point personal responsibility has to come into play. I wish I felt worse for him, but Wallace is self centered, pretentious, rude, self righteous, and thinks of himself as the only person in the world who has ever experienced any kind of negative emotion or event (again despite causing more than his fair share of harm in other people’s lives). The least likable main character I have read in a good while. The writing is a weird mix—great at times; unimaginative, abrasively repetitive, and self appreciating at others. I have no doubt Taylor is an extremely talented writer but I can’t shake the feeling that he’s almost trying too hard here, attempting to write in a style that isn’t exactly his. The novel attempts to discuss the lasting impacts and trauma of a variety of horrible experiences—sometimes successfully and sometimes bordering on trauma porn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Racism, Violence, Homophobia, and Racial slurs

Minor: Sexism

xosirenox's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Rape, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Racial slurs, and Racism

qtree's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Vomit, Racism, Racial slurs, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death of parent

reidfrancis's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death of parent and Eating disorder

_puberty2's review

dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

This is a beautiful piece of prose, especially for a debut novel. I blew through it in 3 days and was genuinely glued to the story. I just want to hug Wallace and be a friend to him that will treat him like an actual person, Brigit was the only real one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Hate crime

Moderate: Eating disorder and Body shaming

moonbabe_'s review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Homophobia, and Sexual assault

calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Fatphobia

bruhbruh's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

An incredibly boring protagonist that is really unloveable. 
A terrible choice of the autor was to describe THREE rapes in detail which is never necessary and shows a lack of writing capacity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Fatphobia, Rape, and Homophobia