Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

14 reviews

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

omfg i don’t even know where to start. very funny, super dramatic, and at times satirical. it was not AT ALL what i was expecting, but then again i didn’t read any type of summaries before starting it lmao. it didn’t have me hooked until the first major plot twist, but after that i was dying to see how it ended. kind of an anti-climatic ending, but sadly realistic. ingrid + eunice besties 4 ever <3 stephen is the bane of my existence. every time he spoke i wanted to rip my hair out. i WISH he knew when to shut up. 

the SCHOOL GIRL COSTUME??? oh my god i was gagged. nothing could’ve prepared me!!! i had to put the kindle DOWN and reflect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Drug use, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Xenophobia

Minor: Suicide attempt and Stalking

wenwanzhao's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Elaine Hsieh Chou's writing is so sharp and precise. I felt physically uncomfortable at some points in the novel. Chou does not hold back at all. The most shameful and awkward parts of Asian Diaspora™ are laid bare in an excruciatingly honest way. I liked how Chou did not sanctify any of the characters. There is no one we are meant to see as truly good. Everyone exists on a gradient scale, some more flawed than others, but all kind of fucked up in some way. Great novel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Suicide

Minor: Suicide attempt

bookrokosmos's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Suicide attempt, Ableism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Stalking and Sexual content

lily1304's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved this - somehow this manages to be SO funny, even with a mostly humorless main character and a deep dive into American racism. I appreciate that the story raises a lot of questions about race without having  neat, cut and dry answers.

I also loved Ingrid as a main character - so adrift, and trying on different personalities and ideologies over the course of the story. I really grew to like her. I felt like she was oddly trapped in the 2000s, something about her made me stop and wonder whether the setting was the 2000s. I think that was intentional, and it added something to the story - I don't know how to phrase exactly what.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Mental illness, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Blood, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Deportation

The main character abuses allergy meds

olive_lol's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This novel's satire lends itself to sharp social commentary as the story ramps up in intensity and scope. It does a great job of utilizing humor and illustrates authentic themes through absurd scenarios. I loved Ingrid's development and how heartfelt it was. Overall, this book is great for someone looking for a funny book with a lot to say.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs

Minor: Sexual content, Cursing, and Suicide attempt

ramalam98's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

An excellent dark academia-adjacent satire. 

It talks about so many things, from yellowface and cultural appropriation/fetishism to internalised racism, academic burnout, and more. 

It was entertaining throughout, definitely a ‘food for thought’ kind of book. 

My only gripe is with a couple of characters. I found Ingrid to be frustratingly naive and stupid ay times though I believe this was intentional. Eunice also felt underdeveloped and I would have liked to have seen more of her storyline. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Racism

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

Minor: Colonisation, Suicide attempt, and Deportation

kmgard's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia

Minor: Suicide attempt

harperhoney's review against another edition

challenging funny informative reflective tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism, Violence, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Deportation, Addiction, Body shaming, and Colonisation

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Police brutality, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Ableism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Outing

caseythereader's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

 - I keep trying to write a coherent review of DISORIENTATION and can't. The book is simply too good for me to try to craft anything that does it justice.
- The way Chou spotlights and skewers academia, leftists, Asian stereotypes and more is masterful. I alternated between gasping in shock and crying with laughter.
- The satire is just perfect. I usually don't love satire and find it unfunny and/or too smart for me, but this is just *chef's kiss* possibly because it takes only the slightest nudge to push academia into the absurd. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Drug use, Ableism, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia

Minor: Police brutality

rachaelwho's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Stalking, Sexual content, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Addiction, Racism, Racial slurs, Outing, Misogyny, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Deportation, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Body shaming, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse