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septi's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
chelseapwalsh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
jaedia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
jkergan's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Body horror
brookey8888's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
5.0
I also felt really bad that the one who I felt more creeped out by was not Marjorie, with her gruesome stories and actions, but Merry, who seemed to take glee from her and her sister's trauma. Merry should be a somewhat reliable narrator as a kid, aside from her shoddy memory. There isn't a reason to suspect her of leaving things out. However, I felt wary all the same as Merry became known for being an exaggerator and a storyteller. There's a few reveals later on in the book that highlight this fact and it just made me very suspicious of someone who is just a very traumatized child/person.
Tremblay has done a fantastic job here with this book. A reader questioning a narrator's true feelings makes for good conversation and deeper reading. I am so torn with Merry as a character. My initial feelings were as stated above: Merry is creepy for the way she expresses her thoughts on the situation and her sister. However, after I finished the book, I couldn't help but think that maybe Merry was just trying to find her own way of understanding what all happened in her childhood, everything that led up to the greatest tragedy of her life. Afterward, all I could see was a girl-now-adult, still struggling to figure out why her sister acted the way she did, what her sister could've been thinking throughout it all.
When I started this book, the summary had not prepared me for the gruesome descriptions Tremblay employed, nor how sad a story this really was. I just felt so bad for Marjorie, more than anything. She didn't deserve anything that happened to her, and needed to be taken out of the home and cameras that were definitely making things worse. I am curious to know of other's opinions of the portrayal of schizophrenia in this book. I did not touch on it as I am not an expert on the condition, nor do I have the condition.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement and Domestic abuse
simp4sneks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
thereadingdude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia and Excrement
g_xandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
bookishchaos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Gaslighting