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bookish_bry's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. Well, perhaps enjoyed is not the right word. I appreciated this book a lot. It is a metaphor for someone who becomes invalid either because of a physical or mental illness. (Likely both as they often go hand in hand.) It details how in a lot of cases a person's family might end up treating someone who is no longer "useful". Gregor had been his families main support, but one day he woke up unable to work anymore. True in this story it's because he ended up a bug, but the idea is very real.
I like the way we saw three different ways someone could react to a situation like this.
Gregor's sister becomes his main caregiver. She is young and both seems to resent her role as caretaker and at times relishes it. She wants to be the only one caring for Gregor and for him to depend on her often more than he already does.
Gregor's mother treats him like he's dead and talks about him "coming back" even though this is clearly a permanent change. The sight of him sickens her and scares her. She still has some affection for him, enough to defend him from his father sometimes, but is a horrific affection to her. Like loving a urn filled with his remains.
Then, Gregor's father of course hates him. He resorts to physical violence almost immediately. Despite the fact that Gregor had spent his life trying to pay off his father's debts (who in the end really... did not seem as invalid as Gregor had thought of him considering he was able to get a job to pay his own debts), he held no regard for Gregor once he was useless to him.
I found the extended metaphor intriguing and well done. As someone who just got off crutches after a knee injury and who at times was a sickly, but overachieving, child, I can sympathize with Gregor a lot. Especially in the first chapter, he continued to try to get up and go to work even though something was clearly very, very wrong. These thoughts that he should be able to do things like he used to for his family continued to crop up to the end.
Overall, I thought it was a very solid book and a great metaphor. Though I do think you have to make sure to keep the fact that it is a metaphor in mind while reading. 5/5
Gregor's sister becomes his main caregiver. She is young and both seems to resent her role as caretaker and at times relishes it. She wants to be the only one caring for Gregor and for him to depend on her often more than he already does.
Gregor's mother treats him like he's dead and talks about him "coming back" even though this is clearly a permanent change. The sight of him sickens her and scares her. She still has some affection for him, enough to defend him from his father sometimes, but is a horrific affection to her. Like loving a urn filled with his remains.
Then, Gregor's father of course hates him. He resorts to physical violence almost immediately. Despite the fact that Gregor had spent his life trying to pay off his father's debts (who in the end really... did not seem as invalid as Gregor had thought of him considering he was able to get a job to pay his own debts), he held no regard for Gregor once he was useless to him.
I found the extended metaphor intriguing and well done. As someone who just got off crutches after a knee injury and who at times was a sickly, but overachieving, child, I can sympathize with Gregor a lot. Especially in the first chapter, he continued to try to get up and go to work even though something was clearly very, very wrong. These thoughts that he should be able to do things like he used to for his family continued to crop up to the end.
Overall, I thought it was a very solid book and a great metaphor. Though I do think you have to make sure to keep the fact that it is a metaphor in mind while reading. 5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, and Mental illness
This book is about a man turning into an insect and acting like one.sarahrosea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Ableism and Suicide
ggcd1981's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
Minha primeira experiência lendo Kafka. Acredito que a fama de Kafka como autor influênciou negativamente na minha percepção dessa história. Em outras palavras, minha expectativa era alta. Em resumo, minha única crítica é que apesar de A metamorfose ser muito interessante, e apesar do elemento fantastico que é a transformação ser estabelecido desde o começo eu esperava mais coerência/realismo no mundo ao redor do protagonista. No aspecto positivo, essa história também pode ser interpretada do ponto de vista de saúde mental. O protagonista e a familia demonstram claros sinais de deterioração de sua saúde mental. Este sem dúvida meu maior ponto de interesse. Em geral uma história bastante intrigante.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness