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A review by aim_mee223
Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma
2.0
This is my first novel by Tabitha Suzuma, and her writing style is on point. It's descriptive and atmospheric, which really impressed me. I thought at times though, that the description was overthought and abstract. But for the most part, Suzuma's writing style blew me away. It was a great experience.
My issue with this novel is that I felt that Suzuma kept repeating scenes of Mathéo experiencing PTSD. I thought that there was little variance between these scenes, which put me off continuing the novel. The novel was written in a way that it led the audience to believe that he hadn't remembered what had happened until he had told someone, as though he knew all along.
This just really annoyed me. And it didn't just happen once. The other time that I remember it occurring (I put the book down for a while) was the perpetrator. I guess this gave it a mysterious element, however, I got sick of these scenes repeating, only to discover that Mathéo knew all along (or a while at least).
Summing up this mini-rant, I felt that the death of Lola was unnecessary (and cruel-thanks Suzuma!). It just prevented the story from developing as the Epilogue jumps from Mathéo's healing and I think it really takes away from the story. I'm sure there is plenty who don't agree with my opinion, and maybe, the novel was really about uncovering the truth, but I'm just saying that this ending prevented further character development and exploration into victims of sexual abuse (and possibly the ramifications of family members of rapists).
This novel was amazing. Not that I have had the same experiences as Mathéo, but I could relate to him when he felt worthless and out of place. This and the amazing writing style really impressed me. And although I have some issues with this book, I really want to read more of Suzuma's books. :)
My issue with this novel is that I felt that Suzuma kept repeating scenes of Mathéo experiencing PTSD. I thought that there was little variance between these scenes, which put me off continuing the novel. The novel was written in a way that it led the audience to believe that he hadn't remembered what had happened until he had told someone, as though he knew all along.
This just really annoyed me. And it didn't just happen once. The other time that I remember it occurring (I put the book down for a while) was the perpetrator. I guess this gave it a mysterious element, however, I got sick of these scenes repeating, only to discover that Mathéo knew all along (or a while at least).
Spoiler
The ending. It was harsh and so sudden. I thought that it was melodramatic, to say the least. Reading through the book, knowing of the assault, I wanted to be able to read about Mathéo's experience after- dealing, and also how he was able to heal and get past this horrible experience. And it really seemed that the novel was headed into that direction. The story continuing in this direction could have allowed Suzuma to write about how Lola dealt with the grief of her father being a rapist, thereby exploring the effects of close family and friends of a rapist, especially as Jerry was her best friend.Summing up this mini-rant, I felt that the death of Lola was unnecessary (and cruel-thanks Suzuma!). It just prevented the story from developing as the Epilogue jumps from Mathéo's healing and I think it really takes away from the story. I'm sure there is plenty who don't agree with my opinion, and maybe, the novel was really about uncovering the truth, but I'm just saying that this ending prevented further character development and exploration into victims of sexual abuse (and possibly the ramifications of family members of rapists).
This novel was amazing. Not that I have had the same experiences as Mathéo, but I could relate to him when he felt worthless and out of place. This and the amazing writing style really impressed me. And although I have some issues with this book, I really want to read more of Suzuma's books. :)