cameronmh 's review for:

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

4.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

This book ruined me emotionally. It really has it all, when it comes to trauma and damaged characters. Catholic guilt? Check. Alcoholism? Check. Abusive family? Check. Complicated past, where the main character thinks they ruined their own life and everything is their fault? Check. Definitely read the CWs if you have any content you’re sensitive to. This is definitely the last book I’m reading without checking the list… it’s very good, though.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Incest, Mental illness

There is a LOT of elder abuse, and it’s BAD abuse, and

one of the elderly people who suffers this abuse also is victim to a pretty horrific “accidental” death

.