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barelyalex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
So engrossing that I specifically chose to read this because it was short but immediately wish it were longer.
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
surdiablo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A great novella featuring a concept with tremendous potential, borrowed from The Library of Babel short story by Borges. The writing style is pretty straightforward and it's a far cry from Borges really, so the ideas are easy to grasp. I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn't put it down, regardless of its depressing nature. It's designed to make you wonder about insanity deriving from the infinite, which the author succeeds at very well. However, I gotta confess I am a bit underwhelmed as well, regardless of everything I have mentioned so far. It feels like the book could have been significantly better if it had an additional 30-50 pages, or was a 300-page novel even. Everything felt somewhat undercooked, which prevented me from fully experiencing the intended impact. Like I said before, it's a concept with a lot of potential, so the story could have used additional or different developments perhaps, fleshed out things further, etc. I would highly recommend it anyway because it's really memorable regardless of its shortcomings since the latter mainly originates from my own expectations.
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Alcoholism and Rape
riannestratford's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
hardy314's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One of the most interesting short stories I've read in a long time. It was challenging to deal with the immensity of the situation but it was an interesting thought experiment that I really loved. Also, it's wickedly funny.
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism
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