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A review by blackcatkai
Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5☆~ CW: blood, body horror, gore, violence, transphobia, antisemitism, trauma, alcohol & drug use, rape, fascism, self-harm, suicide, death, mentions of incel rhetoric & the gender critical movement as a whole.
Now, i will admit, I am bad at understanding what satire is & isn't. I know it usually includes things being amped up to the nth degree, and this book definitely does that! i've seen a couple places say this is darkly humourous, but that aspect didn't hit me. Maybe the bits i just found weird & off-putting (in a good way) were oddly funny to others? very possibly.
overall, this one hit me in the heart a LOT. it's a book about fascism and trauma and it uses those real life things to tell a haunted house story. the house is fascism, and it's absolutely insidious. Tell Me I'm Worthless goes overboard with the horror to show how deeply ingrained fascism and hatred are in our culture, specifically England, but honestly, here in the US as well. How trauma and different life experiences can thrust you into being so so susceptible to fascist/right wing ideals & conspiracies. how even those who may be allies or in certain groups themselves can still fall victim to these ideologies. because its in the very soil, the very essence, of our cultures. and that's terrifying in so many ways.
there were definitely a few moments that felt like they could've been shorter, but overall, the experience was visceral. a lot, if not most, of right wing/fascist rhetoric is inherently transphobic, antisemetic, sexist, and all around gruesome & upsetting, in our very real lives, especially online where people can hide behind a screen. Rumfitt puts that all over this work, so it's very good to be aware of the especially before diving in.
There's a content warning at the beginning of the book that I give high props to Rumfitt for. More books should do that. Please do take those seriously here, they are explicit and serious on every page and it's best to be aware and take care.
okay i think that's enough of a ramble review. basically, i liked this, and i am definitely picking up more of her work in the future!!
Now, i will admit, I am bad at understanding what satire is & isn't. I know it usually includes things being amped up to the nth degree, and this book definitely does that! i've seen a couple places say this is darkly humourous, but that aspect didn't hit me. Maybe the bits i just found weird & off-putting (in a good way) were oddly funny to others? very possibly.
overall, this one hit me in the heart a LOT. it's a book about fascism and trauma and it uses those real life things to tell a haunted house story. the house is fascism, and it's absolutely insidious. Tell Me I'm Worthless goes overboard with the horror to show how deeply ingrained fascism and hatred are in our culture, specifically England, but honestly, here in the US as well. How trauma and different life experiences can thrust you into being so so susceptible to fascist/right wing ideals & conspiracies. how even those who may be allies or in certain groups themselves can still fall victim to these ideologies. because its in the very soil, the very essence, of our cultures. and that's terrifying in so many ways.
there were definitely a few moments that felt like they could've been shorter, but overall, the experience was visceral. a lot, if not most, of right wing/fascist rhetoric is inherently transphobic, antisemetic, sexist, and all around gruesome & upsetting, in our very real lives, especially online where people can hide behind a screen. Rumfitt puts that all over this work, so it's very good to be aware of the especially before diving in.
There's a content warning at the beginning of the book that I give high props to Rumfitt for. More books should do that. Please do take those seriously here, they are explicit and serious on every page and it's best to be aware and take care.
okay i think that's enough of a ramble review. basically, i liked this, and i am definitely picking up more of her work in the future!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Death, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Suicide, Sexual violence, Body horror, Racism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Cursing, Rape, Violence, Transphobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Self harm, Homophobia, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, and Addiction
Minor: Classism and Ableism