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A review by besotted
The Brill Pill by Akemi C. Brodsky
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A refreshingly unlikable protagonist, unnecessary utilization of italics, and a fascinating look into working in a lab, as composed by an ex-geochemistry major, this book is certainly interesting.
The plot is occasionally a little dull, yet, as far as I can tell, the repetitiveness is deliberate. Will's entire existence is extremely tedious.
One component that bothers me, yet might be useful to some people, is that no stone is unturned with regards to the information coddled to you. Whenever the hero is speaking with another person, the perspective occasionally changes to the opposite side to provide you with an immediate clarification of the other person's opinion on whatever's being said. Once in a while, there are pauses in the story that allow the protagonist's thoughts to burst into a few paragraphs, and at times, entire chapters, written as though they were filtered through by a third party, and converted into a reasonable understanding of reality. Nothing is up to the reader's interpretation.
I really valued the deep consideration of the protagonist's profession. Clearly, it's vital to the plot, so it's a given that it would be consistently referenced, yet going into this book, I was anticipating it having minimal (direct) involvement, forfeiting those moments for the plot. I was pleasantly surprised by the opposite being the case. We get to read about his encounters with his research and co-workers working in the lab, his attitude - or lack thereof - toward his research, what his research means for his personal life, competition in the business, and his battle to balance his profession with essential necessities, such as eating or sleeping.
The protagonist is totally unlikable from the start. There are a ton of negative asides about this in reviews for this book, however I truly enjoyed it. It seems like Brodsky sat down and composed the ugliest individual she could without writing an objective villain. Will struggles, he's antisocial, he's egotistical, he's out of control, and he's outright mean, but he still has a sufficient compassion to ethically take care of his research.
The plot is occasionally a little dull, yet, as far as I can tell, the repetitiveness is deliberate. Will's entire existence is extremely tedious.
One component that bothers me, yet might be useful to some people, is that no stone is unturned with regards to the information coddled to you. Whenever the hero is speaking with another person, the perspective occasionally changes to the opposite side to provide you with an immediate clarification of the other person's opinion on whatever's being said. Once in a while, there are pauses in the story that allow the protagonist's thoughts to burst into a few paragraphs, and at times, entire chapters, written as though they were filtered through by a third party, and converted into a reasonable understanding of reality. Nothing is up to the reader's interpretation.
I really valued the deep consideration of the protagonist's profession. Clearly, it's vital to the plot, so it's a given that it would be consistently referenced, yet going into this book, I was anticipating it having minimal (direct) involvement, forfeiting those moments for the plot. I was pleasantly surprised by the opposite being the case. We get to read about his encounters with his research and co-workers working in the lab, his attitude - or lack thereof - toward his research, what his research means for his personal life, competition in the business, and his battle to balance his profession with essential necessities, such as eating or sleeping.
The protagonist is totally unlikable from the start. There are a ton of negative asides about this in reviews for this book, however I truly enjoyed it. It seems like Brodsky sat down and composed the ugliest individual she could without writing an objective villain. Will struggles, he's antisocial, he's egotistical, he's out of control, and he's outright mean, but he still has a sufficient compassion to ethically take care of his research.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Dementia, Eating disorder, and Medical content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, Fatphobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Blood, Gore, Violence, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Sexism