Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
6 reviews
apestforwrens's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, Animal death, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Medical content, Gaslighting, Racism, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Classism, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Stalking
Minor: Rape, Cultural appropriation, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
hotscarysummer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Incest, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual assault
alex_e_stone's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Vomit, Child death, Gore, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Forced institutionalization
slimepuppy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
meggs1005's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Death, Animal death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Incest, and Pregnancy
dharma_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The authors writing is really confusing. It’s not something you can really identify, but I was left scrambling for the first 2/3s of the book. It felt like the characters and their lives were introduced in such a way that I was supposed to know them inside and out. The weren't developed well in the beginning and fell kind of flat. And it was just confusing—it felt like there were a lot of pieces of the story I was missing. Overall, the sentences were worded strangely too. I kept having to reread sentences to understand what they were saying. Also, Jade is convinced the town is about to become a slasher movie and throughout the first 2/3s of the book, I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to believe it’s all in her head or whether it’s real. Now, I imagine this is intentional, but I found it disorienting.
I did like the gore though. It was VERY gory. Do not read this book if you have a weak stomach. It’s a very descriptive book. Although I have to say, the main character felt so unaffected by it, it didn’t come off as horrifying as it should’ve. The slasher references are constant and very fun as well. It’s clear the author knows his stuff. And now I feel like I know slasher movies well too.
The very ending was confusing. It felt unfinished. To be fair, there is a second book, so that makes sense. But it still felt like it ended it a weird spot. The last 100 pages as a whole though were cool! The final massacre was everything Jade hyped it up to be.
Spoiler
I was not a fan of the reveal though. I didn’t like that they made the killer the Lake Witch. It felt lazy. I was looking forward to a slasher with a score to settle and a complicated reveal and personal backstory to each of the kills. Instead, it’s revealed that it’s the Lake Witch and her whole history as the witch is explained in a page as if Jade suddenly had an epiphany about it. It was disappointing. I also liked the parallel it made between Jade and the final girl. How she kind of stood up to her dad at the end (by killing him) and burst out of her chrysalis, like a final girl. And the moment at the very end with the momma beat was touching. But those moments would’ve meant even more if the book had executed the complicated relationship between Jade and her parents well instead of kind of having there on the back burner. It wasn’t incorporated into the whole plot well. It was just kind of thrown in at random times.Graphic: Incest, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Forced institutionalization