Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

6 reviews

chiiann's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death

saudadevemcorrendo's review against another edition

     Spoilers are hidden. Anything mentioned should be considered a heads-up for a graphic topic's inclusion in the narrative, but doesn't spoil any aspect of how, when, or to what extent it is included.

     To start, there was a great deal about this story I did enjoy. When I first began reading, I liked that the main character was a bit of an asshole, because the fact that I disliked him so much meant that the author would either be going for a true villain, or this tome of a book would be doing a LOT of developing Dominick's character. I love <i>both</i> of those ideas. Because I feel like a great author can make the agony of being in the worst people's heads worth it in the end. I also didn't mind that it was written in a semi-"stream of consciousness" form, because I generally like that style of writing.

     What first caused me to raise an eyebrow was how the women are written. They're very . . . archetypal to say the least. They are either saints or sinners, victims or persecutors

(The abused, sacrificial, forever suffering dead mother. The nymphomaniac girlfriend with tons of baggage that he just wants to have sex with)

. My first instinct was to question whether or not this was intentional, whether we were just seeing things through Dominick's eyes. It's classic Madonna/Whore bullshit, but whatever, maybe this story is partially about how Dominick changes his worldview. It IS almost 900 pages long. Then came a worrying flippancy regarding a case of incest and child predation. Again, I remind myself that we are seeing all of the story's events through HIS eyes. No one said he would be reliable, and I love a good "unreliable narrator" reveal.

     However, all of that went over the wayside when

it's revealed in a flashback that Dominick emotionally abused and date-raped his wife before they were married

. At this point, I'm floored not by the inclusion of rape, but the way in which it was written. Most disappointingly, this event is never properly handled or addressed at ALL afterward.

I read through the next chapter for mentions of the rape, but Dominick thinks about how bad he feels about what he did, Dessa calls and doesn't mention it at all, and then there's no Dessa for like 40 or 50 pages. I skimmed for any mentions of her name and found none. The next time Lamb mentions her again, it's two days after the rape: "The next day, Dessa and I drove out to the Falls to talk. We made up. Made love". I have read other reviews, and his rape of Dessa is never mentioned again. They get back together by the end of the book.

I feel this sends the message that rape is something that can be brushed over, and doesn't actually impact the victim, and it can be excused and made okay if the victim and perpetrator "love one another enough". This is poisonous rhetoric to feed to anyone. For this reason, I did not and will not include excerpts in this review because I feel that it excuses rape, and I refuse to reproduce that kind of rhetoric for any reason.

Furthermore, rape scenes in media imagined from the perspective of the aggressor always run the risk of glorification and excusing the act, but the language used in this particular scene was so violent, so understanding of the rationale of a rapist, that it triggered me.

I was disgusted and angered by the fact that this topic wasn't handled more responsibly and that so many people have raved about this book considering.
     Upon reading more reviews, I learned things only gets worse, piling on homophobia (which Lamb is apparently two for two on chronologically),

because the girlfriend who's an incest victim is a bisexual who runs off with her gay lover, leaving Dominick with her baby that she had behind his back with another man. The baby also has HIV because she contracted the virus from her uncle who victimized her. I wish I was making this up.

more rape, bestiality, and a litany of other topics to the list of things Lamb clearly doesn't have the range to write about and shouldn't be touching with a ten-foot pole,

child pornography being one of them. I shudder to think about having wasted my time reading through his take on THAT

.

Harmful rape and misogyny apologia I'm angry I wasted even a fragmented month of my time on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

rely's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

I understand why people love this story. I had a hard time with the sexual assults and how they were seemingly excused. I feel like the women in this story were sacrificed on the alter of the men's stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, and Gaslighting

raincloud's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

While reading this book I'd describe my anger at it, how mad and upset it made me, but I was still captivated by this story and the people within. I'm glad I read it, the ending was so satisfying, one of the best I've seen, it's fantastic. I will say it's not for people who can't handle tough and awful topics. I wouldn't recommend it, read at your own risk.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

noitsbecky's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

If you've followed me for awhile, you've probably noticed how few five star ratings I give out. There are two objectives that have to be met: Did it make me feel ALL the feels? (Usually meaning did it make me scream cry and/or sob uncontrollably to the point where I think about the book the next day and cry?) And will I reread this infinitely? So yeah, it's pretty rarely that a book fits both these conditions. This one fit neither. This novel didn't make me sob and I will probably never reread it. But I'm giving it five stars. Let's dive in.

What I enjoyed:
This is my first Wally Lamb book, but it won't be my last. He's an incredibly gifted writer. To write a 900 page book that kept my attention all the way through is really a talent. To write a book about a character that is SO unforgivingly everything I despise about baby boomers that I didn't hate, frankly, is astounding. (Don't @ me, I'm not sorry.) The protagonist, Dominick, is so real to me. I rooted for him while simultaneously thinking he was the worst. He was a complex and very flawed character, a real person. All the characters were so well written.

This was a HARD read. Reading this wrecked me. I won't be able to read it again. But not in the way that books usually wreck me. It was DIFFICULT to read about the onset and progression and ultimate extremes of Thomas' schizophrenia. And coming from a home where a close family member deals with very untreated mental illness, it hurt. It was so so hard to read the anger and resentment and burden that Dominick felt about caring for Thomas because I've felt it myself. Dude, it was a tough read. But it was tough because it was so real. The writing was just so spot on. The ricocheting between love and hate, ach.

What I didn't enjoy:
Strangely, I thought I would feel more -something- when the *big event* happened. I'm not sure why. And I can't tell if I am content with that or not. Otherwise, I have no complaints, honestly.

Would I recommend?
Okay, trigger warnings abound. Just to name a few: Domestic abuse, emotional abuse, death, infant death, suicide, violence, rape, paranoia, mental illness. There's so many, I'm sure I've forgotten some. Please do your due diligence and research it if you have triggers. If you like heavy subject matter and realistic fiction, yes. Just yes. If you prefer your fiction to be very fictionalized, no. Definitely no. Happy reading. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, and Rape