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A review by threerings
The Husky and His White Cat Shizun [二哈和他的白猫师尊] by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There's so much to be said about this novel, with it's extreme length and extremely long list of trigger warnings. However, despite it's length I found it went really quickly. I usually read at least 10 chapters at a sitting, often starting to read it intending just to read a short time and then it would be 4-6 hours later and where did my life go?
Definitely obey the warnings because there is very dark and triggering stuff in this one, but also it's honestly, IMO, so worth it because this is just a tour de force of writing and plotting. Meatbun (the author) has incredible skill at weaving their plot in such a way that characters and plot and history are built up to the reader gradually, only to drop anvils of reveals on your head later that just make you want to die. And every single time I was gasping and tearing up and staring blankly into space like ...what.... I thought to myself "I should have known. I should have seen that coming." And yet I didn't.
This book is a LOT of angst. And normally I'm not an angst fan. Angst scares me. But I've realize through reading this (and some other recent media experiences) that it's not so much that I don't like angst, as I don't like angst handled badly. I don't like angst without a purpose. I don't like angst for angst's sake. I don't like angst that just piles onto the reader more and more with no relief in sight.
This book is so painful in so many places because of how exquisitely the angst is planned. The angst is not bad things out of nowhere or misunderstandings without reason or logic. It's natural consequences of character actions. It's misunderstandings based on deep character motive. It's chickens coming home to roost bearing all the knives. It's beautiful in the way classical tragedy can be beautiful. But even so we do get a lot of lightness in between. There are long sections of fluff and humor in between the most painful bits, so it's not a slog.
So I'm very very glad I read it and this book and its characters are going to take me a while yet to finish processing, as well as staying with me for a long time.
Definitely obey the warnings because there is very dark and triggering stuff in this one, but also it's honestly, IMO, so worth it because this is just a tour de force of writing and plotting. Meatbun (the author) has incredible skill at weaving their plot in such a way that characters and plot and history are built up to the reader gradually, only to drop anvils of reveals on your head later that just make you want to die. And every single time I was gasping and tearing up and staring blankly into space like ...what.... I thought to myself "I should have known. I should have seen that coming." And yet I didn't.
This book is a LOT of angst. And normally I'm not an angst fan. Angst scares me. But I've realize through reading this (and some other recent media experiences) that it's not so much that I don't like angst, as I don't like angst handled badly. I don't like angst without a purpose. I don't like angst for angst's sake. I don't like angst that just piles onto the reader more and more with no relief in sight.
This book is so painful in so many places because of how exquisitely the angst is planned. The angst is not bad things out of nowhere or misunderstandings without reason or logic. It's natural consequences of character actions. It's misunderstandings based on deep character motive. It's chickens coming home to roost bearing all the knives. It's beautiful in the way classical tragedy can be beautiful. But even so we do get a lot of lightness in between. There are long sections of fluff and humor in between the most painful bits, so it's not a slog.
So I'm very very glad I read it and this book and its characters are going to take me a while yet to finish processing, as well as staying with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence