Reviews with content warning for Body horror - The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson

9 reviews

eddieboy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

I tried to read this book for the first time back in... some time around 2019/2020, it was pre pandemic, I was pre figuring out any of my own queer identity or experiencing a death of a friend for myself. I wasn't ready to relate to this book at the time, but now it feels a lot more... at home for me. I'm glad I tried to read it again and finished it instead of leaving it as a dnf of my late teens. It really was great.

Content Warnings

librarymouse's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-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

I kept having to stop reading at certain points. The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried is very, painfully, teenage and sincere as it's quippy and sarcastic. A lot of things are brought up that are never really answered, but the depictions of grief are real, and to an extent unanswered questions are a part of grief. I don't know that I liked July Cooper. I don't really know that I liked Dino Deluca, but they were compelling characters, and they loved each other.

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hollandjacobs's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

I love it when I pick up a random book at the library that I’ve never heard of before and turns out to be really great.

I mean not like world altering great but it was really good and it made me cry and I think it was a really important conversation about friendships and vulnerability and identity- and it all happens within just a couple of days and I really like short plot lines in short books that take a humanity issue and just deep dive into it. That was a run on sentence, sorry. What I’m saying is that I read it all in one day and I think three sittings and it was exactly what I needed. The characters were complex and well written, it was a foray into the human experience (and more specifically the teenage experience, which for some reason still makes more sense to me at the age of 28 then most forays into any adult experiences of life I’ve read), and it’s not like I need to enshrine it on a shelf somewhere now but, it made me smile. And cry, as I’ve already mentioned. And usually (not always, but usually) books that make me cry are good.

Content Warnings