Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wickedgrumpy 's review for:
Severance
by Ling Ma
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm glad that I didn't read this earlier since pandemic related books were not particularly fun to read and I ended up putting down several during lockdown. There's something about the deadpan deliverly, the apathy, and the comfort in routine that resonated. When faced with a life or death situation (regarding illness) some people are quick to say how brave you are for fighting... The other option is to just die so, unless you don't have a survival bone in your body, yes, you struggle to live and this book encapsulates that.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic