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raix's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was described to me as a queer, gender-based gothic horror about a man who, one stormy night, is accosted by two house guests who insist he is a woman. Perhaps if it had been, I wouldn't have been so disappointed. This is not that book.
It's much more surreal in nature, and while the aspect of misgendering is there, it's not the foremost point of tension nor the point from which the horrific elements of the story originate. If you'd like a book that gives you answers, or solutions to its mysteries, this is not that book.
The translator's note at the back mentions that it is based off the works of Amparo Dávila, so perhaps those familiar with her work would get more out of it.
It's much more surreal in nature, and while the aspect of misgendering is there, it's not the foremost point of tension nor the point from which the horrific elements of the story originate. If you'd like a book that gives you answers, or solutions to its mysteries, this is not that book.
The translator's note at the back mentions that it is based off the works of Amparo Dávila, so perhaps those familiar with her work would get more out of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
Graphic misgendering but not in an explicitly transgender sense -- thus I didn't warn for transphobia.chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Alcohol
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
was not nearly smart enough for this. the writing was pretty at times but entirely incomprehensible at others. i was really clawing my way through this desperate for any comprehension; i hoped the final sentence would make everything make sense but of course it didn't and i don't fault the book for that. thanks to the wikipedia page for getting me started on some semblance of understanding.
my working theory is thatthe narrator and the False and True Amparo Dávilas are all the same person, Amparo Dávila at different stages in her life just minus some/most biographical details. the narrator is maybe intersex? but also i'm sure that's missing the point of the book about gender being more complicated than society's prescribed concrete binary which i know all too well by taylor swift but i can't help but try to rationalize the apparent conflicts between the narrator's self description and the ending's implication .
went into this with 0 relevant historical knowledge—very embarrassed to admit that i convinced myself the setting was Spain and didn't learn otherwise until i read the wikipedia page—so i don't think it was as effective for me as it might have been had i been familiar with the work of Amparo Dávila. it was like objectively a good book, like this is what literature is, and i really do love forming my own theories on cryptic texts (Beloved!!), but i was just way too unprepared for this to fully appreciate it. i give it like 3⅞ stars
cover design review (i'm choosing to review a different cover than was on the digital edition i read because i like it better): ★★★★½. the title typeface is beautiful. the general layout is very pleasing: the ilium diagram, the line from the titular part of the bone to the title like a label, the background's weathered pattern. i love the bone's shade of blue. my only criticism is that it doesn't really represent the contents of the book.
my working theory is that
went into this with 0 relevant historical knowledge—very embarrassed to admit that i convinced myself the setting was Spain and didn't learn otherwise until i read the wikipedia page—so i don't think it was as effective for me as it might have been had i been familiar with the work of Amparo Dávila. it was like objectively a good book, like this is what literature is, and i really do love forming my own theories on cryptic texts (Beloved!!), but i was just way too unprepared for this to fully appreciate it. i give it like 3⅞ stars
cover design review (i'm choosing to review a different cover than was on the digital edition i read because i like it better): ★★★★½. the title typeface is beautiful. the general layout is very pleasing: the ilium diagram, the line from the titular part of the bone to the title like a label, the background's weathered pattern. i love the bone's shade of blue. my only criticism is that it doesn't really represent the contents of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Outing, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Racism, Excrement, Police brutality, Dementia, and Death of parent