Reviews tagging 'Death'

Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat

10 reviews

deathmetalheron's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Since I restarted reading, I have been searching for this book, or rather, one much like it. The Blind Owl succeeds in all three aspects of great fiction--the story is gripping and interesting, the themes are poignant and relevant, and the prose is astounding and powerful. It's hard to look at this story and truly unpack it and find each little piece. 
Even in its presentation, the book seeks to alienate and confuse the reader--there are five chapters, but only really 2 and 4 share 90% of the written text. The other three are short set pieces and framing devices. By the end of both the core chapters, Hadeyat starts to repeat passages of text, forcing the reader to go back and question whether they've read--and suddenly you realize you're going insane as you read the book, as reading the text itself simulates the same descent of insanity as the reader. The dramatic irony thickens in Chapter 4 when you see images repeat themselves in such a mundane fashion, and they are paced so well throughout the story you forget that they are coming--cypress trees, bone-handled knives, laughing so hard you get goosebumps--these moments all sing together in harmony, terrorizing the reader completely while the character himself exists in total unawareness.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Death, and Murder

Minor: Religious bigotry and Misogyny

kabornman's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.0

A very trippy book - reminded me of You Dreamed of Empires. The least reliable of all narrators and the line between past and present, memory and reality, madness and sanity slowly disappears. I’d definitely like to read this again some time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Body horror

a_davis's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

2.75

I didn’t really get this. I had a general idea of what took place at the end, and I really liked the repeated imagery since it helped track the character’s progression into madness, but I have no idea what the narrative was about. 

I very much want to try revisiting this after I’ve read some interpretations of it, and historically and culturally contextualized it

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Murder

mapleleaf_rag's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

This is how I feel in summer.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Death

colleenvb3's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

atamano's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Pregnancy

bookwomble's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Minor: Alcoholism and Miscarriage

mx_eyebrows's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

Wow, this book is a fever dream in the best way. However, it is super dark, so I would not recommend for most people. But for me, it’s in my all-time favorites. The writing is stunning, beautiful, gorgeous.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Death

Moderate: Murder and Suicidal thoughts

dhahbiasma47's review against another edition

dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

It's a circle within a bigger circle within a bigger one 
And circles keep repeating themselves again and again 
But then you realise the circles never existed....

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Murder and Blood

ok7a's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Incest, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts