Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

10 reviews

laurynkelly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Incest, Racism, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Adult/minor relationship

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This book saved itself with the ending. Most of it is tedious and frankly, not very good. What made it worth the four stars, though, were the themes, the narrator’s psyche, and the level of cringiness. It was highly evocative. So the words used didn’t matter to me in the end. The truth that’s finally revealed and the long and arduous, continued downward rollercoaster spiral that I had to ride the entire time is what makes this book worth my four stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Colonisation, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Medical content, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

partybonus's review

challenging sad medium-paced

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

I do notttt recommend! It is a trigger warning minefield and full of really wretched moments. The lush rainforest backdrop and descriptions of the scenery belong in a travel guide which is what I think this writer was before they became a writer. I wish I hadn’t read it. It haunted me and I am not interested in shockingly violent and horrendous situations in books anymore, especially when there is zero reason for it. Stay away! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Rape, Trafficking, Animal death, Colonisation, Incest, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Xenophobia

muccycloud's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I hated this book but I also could not stop reading it. The main character is deplorable, horrific, I would not choose to read this again. I kind of want to scrub it from my brain. But it was well written and despite it being horrific felt the need to finish it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Racism, Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Suicide, Medical trauma, Sexism, Trafficking, Child abuse, and Rape

gracereadsx's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Dementia, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, and Rape

abbielou's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Racism, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence

mangomilk's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

2.5

i had to think on this one for a while and come back.

it was difficult to assign a numerical rating to this book, mostly because my appreciation for the scope and detail of the storytelling warred immensely with my disdain for the general conceit of the novel. i find the ease with which many reviewers throw around the phrase "moral relativism" disquieting, if not outright disingenuous, and the commentary on colonialism rather heavy-handed.

i'm not someone who believes that protagonists have to be likable for a story to be interesting, which is why i finished this book--but norton is such a drag of a narrator that reading this was exhausting. i also don't find that predicating a narrative on child sexual abuse/abusers necessarily makes it more compelling, and yanagihara centralizing this element not only here, but also in ALL and her latest novel (always in m/m configurations too), is definitely not helping her beat the trauma porn allegations.

also the first section concerning norton's childhood really contributed nothing to the narrative LOL

points for engendering some truly visceral feelings in me, i guess (the feelings being disgust, anger and hatred notwithstanding).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Animal death, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexual assault, and Rape

rubyvee's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, and Colonisation

raisinflakies's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Incest, Child abuse, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, and Racism

Moderate: Misogyny

bowlofnicole's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Rape, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Medical trauma and Forced institutionalization