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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Incredibly fascinating characters and exploration of what love is, especially between family members. However the book is incredibly unsettling and at times just gross and uncomfortable. Very glad I read it but I definitely would not have picked it for myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Blood
Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury
dark
sad
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lizard Girl floating calmly inside… Dunn is categorically an eclectic genius.
This book made me fall in love with reading again. I enjoyed the writing style, and the entire story was so unique. It had quirky, but complex (and, at times, infuriating) characters. It switches between two time periods of the main characters life, which kept things interesting. Although I do wish the ending had been different, it ended on a different note than I would have hoped - although based on the rest of the storyline I can't say I was entirely surprised.
This has to be the strangest book I've ever read. The narrator - a bald, albino, hunchback female dwarf - is not very sympathetic, but I somehow found myself wanting to know more about her – at least in the beginning.
I didn't really like her, but of all the contemptible characters in this novel, I guess she was the least appalling. Her narrative is repulsive, yet at the same time compelling. I found each plot thread more disturbing than the previous. Just when I thought the story couldn't possibly get more demented – it does! And yet, I kept reading hoping for some kind of redemption. Redemption never came.
Katherine Dunn is a truly gifted writer. I highly recommend this disturbing novel to anyone who enjoys good literature and is looking for something unique to read.
I didn't really like her, but of all the contemptible characters in this novel, I guess she was the least appalling. Her narrative is repulsive, yet at the same time compelling. I found each plot thread more disturbing than the previous. Just when I thought the story couldn't possibly get more demented – it does! And yet, I kept reading hoping for some kind of redemption. Redemption never came.
Katherine Dunn is a truly gifted writer. I highly recommend this disturbing novel to anyone who enjoys good literature and is looking for something unique to read.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
a compelling, beautifully written study on narcissism and love.
if you want a truly horrific book, this one is it. it sneaks up on you, but it is truly grotesque.
if you want a truly horrific book, this one is it. it sneaks up on you, but it is truly grotesque.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Incest
Grotesque in a way that I didn’t enjoy or felt comfortable reading/listening.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of the most interesting and unique books I’ve read, and it explores all of its themes incredibly well. The only thing that knocks it from being a 5-star read is the very rushed ending(s) for the two threads of the story. Everything else is handled with a lot of time and care except the actual end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At no point did I know where this story was going and truthfully enjoyed the getting there more than the end. This would have been 5 stars if Chick’s story hadn’t felt so rushed at the end. I needed more confrontation