Reviews tagging 'Death'

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

23 reviews

amberinbookland's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

hannahmayreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

 This is a beautiful book, but hauntingly so.

I read a decent number of campus novels as part of my degree, but none were like this. It feels modern and relevant in ways the ones on my reading lists never were while maintaining that essential rarefication of academic life. Taylor however brings 'real life' to this cosseted world.

It is written with nuance and sensitivity to the complexities and contradictions of the characters, and nothing is just for the shock of it. The tone is precise and observant, the narrative is detail orientated. That description also sums up Wallace rather well. Despite this precision, it feels like the novel (and Wallace) could slip away at any moment - it is fragile, almost liquid (as the Guardian observed). I felt like we got to know Wallace intimately - we are after all privy to his innermost thoughts and the workings of his mind. And yet for all the intimacy remains entirely unknowable, an enigma.

To put it succinctly, this is the book I wanted A Little Life to be. Taylor has written a novel that is deeply intimate but is balanced where A Little Life wasn't by its clinical narrative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

peachani's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood

oliverlang's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I'm not sure what I expected from this book to begin with but as it went on I found myself compelled to read more in the hopes that the resolutions I wanted from it would come to fruition.

There's a lot of friend group drama going on throughout this book with a lot of dark/serious themes. 

I feel like I wanted this book to be more than it was. It had the opportunity to provide strong character development and show a bisexual identity and it just didn't give me that. 

Although the book only documents the events over one weekend, the ending felt unfinished and the final chapter came out of the blue with a flash back to the friends meeting for the first time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 Real Life by Brandon Taylor 🔬
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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🧫 The plot: Real Life follows a weekend in the life of Wallace, a PhD student at a Midwestern university, whose father died a few weeks ago. A disaster with his experiment prompts Wallace to grapple in a new way with his life - the discrimination he faces as a gay Black man, the cruelties inflicted on him by family, friends, colleagues and lovers, and what the possibilities are for him now, adrift from himself and from the world.
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This book hit me like a punch to the gut—to the extent that I wonder if I even have the words to describe it. This is a novel about cruelty and self-preservation; about racism and the wilful blindness of people who benefit from systemic injustice. It explores sexuality and identity and privilege; it is beautifully written. It is also, to me, unquestionably a grief book.
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In the (surprisingly populous) genre of “dead dad books” this is by far the most accurate I’ve ever read, and one that hit me instantly as soon as I started reading. I connected with it as if someone had plugged me into the mains. Grief puts you in your life as you’ve never been in it before while also taking you further out of it than you’ve ever been. I saw this experience in the “sudden inversion of scale” Wallace returns to throughout the novel, the sense of unreality he feels in his choices and his surroundings, and above all the way these things did not eclipse but heighten what was already there, throwing it into an intense and complex new relief. It’s such a beautiful and nuanced book and I think it’s a new all time favourite. Probs gonna go have a little cry about it after this lol
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🔬 Read it if you are even the least bit curious about it. Please, just trust me, it’s worth it.
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🚫 Avoid it if you’re not in a place to read about parental death, scenes of sexual assault, rape, or racism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia

bellagaiadodd's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

fondueturtles's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Grief

katrina_c's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, and Vomit

amywhite's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Taylor’s novel is, I assume, a realistic window into the struggles of a LGBTQA+, person of colour’s experience of the expectations and conflicts of university life and the struggle to come to terms with grief. This book was not meant for me, as a Cis white heterosexual female, to connect to or gaze upon with a critical eye. But, Taylor’s writing and character development are wonderful to read and experience from the outside looking in. I definitely believe this should win the Man Booker Prize 2020, despite not having read any other shortlisted book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

frutista_freeze's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Physical abuse

Minor: Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry

This book just wasn't for me. It was slow which is fine, but I also had a hard time personally connecting to certain aspects of Wallace's life even though I shouldn't have. That being said, the book wasn't Bad