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I didn't experience the same goosebumps as I'd had with her former work, though it may have been mellowed by the fact that I'm currently more familiar with the topics she explores, and her tone. However, there were moments where I was aghast and enraptured at her ability to weave horror and political critique, her sharp, borderline omenic commentary on artificial intelligence, environmental disaster and climate change, cults and doomsday behavior, cruelty and torture, and so much more. This was a splendid, transfixing work of fiction that tells a story of how our world can collapse if we allow ourselves to succumb our humanity to technology, and the shattering consequences that could, without caution, ensue.
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Torture, Violence, Murder, War
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
The Unworthy spills out as an unnamed nun writes out her experiences in a horrific cult after the end of the world. Life within the Sacred Sisterhood is not for the faint of heart. Multiations, punishments, hauntings, starvation and cruelty are facts of life. But in a world where the end of times has come and settled in nicely, our narrator prefers the chance of faith over the known horror of the outside. When a stranger manages to slip in, our narrator begins to unravel not only the steps that brought her to the Sisterhood but the truth behind the life she’s living.
Certainly not a read for the faint (insects, sexual assault, murder), The Unworthy really landed for me with its delicious religious horror and existential dread. The story, and our conflicted narrator, did an excellent job giving us just enough to grasp what might really be happening. The ending was mildly satisfying, though in a story light on plot any ending is going to have mixed reactions, but I found that given the sheer level of horror throughout the text some of the more dramatic reveals fell flat for me. That said, if you are craving a religious apocalyptic tale of lesbian hate and desire this is most certainly the read for you.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Slavery, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War