Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - One's Company

I think anyone who has gotten too into their comfort show, will relate to this. In a good way? No. Can they handle it? Probably not without our comfort shows. But I really do think it is an interesting look at the connections between trauma, media reliance, nostalgia, and social isolation that really resonated with me. Despite our protagonist not being likeable in the slightest, you can see how she got there and empathize, and I found everyone of her relationships fascinating. I'm still digesting the ending and may come back to add thoughts later.

Content Warnings

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

disappointing. i loved the idea—protagonist goes insane in her own little fantasy land to escape trauma—but the plot didn't serve that purpose.

Bonnie doesn't go insane in complete isolation; in fact, those are the times she's happiest. rather, her spiral is caused by being denied compete isolation by a series of unfortunate events. so sealing yourself off from the rest of the world to reenact your favorite '70s sitcom is a good idea, it's just hard to execute

. which makes the "lesson learned" at the end—

i was wrong to distrust humanity, i should let people in, etc.

—simply the wrong takeaway.
edit 2: or maybe i'm wrong about that.

if Krystal wasn't stabbed despite Bonnie's vivid memory of it, what else might Bonnie have hallucinated? the documentary crew trespassing? Rita's whole existence? maybe she was in complete isolation, but her brain kept her in fight-or-flight mode as a PTSD-induced coping mechanism—"letting down your guard is how they got us last time, so here are fake scenarios to keep us prepared". if that's the case, it becomes a parable for trying to escape trauma without processing it, exactly what it says on the tin.

sometimes i worry i'm a bad reader! with this in mind i'm bumping my review up from 2 stars to 2.5. (this realization doesn't change the fact that i overall didn't enjoy the book.) or maybe the only reason i'm amenable to this theory is because it's been long enough (two weeks) since i read the book that i can't remember specific details to refute it. i suppose once an unreliable narrator, always an unreliable narrator—it's just ingrained in me to believe women 😫

beyond that, i didn't like the writing, it felt like the author was trying too hard while simultaneously neglecting the basics. sure this is nitpicky but who let "they could transform themselves into alien versions of themselves" be published.
the parts i liked best were its commentaries about gender and gender performance, how it blurred gender and sexuality. i wish Rita had a bigger role.
edit: THREE'S COMPANY IS A REAL TV SHOW??? i have no reference for '70s television so this whole time i was pretending it was a duller version of Friends

Content Warnings