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georgiarybanks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
ashleyjean6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Classism
maisiebrowne1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion
fluffy1st's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Blood and Abortion
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
💊 The plot: When Martha was a teenager, a bomb went off in her brain and she hasn't felt the same since. No one knows exactly what is wrong with her, but her husband Patrick says the main thing is just that she keeps going. When she finally gets an answer, it might be too late for her to have the only thing she's ever truly wanted.
This was a purchase motivated by my enduring love for @mostardentlyalice and my deep trust in her recommendations. It did not remotely disappoint. I laughed, I cried - frequently at the same time or on the same pages - and knew long before finishing it would be one of my favourite reads of this year.
Family is at the core of this novel and, for me, it's the truest depiction I've ever read of the fallout that severe mental illness can have, not just on the life of the person experiencing it, but on the lives of the people that love them.
Through Martha's journey of intense isolation, Mason interrogates the idea of mental illness as being something you go through alone, and explores with more nuance than I thought possible, really, what compassion looks like in the marathon journey of caring for each other over a lifetime. The moments of silent acceptance, the moments of challenge. How cruel deep depression can sometimes make you; how this doesn't make you any less worthy of humanity. How love is both a choice and not a choice at all. That you can hold the contradictions in both hands at once and they do not have to invalidate each other.
💊 Read it if you love Fleabag, soft fictional fathers, strong sisterly bonds, witty narrators who feel sharply real, or love stories that aren't capital-R romances. Also if you or someone you love has struggled with mental health issues this has the potential to be a deeply validating read.
🚫 Check trigger warnings before reading but especially avoid if you're in a sensitive place around depictions of depression and suicide.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abortion
waybeyondblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit