parismia's reviews
24 reviews

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

This book should be read with intention. It is a tool that can help with healing, but also can bring up triggering events. 
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

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challenging dark funny sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I was excited to read this book because I was intrigued by the journey of being in a drugged state for a year. However, the novel is full of microaggressions (set in 2000s) and it turned me off. The characters are all toxic and share trauma in a passive way that it makes the reader not care. However, my stubbornness made me finish the novel.
 
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The Shape of Family by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

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dark emotional reflective relaxing sad medium-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

4.5

I really loved this novel. It explored different themes, such as the complexity of merging different cultures within a family, loss of family, and religion. The book follows the different family members as they work through the loss of their son/brother. It also had an interesting storyline following Karina and her journey of self discovery and finding herself in an abusive collective. I couldn't put it down, it is an easy, yet emotional read. 
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

This book was great as a thriller. It was suspenseful and the plot twists were excellent. Why I gave it 3.5 stars is because the first half of the novel was driven by stereotypes of madness. Mental illness was viewed as crazy and it was reinforced through the main character and his white savior complex. But for the genre, it did a great job. 
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