Scan barcode
A review by zephyrlestrange
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
dark
tense
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? It's complicated
1.0
As a trans person, this book just absolutely missed the mark for me in so many ways.
Obvious criticisms (ham fisted self loathing, gender criticism, various -phobias and absolutely bizarre reduction of what could have been very interesting characters) aside, I found the pace and narration jarring, perplexing and glacial. The language was convoluted, writing paragraphs of how the scene looks but absolutely zero context with the people within it, I found myself having to double back a number of times to remember whose perspective it was because other than random name drops, you have no clue.
I don’t know what it is about “it’s an apocalypse” that turns every character into a self loathing mope, juxtaposed with the one dimensional personalities. I thought the depiction of the women came across as Gooner level sex obsessed losers, and the single trans man in the book was petulant, whiny and self obsessed.
I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to explore intersexuality but the author was much too busy writing some of the most depressingly fatphobic drivel, I finished this book out of pure spite to be able to make a well informed “this fucking sucked” review.
Obvious criticisms (ham fisted self loathing, gender criticism, various -phobias and absolutely bizarre reduction of what could have been very interesting characters) aside, I found the pace and narration jarring, perplexing and glacial. The language was convoluted, writing paragraphs of how the scene looks but absolutely zero context with the people within it, I found myself having to double back a number of times to remember whose perspective it was because other than random name drops, you have no clue.
I don’t know what it is about “it’s an apocalypse” that turns every character into a self loathing mope, juxtaposed with the one dimensional personalities. I thought the depiction of the women came across as Gooner level sex obsessed losers, and the single trans man in the book was petulant, whiny and self obsessed.
I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to explore intersexuality but the author was much too busy writing some of the most depressingly fatphobic drivel, I finished this book out of pure spite to be able to make a well informed “this fucking sucked” review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, and Medical content