Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by kaiyakaiyo
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
one thing to note about this book: major themes of rape and sexual assault in a way that even storygraph didn’t adequately prepare me for (“moderate” my ass); it’s all plot-relevant and not gratuitous (mostly telegraphed and off-page), but I def got more than I was in the right mindset for. Do with that what you will! Now for the usual rambling
Docked a full star for the ending; not because I didn’t like how it ended, but because it felt like the author hit a word or page limit and realized they had to wrap it up quicker than planned. It feels rushed, and while some of that is appropriate for the narrative style, it also just felt like we were shuffled to a conclusion when we could’ve dwelt more on either the main relationship or the truths of the world/the “sisterhood” before the big event.
all that said i liked the ride, and the unhinged diary format was exquisite in the most bleak, jagged way. our mc is WILD and has good reason for behaving as such. She schemes, she obsesses, she painfully recollects, and we get all of the events filtered through her brain. She is an incredibly real character, one very easy to feel for even as she poisons her neighbors
The bloody rivalry within the sisterhood is horribly true to life - trapped, angry women hurting each other to receive favor from the man browbeating and even mutilating them all into obedience; Sister Superior relishing their pain and assaulting them too all while being exempt (we assume) from the violence enacted upon every other woman in the sisterhood - horrifying
this book made me angry and and sad, but it was also cathartic in that it made me feel a little less crazy for my general mistrust of men in power and religious institutions. this is fiction, but it is fiction based on historical and current examples of how religion and power are used to devastating effect on vulnerable populations. The side of “End Times = complete breakdown of protection for women & children” was the icing on the cake- America is barreling towards that as we speak!
This is a very bleak book, so i am imagining Lucia & co. on a mad max fury road-esque journey through a a ravaged earth as healing
Docked a full star for the ending; not because I didn’t like how it ended, but because it felt like the author hit a word or page limit and realized they had to wrap it up quicker than planned. It feels rushed, and while some of that is appropriate for the narrative style, it also just felt like we were shuffled to a conclusion when we could’ve dwelt more on either the main relationship or the truths of the world/the “sisterhood” before the big event.
all that said i liked the ride, and the unhinged diary format was exquisite in the most bleak, jagged way. our mc is WILD and has good reason for behaving as such. She schemes, she obsesses, she painfully recollects, and we get all of the events filtered through her brain. She is an incredibly real character, one very easy to feel for even as she poisons her neighbors
The bloody rivalry within the sisterhood is horribly true to life - trapped, angry women hurting each other to receive favor from the man browbeating and even mutilating them all into obedience; Sister Superior relishing their pain and assaulting them too all while being exempt (we assume) from the violence enacted upon every other woman in the sisterhood - horrifying
this book made me angry and and sad, but it was also cathartic in that it made me feel a little less crazy for my general mistrust of men in power and religious institutions. this is fiction, but it is fiction based on historical and current examples of how religion and power are used to devastating effect on vulnerable populations. The side of “End Times = complete breakdown of protection for women & children” was the icing on the cake- America is barreling towards that as we speak!
This is a very bleak book, so i
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death