Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

30 reviews

ava_lanche's review

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Twelve eerie stories that thrive in the mysteries they create! These mysteries are not meant to be solved, only experienced through the eyes of different Argentine women whose voices have been quieted, either by shame and insanity or by the ever-present fear of it.

Hailing from impoverished slums, trafficked children haunt the streets; raped and murdered girls reappear in silence; mothers curse their daughters; girls are possessed and scarred yet no one believes them. Crushed rib cages and torn entrails – anatomical obsessions turn bloody. Here, what is not said is the most powerful.

As with most collections of stories, some pieces are stronger than others. Many of these stories feel a little... unfinished. Some endings are unsatisfactory, which is such a shame, as most of the premises are unusually creative and thought-provoking.

However, "The Well", "Where Are You, Dear Heart?" and "Rambla Triste" were definite highlights. I also liked "The Cart" and "The Kids Who Come Back".

The stories work well together, and create a Buenos Aires that is filled with danger – physical, mental and paranormal. The poisons of the city has taken on a ghostly shape, and the repercussions are felt mostly by the women, whether it's their bodies or their minds that are marked by violence, and whether the sins are committed by people or by ghosts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Self harm, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Body horror, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Murder, Medical trauma, Death, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Gore, and Excrement

kjboldon's review

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

4.25

Enter at your own risk: rape, violence, cannibalism, self harm, suicide, use of transphobic slurs by a character and a whole bunch else. This book is bonkers, horrifying on purpose, and not for the faint of heart. But wow was it a ride. Dark AF. I was reading along and feeling like I was doing OK even though horror isn't usually my jam, then I got to the story on heartbeats.Whoa. So, there's lots of landmines and triggers here. Take care of yourself as you read this and if something upsets you, skip to the next story or put it down. But reading to the end gets you a fabulous story about teen girls and a Ouija board. This is scary, spooky AF, and part of that is the way the supernatural and the everyday horrors overlap and bleed into one another. I think Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith would all be proud that this work stands on their (and many others') shoulders. Did you enjoy Carmen Maria Machado's Her Body and Other Parties? This reminded me of that, but even more so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Transphobia, Blood, Death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Self harm, Pedophilia, Vomit, and Trafficking

brye_wheels's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Violence, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Chronic illness

anouk_adriana's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

What the fuck

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Vomit, Abortion, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Trafficking, and Violence

grace_alice's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Mental illness, Gore, Rape, Suicide, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Child abuse, Trafficking, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Drug use

cinnamonskye's review

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Suicide, Death, Child death, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

alreinwarth's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Body shaming, Child death, Cannibalism, Fatphobia, Excrement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Self harm, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pedophilia

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Violence

Minor: Lesbophobia and Transphobia

cosyskog's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.5

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, and it definitely needs to come with multiple content warnings. However, maybe the ugliness of some of the characters is the real horror, the unspoken realisation that they are just like people we already know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Child death, Child abuse, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Excrement, Grief, Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicide, Ableism, Classism, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Cursing, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, and Violence

Minor: Car accident, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Police brutality

whimsicalish's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

2.75

Many of the stories were supernatural and mysterious. They were short, quick to read. Most ended very abruptly. I imagine the author didn't want to over explain and lose the tense atmosphere. But a couple of the stories would have build up, add the tension and then quickly end. It was jarring.

There's many realistic and difficult situations in this book. From physical abuse to suicidal ideation. But I really didn't need to read the ones with sexual actions involving underaged children. Yuck.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Self harm

itsgeesus's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad tense

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

3.75

This was a really interesting read and one that can be read quite quickly. I was hooked on this mysterious entity that haunted Buenos Aires and thought that the author had portrayed it in such a magnificent way. It was morbid, but not in a way that is usually blood, guts, and gore, but more psychiatrically morbid. The way each story is written plays with the mind, which made it all the more enjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Self harm, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Drug use, Pedophilia, Body horror, Transphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Mental illness