Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe by Gwendolyn Kiste
2 reviews
vlrieg's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 stars. Some fun stories in here, but they all felt underdeveloped to me. Like, she's going for an ethereal, dreamlike sort of vibe but everything feels too literal for the mood to really take. It's hard to keep from comparing this collection of short stories to those by Samanta Schweblin and Silvina Ocampo, which maybe isn't fair since they're both GOAT in my book. I kept waiting for any one story to really grab my heart and give it a good yank, but none did. Some stories were fun, like "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" and "The Man in the Ambry", but by the end it felt like a lot of tropes were being heavily recycled. Also, I feel like it must be possible to write about abuse of women as a main theme without it becoming as gratuitous as some of these stories felt to me.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Suicide
curatoriallyyours's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A macabre collection of tales, I was not expecting to enjoy something in the horror genre but I found myself enjoying it very much. Brooding and dark rather than scary and shocking, this book intersperses fantasy elements effortlessly. It also has a strong feminist undercurrent without being preachy. Recommended.
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Self harm, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Vomit
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