Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton

13 reviews

peachybee53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

It's difficult to put into words, but this book has reminded me to believe in art and magic and love of all kinds. Trent Dalton has a really beautiful way of twisting darkness and beauty together in a way that feels both poetic and like a genuine reflection of real-life.

Our protagonist is endearing, honest, creative, intuitive, curious and determined. A dreamer whose ultimate goal is to find herself. She has the ability to see strangers in their quiet moments and wants nothing more than to be seen in return.

Some favourite quotes:

"The world turns for us all. One day you'll wake up and you'll realise the world has turned back upright for you and every bad thing you didn't deserve on the downside is made up for by every good thing rushing at you on the upside. You'll look up one day and see some face and suddenly it'll all make sense and all that bad downside stuff will seem entirely necessary. It'll just be ordinary life, it'll just be the normal turning of the world, but it'll feel miraculous to you. It'll feel engineered for you. It'll feel designed, drawn up by one of those crazy sketches you do. You'll call it fate. You'll say it was meant to be. And maybe it was. Because that's all the world was ever meant to do. Turn. And you were meant to turn with it."

"Lucky moon, she told herself, because every moon you see is lucky because you are still alive to see it."

"When you scream 'colourful' underwater it looks and sounds like you're screaming 'I love you." 

"Being alive is a thing that you touch and see and feel. As real a thing as electricity. Do you feel that? It's The Alive."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual harassment

kayla_jade94's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

typedtruths's review

Too dark and triggering for me, atm.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Death of parent

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Murder

matildaesandell's review

dark emotional 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

5.0

Wow Trent Dalton does it again, I really loved this book. Not only was it a story, but it was also really informative and opened my mind more to the homeless experience. This isn’t my usual genre, but this book definitely pulled me out of a book slump. Some things I loved:
•Trent Dalton was brutal with what he did to your heart
•There’s a part of the book that compares a rich mindset to a homeless mindset regarding the Olympics in Brisbane. 
•I love books set where I live, I feel like I could now go do a tour! 
•The illustrations and art gallery bits at the start of every chapter, so creative and fun. Loved 
•The passage at the end about the man on Adelaide street in the brown hat 🥹 (IYKYK) 
•This book is heavy, but the end of it left on the best note and I feel all warm and fuzzy! 

I think I maybe struggled a bit from time to time simply because it’s a lit fic book. The writing and the story was truly a beautiful and wonderful experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Suicide

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

judyrigby's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book is both heart-warming and heart-breaking; it's eye, mind and heart-opening; it demands reflection as you read it and stays with you after you're finished. Above all, it's shot through with tender mercy. Paul Heppell's illustrations only serve to enhance the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

trickyn's review

dark emotional hopeful slow-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? No

4.0

I enjoyed the quote "Always be yourself but if you can be a pterodactyl, be a pterodactyl."

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Suicide

graceanais's review

challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Heartbreaking in the best way possible 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Violence

csr246's review

emotional hopeful mysterious fast-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

4.5

Easy to read, engaging characters, emotionally heartfelt 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Drug use and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

emilysfullybooked's review

I didn’t enjoy this book, I found the writing style messy and confusing and didn’t feel a connection with the characters or story line. My only DNF for the year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

hellbent's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail