Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton

4 reviews

4minata's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

First half of the book is frivolously slow and grandiose. Second is gritty and unexpected. The writing tackles the lofty goal of  interjecting internet consciousness into natural language and falls short of this at times but the story itself is exciting and is a biting critique on the blurred boundaries of identity in the digital age. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicide, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

It was fine. I didn't find it particularly riveting or engaging, but it's not too bad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

esophagus18's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Gaslighting

petermedeiros1988's review against another edition

dark funny sad medium-paced

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

3.0

A kind of modern, social media, yuppie noir...And I do mean that in a good way, though your mileage may vary. It's a noir in the sense that we're not dealing with good people here. But the trick is that Burton makes us care for these characters as well. The book posits that the world--especially the art world, especially New York, especially the circles of the bored rich--are infinitely vapid, beautiful without heft. Then in the same breath she'll tell you, wait, no, that's not right, these people have real heart and real hurt...but it's never quite enough to overcome that first impression, I don't think. The central character is a bit of a cipher the whole time, subsumed by Livinia... though again, that's partly on purpose? It still gets a recommend for me if you are open a fan of, say, Double Indemnity...that is, if you can enjoy a well-written story where you're rooting for no one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide