Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

31 reviews

iksme's review

challenging sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Every time I read this book, it emotionally destroys me. It is similar to an out-of-body experience. You will cry if you read this, even if you usually don't. It is a deep and sickeningly realistic depiction of what it is like to experience trauma and its effects on the community, including the beginnings of collective community trauma. There is a main character who is a queer domestic violence survivor, and her story is so thought out, so real it is as though she is guiding you through this book. this read hurt my heart and helped me feel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

anna_hepworth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? No

5.0

I listened to Nijkamp talk about their books some years ago, and put them on my list of authors to follow up. This is the only book of their's that my local library has in their ebook collection, so I borrowed it knowing pretty much nothing. It might have helped if I'd known the bare bones of what the book is about, but as it was it was incredibly confronting. 

I think this is probably the most tense book I've read. It has such a narrow focus, across multiple viewpoint characters, that at no point during this incredibly awful hour that the book covers is there any narrative breathing room. 

The rapid shift between the four viewpoint characters, plus the extra perspective that comes from a handful of tweets and/or short blog posts that end each chapter, makes it a maelstrom of 'what is happening'. Particularly because the distress of those inside the situation and the distress of those outside trying to work out what is going on are both conflicting and enmeshed in a way that is disorienting in a way that brings the immediacy of the traumatic even that the book portrays. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Blood, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Rape, and Death of parent

bits_and_pieces_odds_and_ends's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Dementia, Grief, and Lesbophobia

bradley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Dementia, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Rape, and Lesbophobia

readingbooksinisrael's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Grief

Minor: Chronic illness and Gore

spooderman's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Xenophobia, Vomit, Islamophobia, Outing, and Deportation

kxc319's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Very emotional and at times, hard to read because it’s simply too realistic. The writing is wonderful as I found myself very emotionally attached to the characters. But the book on a whole brings up the question: should gun violence, especially mass shootings and school shootings be a topic for entertainment?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Murder

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

3.5

My heart was in my throat the entire time I was reading. As a teacher, this is one of my worst nightmares. The story itself is realistic but the character jumping made it a little difficult to follow at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

ladyofthedark's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Dementia, Car accident, and Death of parent

stories's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I cried

at the epilogue

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Bullying, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol