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gingervandorsten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
And then
Regardless - I don't think you should avoid this book because of the amount of disturbing things that happen in it, because if you appreciate the weirdness (to an extent) it's honestly a really masterful tale of hubris and humanity and gross and beautiful olfactory imagery. And the last line. Good lord.
Side note: it's very amusing to me that most people who read this book seem to consider it with a kind of "What in the actual fuck is going on here this is sick"-view but also see it as one of the best books out there. Mainly because I agree. I guess Süskind enamoured us with this gross little book through the perfume of his gorgeous, ironic and self-aware prose.
Also, the Dutch translation by Ronald Jonkers is very good!
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Excrement, and Cannibalism
Minor: Pedophilia
mme_carton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
ssummar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Cannibalism
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Excrement, and Abandonment
megsspookysanctuary's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Torture, Excrement, Cannibalism, Murder, and Abandonment
thefriendlydragon's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
CWs: the n word and g word are used in the text!
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ohdeerboi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Excrement, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Excrement
lesemaus2303's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
zauet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
butteredtoastinbed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The main character was not likeable (which usually is a big turnoff for me) but that was exactly the point of the story and it helped with moving the story along and the complexity of emotions brought up throughout. There were a lot of background characters that I sometimes got confused between when they were mentioned by name, but they rarely overlapped so this was not too much of an issue. The pacing was also excellent, I at no point found myself in a slump or bored with the story. I also really liked the ending, I was worried that the end of the story would not be satisfactory after going through the entire novel with the main character, but I think it was great and left me very satisfied and with the story nicely wrapped up by the end.
It’s only not a 5 star rating for me because the story and characters didn’t captivate me and draw me in as intensely as I would want for a 5 star book. Overall, it is a great book that I enjoyed and would definitely recommend. I am however unlikely to reread it in the near future, not because I didn’t like it but because the story was perfect left where it was and I also don’t think a reread would reveal more story that I may have missed the first time through.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Excrement, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Torture, Cannibalism, and Stalking