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A review by howlinglibraries
Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
DNF @ 51%
I'm applauding myself a little for getting this far before I decided to look up spoilers and call it a day. While this book will certainly have its audience, that audience isn't me. Not only do I think the writing is mediocre (and a very clear imitation of Shirley Jackson that falls short), but the mass amounts of hate in this book are nausea-inducing, even for someone, like me, who doesn't have triggers for these particular things.
Content-specific issues I had:
- massive amounts of anti-Semitism (VERY hateful language, numerous cruel Holocaust references, terrible treatment of a Jewish side character)
- how racist Alice is and has been in the past
- the portrayal of a closeted trans man as a very vocal and well-known TERF
- how heavy-handed the usage of rape as a plot device is (it is literally referenced and/or depicted constantly!)
As an aside, while I certainly don't feel like it's fair to hold it against a trans author for writing graphic transphobia, I have never read such gratuitous, over-the-top transphobia in any other book as this one. There's a scene in particular where a forum post/transphobic fantasy is included that is so long-winded and repetitive and cruel that I finally had to tune out the audiobook altogether until it was over.
I had tremendously high hopes for this book and author, and was genuinely banking on having a new favorite of the year here, but every single page has been an utter and complete disappointment and I can't currently say I have any desire to read future works by Rumfitt.
Thank you to the publisher and LibroFM for the audio review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
I'm applauding myself a little for getting this far before I decided to look up spoilers and call it a day. While this book will certainly have its audience, that audience isn't me. Not only do I think the writing is mediocre (and a very clear imitation of Shirley Jackson that falls short), but the mass amounts of hate in this book are nausea-inducing, even for someone, like me, who doesn't have triggers for these particular things.
Content-specific issues I had:
- massive amounts of anti-Semitism (VERY hateful language, numerous cruel Holocaust references, terrible treatment of a Jewish side character)
- how racist Alice is and has been in the past
- the portrayal of a closeted trans man as a very vocal and well-known TERF
- how heavy-handed the usage of rape as a plot device is (it is literally referenced and/or depicted constantly!)
As an aside, while I certainly don't feel like it's fair to hold it against a trans author for writing graphic transphobia, I have never read such gratuitous, over-the-top transphobia in any other book as this one. There's a scene in particular where a forum post/transphobic fantasy is included that is so long-winded and repetitive and cruel that I finally had to tune out the audiobook altogether until it was over.
I had tremendously high hopes for this book and author, and was genuinely banking on having a new favorite of the year here, but every single page has been an utter and complete disappointment and I can't currently say I have any desire to read future works by Rumfitt.
Thank you to the publisher and LibroFM for the audio review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Ableism, Transphobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Antisemitism, Self harm, Physical abuse, and Death