Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

90 reviews

ttben10's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

To begin, i will give my personal standpoint so that my review can be understood from that perspective. I am a black girl, who grew up on six mile in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina… my family settling there post slavery, going further back than can be documented. The story of Ms. Greene is the story of many women in my family, and the portrayal of the area is exactly how it seems, even to this day— to an extent. I will touch on that later. This book does more than ring true to me, it paints the picture clearly for things i have experienced or heard of loved ones experiencing and yes it’s unnerving but it is the truth.

TSBCGTSV is set mainly in the Old Village, a wealthy and predominantly white area of Mount Pleasant where everyone knows everyone, until they don’t. Grady jumps right into the action and never lets up. I had to force myself to put it down as my breaks ended and i needed to get back to work. There are some truly unsettling scenes with gore descriptions that make you feel like you’ve turned on a horror movie. It’s funny at times, especially when you can relate… the characters can be attached to someone i know and i can picture their drives as they navigate the city or understand why the use of a location was for jest. I’m going to break this up into some of the main topics of discussions:

Racism: I think a lot of people’s issue with this book is that they want Grady to expand on his mention of class/race/gentrification in a serious way that does not make sense for this book. The point of mentioning these topics is to have an accurate representation of the time and setting… there IS no solution and these things STILL happen. The gentrification of six mile is not just a story plot line it is real life and the one fictional Gracious Cay is the reality of multiple originally black neighborhoods being torn down and built up with houses we could never afford… the trailer home i grew up in is now perpendicular to a new neighborhood that has 3 story homes. Ms. Greene is pictured as “the help” because those are one of the only jobs a black woman could have had at that time and the stories told by my mother and grandmother are no different. The kids in six mile were not stereotypical mean black kids, they were my cousins and i who would run to get our uncles when there was a car we’d never seen before coming down our road because there was no reason to unless you lived in the trailers. The lack of care that the housewives showed for the children and families of that area are quintessential for understanding the racism that takes place ESPECIALLY when there is a class divide. Grady did not mention these to be vile, he mentioned them to have you understand what life was/is like for the people in this area. The only thing in this topic that i was put off by was the antisemitism that Blue became obsessed with, i understand it was to help us see the damage his trauma caused but it could’ve been done in another way.
Sexism: Does Grady struggle with writing women from time to time? yes. Can it be seen as misogyny, the way he writes the housewives? sure! Was i able to connect each character in the book to someone i know in real life because of how accurate the southern housewife depiction was? absolutely. What i did not enjoy was the gaslighting, i think its a tired trope but i hate that i can still defend it because it makes sense why it happens.
Rape: This is one thing i simply could not ever excuse, i do not agree with his use of rape in this story especially

since it was with a minor. Was NOT needed and could’ve been left out entirely. The same with Slick and how she was pressed to relive the moment for the sake of investigation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Antisemitism and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Vomit, and Medical content

emmieanna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I am so glad to say that this book is about more than just vampires. It’s about women who will do anything for their families, about sticking up for themselves and what they know to be true. It’s about getting in, getting out, about solidarity and shame. 

There is not one man in this book that observed anything about their wives. They blindly accept anything as long as a man tells them it is so and honestly they deserved everything that happened to them. 

Infuriatingly, Patricia never received the recognition she deserved for sticking to her beliefs even when everyone turned their backs. The gaslighting from her husband and friends who were meek astonish and she deserves better from everyone. Such is the life of a housewife.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Physical abuse

suvissiin's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started this book. The first part of the book lured me in with the quaint characters of the Southern housewives and their true crime book club, but it soon turned into a grotesque true-crime horror meshed with parts of paranormal fantasy. I felt all the feelings present in a good horror book: anger, disgust, uncomfort, frustration, and of most importantly the book kept me on the edge throughout the last part of the story. The reason I didn’t rank the book higher though is because I put this book down for a month in the middle of reading it, because the mood shift from the start to the end was so jarring (especially for me as a mood reader). There were also issues for me with pacing and repeating dialogue; I feel like as a reader I would’ve understood Patricia’s need to protect her kids with less mentions of it. The world also feels dark even in the end, I understand in it’s true crime nature the reader views the world in the aftermath differently, but for me I would appreciate more light at the end of the tunnel (even metaphorically) than the quiet life the housewives continue to live. Overall this book was a good horror read, even though I didn’t expect it to turn so gruesome. Definitely check content warnings!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Rape, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism and Vomit

Minor: Domestic abuse

drpeeper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I would say check trigger warnings before reading this. not sure if it’s due to personal life struggles or the nature of the book, but this was a rough one. interesting characters and plot and some funny moments, but a pass for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Hate crime, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

kedaniels28's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

editorsansserif's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

NB: This book deserves a host of content warnings before reading. If you are a sensitive reader, please check those before starting this book - it escalates the deeper you get. It is not a "light" read.

General overview: A book that is, actually, about a vampire, though not in the way you might expect - pitted against a community and a group of women (the 'book club') who are deeply flawed and fail several times, at a great cost, before finding the courage to do what is right. Strong themes of racism, sexism/misogyny, and child predation. 

Emotional impact: I loved this book, despite not being able to love its characters. The main cast, and protagonist, are flawed, sometimes very deeply. They do show growth over time, while many of the side cast do not (or deteriorate), and it works - but they never truly become heroes. I spent a lot of reading time being angry and incensed, not toward the villain, but toward the main characters of the book, and the families that surrounded them. I feel like that's part of "the point."

Visceral impact:   The body horror, and gore, did make my skin crawl, but never felt explicit enough to make me want to stop reading.  The author sometimes went a little 'over the top' with the terrible events that happened in the novel, to the point of unbelievability and disgust. Spoilers/CW for child death:

Most of the children's suicides were remarkably unbelievable, outside of the boy that jumped in front of a truck. The evil rat infestation was also extremely supernatural to unbelievability, despite the fact that the supernatural was the ultimate explanation. No one would find these events to be credible, even in the 1990's southern American world.

Counter thoughts to some criticism:

• On the 'Stepford wife' nature of these wives and mothers in the 1990s: I found this not only believable, but incredibly realistic. I grew up in the 90s with a southern-trained mother and a southern grandmother, and around many families who had the same 'sensibilities' drilled into them. The way that these women acted in the book felt like a genuine flashback to what it felt like growing up around women who played pleasantries and kowtowed to men and never wanted to disturb the status quo. While I can see why they might not come off as believable to those who haven't experienced what I have, I felt it was authentic. CW (suicide/minor spoilers):
  My mother didn't protect me from the predator in my own family, and she dismissed my earnest pleas for help when I was battling depression and suicide as a teenager. My father always knew what was best to the point he'd become threatening if he was questioned. They wouldn't have protected me from a vampire.
• On the misogyny: See above - this felt very real to me thanks to my own lived experiences. Of course there are good men. It's just that none of these husbands were good men. It would have been nice to have a good man join the women to counter the culture around them - one husband who really did believe his wife and didn't fall for the trap - and that does feel like a disservice.  I can also see that the author was trying to really lean in to the power of women and their shared bonds, so it could be a tricky balance to find while keeping the message the same.
• On the racism and racist stereotypes: As a white person, I can't and won't speak to representation of the POC in the novel.  I do feel, however, that the quiet racism that was expressed by the white women in the book was genuine and called into question several times. These white women do not ever go through a full anti-racist transformation, but they are confronted and, I believe, do make some steps of growth. We're never shown anything more than a reckoning with their unspoken attitudes and the result of those actions, though. 
• On animal death: I thought that the final animal death scene was touching, actually, and made both sense rationally and plot-wise. That's not for everyone though: if you don't like pets dying, you're going to hate that portion of the book. 

Additional criticism: Addressed in my content warnings, but there is a side plot during which the main character's son is becoming increasingly obsessed with Hitler + Nazis. This isn't treated seriously at all by the characters in the novel and is not resolved by the end of the book. This should have either been dropped or handled with more severity, and that's a major lack of sensitivity to the implications the author adds with this plot element.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

Minor: Antisemitism

Re: Antisemitism:

One of the minor characters of the book, a teenage boy, is falling deeper and deeper into Nazi rhetoric and worship. This is never resolved by the end of the book. There is no overt antisemitism expressed, but his continued obsession with Nazis becomes very uncomfortable very quickly. His mother does not try to stop it, and feels relieved that another character is able to share his interest.

justmys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Antisemitism, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism

pinto_los_flores's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really appreciated how the author touched on very relevant and problematic social issues through the lens of vampires (Gender roles, socioeconomic structures, biases, elitism, racism, sexism, assault, infidelity, greed). Despite this, I laughed out loud multiple times and empathized with the characters during their struggles. They were very real and very lovable, even if they suck sometimes. Ha. Get it?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

brandon_the_beldam2993's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was the first book I read by Grady Hendrix and I heard from nothing but endless praise for his writing style from friends..I’m in the camp now that believes that. 
There is some truly dark and sinister things that occur in this book. But it’s not totally hopeless there is a sense of uplifting with these women that just start a book club of mainly murder reads where they create a bond with each other. 
And eventually find themselves in a real life horror situation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death

This book has a lot of difficult moments to sit through because the writing and voices FEEL real..one scene in particular when Slick is by James Harris was really Raw and it didn’t feel like it was written into the story for a cheap shock, it hurt so much to read but i understand books show the harsher things in life.

hannahhmh's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, and Vomit