Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

3 reviews

ghoulpilotfinn's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.75

The Quarry Girls is about "the sprint from girl to woman", about how the second girls hit puberty they are in danger, about objectification, about r*pe culture, about patriarchy. It's also inspired by the serial killings that happened in Lourey's hometown in the 70s.

Very heavy subjects in this book. TWs for (a lot of) SA, r*pe (offscreen), p*dophilia, kidnapping, violence towards women and children, police.

That being said, this book is a page-turner. I probably would've finished it in a day if life permitted. The characters are so well written, every one of them having so much depth to them. The atmosphere building is impeccable. The suspense made it hard to set the book down. Despite the heavy subjects, scenes and TWs, Lourey somehow manages to never take those scenes too far.

My few issues with the book:
1. The descriptions however of some of the girls went too far at times imo. Even through Heather's POV, the descriptions of the other girls, especially of her 12yo sister Junie, seemed overly sexualized and made me uncomfortable.

2. The vibe change between the resolution and conclusion of the book was so drastic, it almost felt rushed. (ending spoilers)

Spoiler

Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful and thankfully good ending, but going from an entire book of "you can't trust anyone, not the cops, not even your own family" to "let's trust the non-local cop" then "we're now certain everything is good and we're safe" felt almost ironic. The resolution went so fast, like Constance and Gloria making up after years of not talking then moving in together all within a few paragraphs. It felt very "Hollywood movie that needs to have a perfect happy ending or else it won't get approved" (if that makes sense). I don't know, it was at both a relief to see these girls feel safe for the first time yet disappointing because it felt unrealistic considering the rest of the story.

Conclusion: good book, don't trust cis men, know your self-defense, and fucking raise your sons right. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Grief, Child abuse, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Death, Sexual assault, Murder, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Rape, Medical content, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

smkelly1997's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Tragic. Beautiful. Beautifully tragic. There is no other way to describe this book. Heather has you rooting for her from day one as you watch her world change around her. She’s strong, brave, and terrified but willing to stand up for those she loves. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Violence

rosesofthespring's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I'm so happy that this was the book I started the new year with.

Jess Lourey writes with an anger that demands answers. Why are men allowed to act with violence in response to the same injuries that women are expected to swallow and smile through? Why are the hopes, futures, and very lives of girls an acceptable loss in the face of men's desires?

"Does that sound like the kind of guy who would abduct a girl?"

If your answer is no, what would it take to change it to a yes?

I didn't grow up in the 70s, when this book is set, but the echoes of a midwest girlhood resound through the decades. Parties you know you shouldn't go to. Friends pressured and stifled simultaneously, growing up way too fast. Men and boys who think you owe them something. This is an absolute powerhouse of fiction.

If I had one genuine criticism of this story, it would be that everything wraps up a little too cleanly. However, given what Lourey has been through in her life -and what she puts the reader through in her book- maybe that's a catharsis we both deserve.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Cursing, Death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Police brutality, Rape, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Gore, Murder, Kidnapping, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pedophilia

Moderate: Infidelity, Stalking, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Suicide

Here I'll try to expand on cases where the content is explicit, but does not take up that much page space. With regards to pedophilia:

Spoiler

Adult men are revealed to be coercing underage girls into sexual contact. The youngest girl we see on-page is 16, but there's evidence of girls potentially as young as 12 being in the same situation.

With regards to police brutality:

Spoiler

The top cop in the area is essentially trafficking girls. He's found to be using the authority of the badge to trade sexual favors for expunging juvenile offenses. While this isn't "violent" in the sense of a physical attack, it's certainly sexual brutalization.