Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Road Through the Wall by Shirley Jackson

10 reviews

mondovertigo's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

aeeklund's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Child death

caspian's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Murder

katewhite77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

<strong>A creepy tale about keeping up with the Jones'</strong>

Neighbourhood politics in 1940's  USA. Clostraphobic dark and twisted.

This was a debut novel, and it shows here I feel. Plot jumps around a bit and hard to keep track of everyone and everything. 

This is an uncomfortable exploration of how dark human nature can become if not challenged.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Suicide, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, and Classism

another_dahlia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Interesting concept, way too many characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Misogyny

Minor: Alcohol

mlovesbooks's review against another edition

dark tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Fatphobia, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism

flowingleaves's review

dark mysterious tense fast-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: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Suicide, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship

missbreathing's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Jackson’s debut is a dark and tense look at suburban life. Some of the themes in it would be present in her later, more celebrated works. Though it moves slowly, the ending was unexpected and ominous. This book is further testament to Jackson’s keen eye for the evils in every day life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Suicide

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

coffinfinite's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A cold and biting satire of middle-class America and all its pretensions, The Road Through The Wall may not be Jackson’s best work, but has become one of my favourites. Introducing us to a roster of characters who are all mundane and exhibit the casual cruelty of conformity, Jackson doesn’t hold the reader’s hand when etching out her vision of Pepper Street. I kept notes as I read to help me keep everyone - The Donalds, The Roberts, The Byrnes, and many, many more - straight in my head. The lack of distinction between each family save the number of children and religious identity feels very much a part of Jackson’s commentary. 

The story itself - what there is of a story, as much of the book is simply observations, the reader eavesdropping on conversations, pacts and trysts along with children’s games - is told in a long series of vignettes, showing different members of Pepper Street going about their lives in various combinations, the whole while building up to a tragedy. Jackson lays false paths for the reader, who knows (as is described on the blurb) something terrible is going to happen, but not quite what. When it finally does happen, you realise it couldn’t have been anything else all along.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Ableism, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Religious bigotry

claire_s's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Murder