rubybeast47's Reviews (175)

The Devil All the Time

Donald Ray Pollock

4.5

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Tender Is the Flesh

Agustina Bazterrica

3.0

challenging dark sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I can confidently say that I will never read this again. Nor could I recommend it to anyone I know. I did not enjoy reading this at all. But that is kind of the point.

It was very well written and captured the horrific atrocities that humanity is (hopefully not) capable of, extremely well, And That people could get used to seeing and doing the most horrific things in certain circumstances.

I knew going into this that it would be a difficult read but I was not prepared for this at all. And I’m a person who can normally handle difficult subjects and horrors fairly well. But this book just left me feeling gross and uncomfortable. But once again, that’s kind of the point.

Content Warnings