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A review by ana_reads
Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I finished this book about 3 weeks ago and I still don't really know how to talk about it. I think the best I can summarize my thoughts is just to say that this book is mean. It's mean to it's characters in the violence they experience and perpetrate and it's mean to it's audience in how graphic some of that description can be.
There are so many graphic scenes of all different types of violence, it was both shocking and uncomfortable to read. I know much of it is purposeful - it's a horror novel after all, a lot of that discomfort is part of what the author was intending - but it did put me off of the story over all towards the end. There was just so much and it was so unrelenting, there wasn't really room to take in any individual action and process it before the next bad thing was happening and the shock kicks in again. It started to feel gratuitous. I think that kind of took away a little bit from the overall themes/messaging the author was trying to convey as it left me feeling mostly just numb by the end of the book.
That being said, the writing is quite good. I was drawn in the whole time - more specifically with the flash back scenes with the house's history. Those sections felt like classic Haunted House fiction and while still shocking and gruesome, there was a certain level of disconnect from the present that helped buffer how intense it felt. I listened to the audiobook and Nicky Endres performance was incredible! Their voice was compelling and almost hypnotic, especially in their performance as Albion - it added so much to the reading experience for me.
I don't really know how to end this review. I still don't know if I think it was good or bad, I don't know if I can recommend it in good faith knowing just how packed with some pretty dark and graphic scenes it is. Mostly, I know I will be thinking about it for a long time and maybe that's all that needs to be said about it.
There are so many graphic scenes of all different types of violence, it was both shocking and uncomfortable to read. I know much of it is purposeful - it's a horror novel after all, a lot of that discomfort is part of what the author was intending - but it did put me off of the story over all towards the end. There was just so much and it was so unrelenting, there wasn't really room to take in any individual action and process it before the next bad thing was happening and the shock kicks in again. It started to feel gratuitous. I think that kind of took away a little bit from the overall themes/messaging the author was trying to convey as it left me feeling mostly just numb by the end of the book.
That being said, the writing is quite good. I was drawn in the whole time - more specifically with the flash back scenes with the house's history. Those sections felt like classic Haunted House fiction and while still shocking and gruesome, there was a certain level of disconnect from the present that helped buffer how intense it felt. I listened to the audiobook and Nicky Endres performance was incredible! Their voice was compelling and almost hypnotic, especially in their performance as Albion - it added so much to the reading experience for me.
I don't really know how to end this review. I still don't know if I think it was good or bad, I don't know if I can recommend it in good faith knowing just how packed with some pretty dark and graphic scenes it is. Mostly, I know I will be thinking about it for a long time and maybe that's all that needs to be said about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Body horror
Moderate: Antisemitism, Drug use, Torture, and Self harm