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bites_of_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There are many interpretations about this book, ranging from who is narrating, the true meaning of the house, and even the timeline of events.
I don't think I can recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun book to read, but if you're into deep dives into linguistics, philosophy, poetry, physics, with two side stories that tell the stories of deeply troubled characters.
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Blood, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Death
chloebowie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
If this weren’t a buddy read I don’t think I would’ve finished it.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Animal death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
quixie'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Gun violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Suicide, Blood, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Death, Gore, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
valentinaambrosius'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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders
jerusha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Confinement, Blood, Addiction, and Bullying
Moderate: Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Child abuse
Minor: Ableism, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Child death, and Cancer
gingerkathrynreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
I was really gripped by the story of the Navidson Record, and couldn't get enough of those sections of the novel, but was frequently and repeatedly irritated by the lengthy interruptions from footnotes, in particular those from Johnny Truant. At times it felt like I was reading two completely separate stories, and personally I didn't get much at all from Johnny's, as it was too graphically violent and uncomfortably sexual (I had to start skipping huge sections).
However - I know I'm going to enjoy reading other peoples' thoughts and theories online (which ultimately feels like the aim of this book, over providing us solid answers) and I enjoyed it's experimentation with genre, medium and the sheer feat of Danielewski having written this book. I wish I had studied this in a literature class, because I felt like that's what it needed for me to get all I could out of it!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual assault