pinkiessel 's review for:

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This wasn’t an easy read. It felt heavy at times, almost uncomfortable, because the message is so raw. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The ending left me speechless, but what really stayed with me was everything underneath, the way Dorian reflects what others see in him, and how that slowly eats away at who he really is. It made me realize we all kind of do that, especially when we’re young. We let people’s opinions shape us, sometimes without even noticing. If it hadn’t been Harry, it would’ve been Basil. Dorian was doomed the moment he let others define him and that hit me.

This book didn’t teach me something new exactly… it just confirmed things I already felt deep down but we are not ready to accept out loud. And that’s why it hit so hard.

It’s not a comforting story but, it’s one that leaves something very real behind.

We are the fragments of people we meet, and our actions are a reflection of that, something that stays with our soul forever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Suicide