Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Affinity by Sarah Waters

8 reviews

grayshuff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Suicide, Mental illness, Confinement, and Abandonment

quechaya's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad

3.5

This was a page turner but the ending hit me like a bag of bricks. I just want to read about lesbians and not have it end in tragedy! I am a depressed lesbian so

Margaret killing herself at the end hit a little too close to home. I also didn't understand that Ruth was the molester ghost until looking up an explanation of the ending.

This book is good but it just wasn't my cup of tea in the end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, Child death, Death of parent, Abortion, and Body horror

honeyenbee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

nannahnannah's review against another edition

I've always heard of Sarah Waters, but I've never actually read (or watched an adaptation) anything by her until now. It's the type of story that really doesn't leave your mind after you're done reading ... given that I stayed up googling "But did this REALLY ____", "Okay, but how did _____" etc. It's also a relatively slow book at first until suddenly things are going faster and faster until you're just as stunned as the protagonist at where/how things are going. But I'm not about to give anything away.

Margaret Prior, an upper-class lady recovering from a suicide attempt, is visiting the women of Millbank Prison in an act of charity and in hopes that she will also gain some benefit and ... "perspective". It's there she meets (and becomes more and more fascinated by) Selina Dawes, the Spiritualist, imprisoned after one of her Seances left a woman dead. Margaret doesn't believe in her powers at first, but as her visits to the women's wards grow more frequent, she becomes entangled in Selina's Spirits. It eventually manifests into a plot to free Selina, but the plot is much more complicated than Margaret thinks.

I was definitely not prepared for this book. It's not a fast read, and it's not a lightweight read, that's for sure. But wow, I didn't think it would be that intense, either. I really don't want to give anything away, though, so I won't spill anything about how it ends.

Is it a tragic lesbian book? Not quite. So don't be turned away by anyone who says that it's so. But it isn't a happy read either (then again if you're familiar with Sarah Waters, I think that's pretty clear anyway).

The book plays with "what-ifs" in almost every aspect. It's told through a series of journal entries in both Margaret and Selina's PoV's, so you're never sure what's true. Are Selina's spirits real? Is Peter Quick -- Selina's main Spirit -- real? You never find out, and after reading it really can go both ways. That's basically how the book reads. Many parts of it can go in several ways. It's up to you to decide how you want to view it.

I can't say I didn't enjoy the book, because it was just so well written! But it was just so heavy and dark that I think it wouldn't be something I'd read over and over again.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

horizonous's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide

Minor: Cancer, Abortion, Blood, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Torture, Animal cruelty, Death, and Domestic abuse

◦ Drug abuse = Laudanum
◦ Mental illness = Anxiety, depression

nialiversuch's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Abortion and Child death

Minor: Alcohol and Terminal illness

ehmannky's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I think this might be my favorite of Waters' book. The final twist at the end genuinely made me gasp, and it was such a gut punch. I don't know how to review this book without spoilers (though I will say that suicide is a heavy plot point, so stay clear if that's not something you're comfortable reading), but I really enjoyed it. It's by no means happy, at any point at all in whole book, but it's gloomy and kind of spooky and it's really hitting a 2020 mood right now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Moderate: Confinement and Mental illness

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Cancer, and Sexual assault

jonesmonster's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was darker and less tightly plotted than Fingersmith but I still loved it. It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down. The central character veers from sympathetic and sensible to disastrously out of control of her life in a way that made it difficult to 'love' her but she definitely got under my skin.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexism