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A review by ejkimberley
Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
4.0
This is a book I could not blame any given person for loving or hating respectively. Because for many, it will be a "rough go", which contains too much and too constant a burden of unpleasantness for the work as a whole to be enjoyed. But for others, it will be, like Rumfitt's "Tell Me I'm Worthless", a powerful work of sexual and psychological horror.
In particular, abusive sexual behaviour is a nearly constant factor, in this book. And fetishistic language and activity which many will find unpleasant is effectively its central focus.
I think I have a relatively strong stomach, when it comes to this stuff. And that's why Brainwyrms gets 4 out of 5 stars, in my case. But even I found myself wishing certain scenes and passages would just come to an end much sooner than they did.
Personally, I would have wished for a little more exploration of the science fiction premises and implications behind the "wyrms" themselves. But there is some treatment of that.
All in all, an intentionally and thoughtfully disgusting look at terrible people doing terrible things for largely terrible reasons, in which redemption cannot be reasonably hoped for.
In particular, abusive sexual behaviour is a nearly constant factor, in this book. And fetishistic language and activity which many will find unpleasant is effectively its central focus.
I think I have a relatively strong stomach, when it comes to this stuff. And that's why Brainwyrms gets 4 out of 5 stars, in my case. But even I found myself wishing certain scenes and passages would just come to an end much sooner than they did.
Personally, I would have wished for a little more exploration of the science fiction premises and implications behind the "wyrms" themselves. But there is some treatment of that.
All in all, an intentionally and thoughtfully disgusting look at terrible people doing terrible things for largely terrible reasons, in which redemption cannot be reasonably hoped for.