Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

82 reviews

snoodle_poodle's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

• 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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Rape, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Blood

megelizabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

This was a book that really crept up on me. It's dense, heavy, slow, and incredibly brutal, and it was only towards the end that I properly started to realise just how brilliant it is. It's overwhelmingly about loneliness, and explores that - as well as other themes - so, so well. The characters are incredibly well-developed for a story set mostly over one weekend, and by the end my heart was just completely aching. I just know that this is a book I will not forget. I do wish that there had been some nuance to the way that animal exploitation is portrayed, but otherwise I loved this so much that I don't feel I can give it less than the full five stars.

I always encourage checking trigger warnings, but with this one I would do so even more heavily than usual - there is a LOT of really heavy content in this one and it's definitely one to only go into if you really feel you're in a good place to handle it. If you do feel able to cope, though, I truly cannot recommend this enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Animal death, Rape, Blood, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer and Ableism

laserdaddy's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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

3.5

It would have been just as good and twice as poignant without the

two graphic rape scenes

in my humble opinion 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Homophobia

trashfford's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

TW: SA, homophobia, racism 

This book is a great portrayal of loneliness in a crowd. The ending felt rushed to me, but the writing was impeccable. It was traumatic and beautiful. I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Vomit

madhattress's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

calliejarvis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad 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

5.0

This novel was perfect and gave me chills at multiple points. Beautifully written and conveys feelings in a way that is almost magical.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death of parent

kesweeney3's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-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

4.5

Beautiful prose

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual violence

introvertsbookclub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

An intense Summer weekend, a group of friends burying tension and leaving too much unsaid, an undercurrent of racism that is ignored when it rears its head, and histories of trauma that have been left to fester – there were so many strands of this novel that together create something extraordinary. Wallace, the protagonist, was unique in his experiences and yet also relatable in so many ways. There was so much pain in the novel and Wallace faced so much unfairness and cruelty, but there hovered a better life somewhere on the horizon and as a reader I couldn’t help but hope that it found Wallace eventually.

This is one of the most striking portrayals of racism I have ever read, both personal and institutional, highlighting overt racism, the way white people excuse racism among friends rather than calling it out, and the way that white women can weaponise their gender against black men. The racism within this novel was an assault on Wallace’s sense of self, his chance to form relationships and his ability to work. It is just one of the reasons why this is a book that you wish everyone would read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs

Moderate: Violence and Rape

cameronjette's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, and Violence

kers_tin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, Homophobia, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Body shaming

Minor: Misogyny and Suicidal thoughts