Reviews

Whewww my Libby time ended and then i had to wait. But for some reason at ~60% i could NOT find the energy to keep reading so i finished it as an audiobook. Cant tell if i liked it or not, or was just not in the headspace for it.

Had a great premise and i enjoyed the ending, it was just parts in the middle that fell flat to me. Saw its being adapted to a new season of The Terror so really looking forwards to that.

himynameismichael923's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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

3.75

The strength of this book is its characters. I couldn’t help but adore so many of them. It also has a really interesting plot. Man locked up in a mental hospital, even though he has no business being there. It turns out the hospital is haunted by some sort of devil. Interesting enough, but what I didn’t expect was how much of a critique of the mental institutions in America. That’s a story worth telling and I appreciated that the author went there. The downfall is how much the middle portion of the book drags. It’s way too long, and feels like the author had a minimum page quota he had to pass. The beginning and ending are fantastic, it’s just the middle that brings the book down. I definitely still think it’s worth the read, for the commentary on how we treat mental disabilities in the country. It’s heartbreaking, and the author captures that perfectly.

Content Warnings

erinlcrane's review against another edition

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5.0

LaValle is definitely becoming a favorite author. He’s got a distinctive narrative voice that appeals to me. He manages to use humor in ways that work for me. He writes weird stories that tackle big themes. I’m a fan!

I understand why his books are generally rated lower, though. They meander, and the horror/weirdness they promise is often secondary to personal stories. I think it must be hard to find the right audience for his books, but I’m it.

This one is more of a critique of psychiatric wards in the US than anything else. The treatment of patients, the financials, the abuse by police, etc. You follow a new patient, Pepper, as he gets acquainted with all these problems.

There’s a lot of compassion here for the patients, these forgotten people. They aren’t all lovely people, but they are people.

I liked the conclusion a lot and where things landed with the Devil. I think it’s kind of predictable, but it works, it feels sincere.

Favorite quotes:

It wasn’t about whether or not he took his pills, and it wasn’t about whether or not some kids had a little weed in their pockets. This wasn’t about an infraction, but dictating a philosophy of life: certain types of people must be overseen. Pepper hadn’t considered this a problem before, he realized, because he hadn’t been one of those types.

“Men always want to die for something. For someone. I can see the appeal. You do it once and it’s done. No more worrying, not knowing, about tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. I know you all think it sounds brave, but I’ll tell you something even braver. To struggle and fight for the ones you love today. And then do it all over again the next day. Every day. For your whole life. It’s not as romantic, I admit. But it takes a lot of courage to live for someone, too.”

geenyas's review against another edition

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2.0

This gets an "OK" rating by the skin of its teeth. I liked the concept but the style (which felt a bit sloppy and unfocused) began to annoy me after a while. It really fell short of expectations. The whole thing felt immature and as though it were completed by someone in the early stages of creative writing, even though I understand the author has previously published books to some acclaim. At any rate, this one didn't work for me.

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