Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

11 reviews

count_of_carabas's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

jashanac's review

3.5

Summary:
 Award-winning author Kelly Barnhill brings her singular talents to The Crane Husband, a raw, powerful story of love, sacrifice, and family.

Re-Readability:
Probably wouldn't re-read this.

Characters:
This is a novella and you know how I tend to fare with novellas. The characters felt slightly surface-level, I guess. I liked the main character and her resilience and practicality and protectiveness over her brother.

Plot:
Obviously this is kind of an "odd" story and there's a lot that isn't quite explained, as far as whether it's meant to be real or fantasy -- very much a magical realism/fabulism vibe. (I'm not sure if it's actually categorized as that or not.) I imagine that anyone who saw abuse in the household as a child would relate to this story a lot and perceive it entirely differently from those of us who didn't have that experience. 

The ending felt really rushed and kind of tacked-on, to me. I think I would have liked the ending more if the main character's narration had ended pretty soon after the Big Event. Like, having her explain what happened 20 years later in such a rushed fashion just fell a bit flat for me. 

Themes: 
Sacrifice. Family. Abusive relationships. Fear. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror

qarina's review

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Abandonment and Animal death

meaghanelizabook's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Cancer, Child abuse, Body horror, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Torture, Terminal illness, Blood, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

booksthoughtsandtea's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

This book shows the lengths older siblings will go to protect younger siblings, that love isn't enough to live on, the power of selfishness and selflessness, and the burden of grief. I wish this book had a more satisfying ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Murder, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief

arayo's review

challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Eating disorder, Chronic illness, Animal death, Terminal illness, and Body horror

pm_me_book_recs's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Heartbreaking; a tale of neglect, abuse, and violence, but also about gaining self-agency and powerful enduring love.

This one may be a tough read for those who had to grow up to early and became sibling-parents due to neglect, or anyone who has survived domestic violence. Multiple times this little story had me ugly crying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

thelittle_seokmin's review

challenging dark emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

triciajk's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense

5.0

The Crane Husband will tear you to shreds. It is violent and wrenching and filled with truths the way most good fairy tales are. The main character remains nameless throughout the story, her invisibility a product of her neglect as she becomes the caretaker for her family. This is a story of sacrifice, a story of abuse, a story of generational trauma, a story of the effects capitalism and monopolization can have on working families. Barnhill weaves all of these themes into her story, the story of a nameless girl disillusioned by the harshness of the world too soon as she finds her own path to survival. At the end, the reader is left to deal with the pieces as they fall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence and Blood

huntress's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Cancer, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Animal death