Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Perlenbrauerei by Jenny Hval

16 reviews

vickyoyarzun's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Cannibalism

librarymouse's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

Similar to her later book Girls Against God, Jenny Hval's Paradise Rot queers the human body through its association with decay, excrement, and bodily fluids. The whole book reads as a fever dream and ends with Jo having moved out, struggling to remember the details of Carral, rotting and sick from their shared apartment. Time moves slowly in the narrative, but the passing of time is denoted by the rotting of the apples that their relationship was predicated on. The thread of Carral's com-het, and the consistent creepiness of their writer neighbor managed to sustain the majority of the dread in the novel, whereas the anachronistic mushrooms and the motif of rot served as an addition of surrealism. Aspects of the novel are frustratingly relatable as a renter with landlords who don't take care of mold problems. As a librarian, Carral's desecration and theft of a library book are more frustrating than markers of the illicit.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

BODILY FLUIDS

lwilson43's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

What an odd little read... Hval takes this deceptively simple story about one woman's sexual awakening and creates an environment out of it, complete with all the nuances and complexities that come with it. But when the fungus takes hold, sometimes it can be a bitch and a half to tear it out, almost like it was tearing myself away from Hval's words! 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

getglitchd's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

Profoundly unsettling. Not as gross as some people make it out to be, but not something to read at lunch.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Cannibalism and Lesbophobia

byrdies's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

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

2.5

The author undoubtably has a piss kink. No plot, just vibes. And an inordinate amount of piss

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement

Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cannibalism

biobeetle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny

ashlynregan's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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

3.0

This book is a short read akin to if Richard Papen lived in the artist’s warehouse in The Secret History for the whole novel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, and Alcohol

freckled_frog_boi's review against another edition

4.0

What a disgusting, filthy little book. I want a hard copy.
urine count: 9

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

i_read_books_sometimes's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring 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

5.0

As close as a book can be to perfect! 

- Breathtaking, lurid prose unlike anything I've ever read before
- Really interesting (and less problematic) portrayal of literary madness
-  Balances disgust and awe -- horrible scenes are described in an absolutely beautiful way
- Manages to have ambiguity without being frustrating
- Tolerable levels of piss

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Lesbophobia

triciajk's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a story about a haunting. This is a story about infatuation, depression, sexuality, mushrooms. This book will pull you into its darkness and hold you there, lovingly, until it’s over. 10/10 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cursing