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Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
The only thing that breaks up the downward slope of the story are the more than colourful range of characters, echoing true Scottish personality and language. So many "fucks" and "cunts" that you will struggle to find a page where there aren't less than 5 on each page. The swears become more of a punctuational-peppering rather than a usual filler of expletive.
The writing is good, I was engaged. Even if the content was often messed up. I didn't like Roy, but I'm not supposed to. It's a good book that I probably wont ever read again, there is little edifying about it except for the demonstration in style.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Classism
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
It took me a few pages to until I completely understood the plot. The Scottish dialect takes a bit of getting used to, but you can get into the flow of the story pretty quickly and easily. I definitely do not recommend going into this book blind, without reading the trigger warnings. I took them lightly, I shouldn't have. The book is very explicit, with an unreliable narrator. The latter should have been obvious to me from the very start, seeing as the narrator is a coma patient. The book handles many disturbing themes, in an explicit, but not gratuitous way. It steers clear of the "Game of Thrones" kind of violence, it does not flood the pages, but is all the more horrific when it is there, clinical, narrated in such a way that even the word choices disturb you.
This book is the ultimate "violence begets violence" textbook example. It is brilliantly written, the three storylines starting separately from each other, but as the plot progresses, they blend brilliantly together. Transitions are experimental, voluntary at first, but as Roy's mind spirals, he loses his power over his subconsciousness, if he ever had any to begin with.
Welsh offers a brilliant insight into men's minds and their views on women's sexuality and freedom of expression. Sadly, I don't think society has improved much in that regard. They might throw their opinions around as blatantly as before, but the arguments are still the same. Why do men rape women? Why is there so much violence in the world? We cannot keep excusing such behaviour by wretched childhood experiences. It would be misleading to say that only men commit violence against women and other men. Women are not exempt from this
Antiquated, Victorian societal norms are a beast, prevailing over healthy expression of emotion. How much could be solved by us letting go of what societal pressure tells us we should behave like, be like, feel like, talk like? Should I feel compassion? Should I pity them? I just don't know. This is a book that leaves you queasy, feeling violated (especially if you identify as a woman or have experienced abuse), questioning, and terribly sad.
Mind the content warnings, I mean it!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
This carries such an important message, even if it is executed in an unconventional way. I just thought this was excellent. Please be aware of heavy trigger warnings!
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Alcohol
Minor: Incest