A review by eeviee
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things: Stories by J.T. LeRoy

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Painful and harrowing, and I wish I could just pick up the main characters and put them in my pocket for safekeeping. I'm a bit conflicted about the writing, as I couldn't put my finger on how unnecessarily violent some of the scenes were, but perhaps in a second reading or three, I might see through. In the first sitting, though, it took much effort to go through this without wincing. These characters, although fictional, are very real. And to be reminded of that is the horror the reader will need to confront. This contains a lot of traumatic events, and content warnings have been added.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment