Review by blacktieoptional - This Book Will Bury Me

blacktieoptional 's review for:

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

2.5

challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I got the impression that all relevant characters were well developed except the FMC. I got very strong Bella from Twilight vibes from her - somehow she's special without showing any above-average skills or looks.
The plot was at times okay, at times all over the place with subplots that felt very unnecessary to me. The pacing was way slower than I expected from the hype.
Not sure how I feel about the copying of an ongoing, real-life case. I think Bright Young Women did a way better job at looking at a real case through a different lense and centering female voices instead of focusing heavily on male characters.

Also: the fatphobia was very weird. I think the author's efforts to address the topic were fine at first, but I think the conclusion the characters reached about the dad being fat are still very fatphobic, namely

that the dad somehow used binge eating / was getting fat as a means to eventually die because he was sexually abused as a child and he executed his death wish through becoming fat? Classic trope of fat people being fat because they're traumatized.

Some people are just fat, and that's okay! Being fat doesn't automatically mean you'll die of heart disease! One example: The FMC being very relieved that some 'unhealthy' snacks her dad ate were eaten in an effort to help him bulk up or something? God forbid a fat person just likes snacks. I liked the FMC defending her dad against her mom, but the rest of the fatphobia arc didn't go over well. Not to forget that Goku is fat, too, and constantly painted as a slob.

Content Warnings