Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

5 reviews

coolfoolmoon's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Very respectful of people with different minds. Very kind. Very well reseaeched into the intersections of people's lives and how their mental illnesses or impairities can / may be affected by outside factors. Very very, very real, living, loving book. 🥰 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, and Car accident

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Pandemic/Epidemic

izabruce's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Fantastic book, funny and emotional all at once. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Fatphobia, Self harm, and Medical trauma

Minor: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, and Injury/Injury detail

spcandybars's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have to say that I absolutely love, no, completely adore this book. So much feels so relatable - the depiction of the mother’s ADHD, the presence of the Marie Kondo + Japanese minimalism tidying boom, the odd complications of aging into adulthood within a rapidly changing society - but then there are the the moments that aren’t relatable, that don’t make you feel nostalgic about your life. There’s pain and struggles with mental health that may seem far away but are so close anyway.  I heavily appreciated the tie between Benny’s auditory hallucinations, the likely ghost of the Kenji, and the incorporation of the Japanese/Shinto beliefs surrounding the spirit of all things. I also love “the book” and how it encompasses many a book lover’s inner ramblings about their favorite item while also representing something much more abstract. I could dig into so many pieces of this book but in this moment I’m just so happy to have added it to a never ending collection of stories (which I think would make the book happy as well). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug abuse and Police brutality

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, and Death of parent

benjaminperhaps's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

She had me with the intriguing premise, but this book delivers a nuanced look at mental illness, a thoughtful exploration of grief (both individual and the climate change/post-Trump Weltschmerz), and a celebration of love in all its forms. If I could distill this book into a single idea, it would be the forces that divide us and the ways we can connect in spite of them. This book has a lot of pain and disconnection in it, but it gave me hope that we can all somehow make it out of *gestures vaguely* all of this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Classism

This book has a lot of heavy content but it does not stay in its dark parts long and its overall tone is hopeful. It never lingers on lurid details, and the narrators tend to talk around what's happening/has happened. Both the mother and son are traumatized and both have traumatic interactions with institutions of the state, and she

was sexually assaulted by her stepfather

.

The police violence includes violence at a protest and one of the periods of institutionalization. The institutionalization includes the threat of separation of mother and son.

sayitagainjen's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, and Gaslighting