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dajna's review against another edition
3.0
I've been wanting this book for decades, but it was hard to find it here in Italy. And when I've been abroad I constantly forgot to buy a copy.
So, finally a friend brought it to me from the US, but I'm now a little too old to enjoy it.
It's so '90s! And let's face it: tv went a long way into showing us battered and abused children, I developed a sort of resilience for this kind of fiction.
So, a 14 year old girls gives birth to a baby boy. He's taken into foster care and he has a normal life until, 4 years later, the real mother reclaims it. Despite being obviously unfit to raise a child, social services give him back to her. When we met Sarah's - the mother - parents we understand she's been abused too, but that doesn't excuse the physical and mental torture she methodically applies to her child.
We all know now that the book is fictional and J.T. LeRoy is a pseudonym, but I wonder how it would be reading it and believing it was a true story.
So, finally a friend brought it to me from the US, but I'm now a little too old to enjoy it.
It's so '90s! And let's face it: tv went a long way into showing us battered and abused children, I developed a sort of resilience for this kind of fiction.
So, a 14 year old girls gives birth to a baby boy. He's taken into foster care and he has a normal life until, 4 years later, the real mother reclaims it. Despite being obviously unfit to raise a child, social services give him back to her. When we met Sarah's - the mother - parents we understand she's been abused too, but that doesn't excuse the physical and mental torture she methodically applies to her child.
We all know now that the book is fictional and J.T. LeRoy is a pseudonym, but I wonder how it would be reading it and believing it was a true story.
nellusso's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
ramblingbard's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
saraklem's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely super plot-driven and hard to put down, but at the same time, just not that well-written. Unnecessarily gory for sure. Kinda wish I learned about the JT Leroy scandal after reading this.
lear2696's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leilaniann's review against another edition
4.0
Even if the author isn't real, this shit was entertaining.
eeviee's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Painful and harrowing, and I wish I could just pick up the main characters and put them in my pocket for safekeeping. I'm a bit conflicted about the writing, as I couldn't put my finger on how unnecessarily violent some of the scenes were, but perhaps in a second reading or three, I might see through. In the first sitting, though, it took much effort to go through this without wincing. These characters, although fictional, are very real. And to be reminded of that is the horror the reader will need to confront. This contains a lot of traumatic events, and content warnings have been added.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
anayamembaca's review against another edition
2.0
i didn't enjoy this as much as i thought i would :/ review coming soon? or not, because i don't even know what to say