Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey

8 reviews

t0rixoxo's review against another edition

i rlly wanted to like it but i just couldnt get invested. i feel like it was moving too slow for me

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity and Child death

ghost_of_a_car's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

0.25

God spare me from another paean to a mediocre, navel gazing man who can't keep it in his pants. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Minor: Infidelity

lalapaka13's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

The last 50 pages or so was exactly what I had hoped the whole book would be, they were absolutely enchanting. It was a bit of an uphill climb to get to them though!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Child death

Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Vomit, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

jetix's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

god, i wish erin had divorced him.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Drug abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Child death

rachelunabridged's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Child death, Alcoholism, Grief, and Infidelity

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Murder, and Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual content

saltedsnail's review

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.0

So much of this book is absolutely gorgeous. The setting and the writing are what managed to scrape up two stars for me... It’s all squandered on a relentlessly unlikeable main character. I was genuinely quite surprised by the ending of this book because

Charles is so irredeemably unlikable, emotionally inept, and disgustingly not self aware for the entirety that we’re forced along the grueling length of this novel that I fully expected, in true fairy tale fashion, that he must meet some grisly end to make it all worth it. Sure, he spends most of his time moaning and groaning about his “guilt” but such guilt is also bizarrely barren of any legitimate self reflection or growth. I actually rolled my eyes during that ending paragraph about “hope”. Thank goodness Erin stole the killing blow from this self aggrandizing, self pitying loser…. If only she’d left him in the wood. 

The most horrifying thing is that I feel Charles is an incredibly realistic character where as the many supporting female roles feel flat and one dimensional. I have absolutely met people like Charles, adult men with the emotional maturity of literal children. He’s a self absorbed professor who loves to cheat on his not-beautiful-but-striking wife and neglect his daughter. He knows he is the main character of this story - I can understand that. What I cannot understand is why none of the other characters in this story believe they are the main character. 

So much potential. What a waste. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Infidelity, and Child death

eeenou's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse and Murder

Minor: Infidelity and Suicide attempt

anniepaigespages's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content