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laurahartfield's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Sexual violence, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Mental illness, Drug use, Gore, Suicide, Self harm, Animal death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
pbraue13'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: Sexual content, Violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Toxic friendship, and Infidelity
caroisreading's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
The story shifts between Elodie's POV as a baker's wife, and her letters to her friend Violet. It starts plain and quite boring, unravels very slowly, and then drops the plot twist over a few pages in a nightmarish daze.
The main theme is obsession, the need to live as someone else, and steal their life, their love, their intimacies. It's a heavy focus on masochistic, degrading fantasy, born from boredom, neglect, and Elodie's invisibility as a woman and sexual being.
The writing is one long fever dream that gets more twisted and confusing as you go. It was hard for me to find footing, which is probably purposeful. Even the time period was hard for me to figure out. This kind of verbose, vague inner monologue writing style often loses me, but give it a try if you're into that, as well as really demented characters.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Blood, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Infidelity, Torture, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence
ladybergart's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Body horror and Death
ariparip's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I was so excited to read this book and was so disappointed. It is extremely slow. The audiobook is only 5 hours and I listened on 1.25 speed but it still took me over a month to finish. I kept reading thinking the pace might pick up and because I was interested in the characters, but the prose was flowery without real substance.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Sexual content, Murder, Death, Body horror, and Toxic friendship
capacitorofflux's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
A chilling, mad tale based on a real life event.
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Blood, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
erisouls's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Abandonment, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Toxic friendship