Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Wych Elm by Tana French

17 reviews

clrouse's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, and Classism

mihrreader's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Man, I'll be frank, this book messed me up. It is, as they'd say, "a real headwrecker." It is decidedly not a cozy mystery, nor is it sensationalized in the way much popular true crime tends to be. This book is unflinchingly human, extremely down to Earth, and hard to read. I feel the same way about this story as I did several cases I worked when I was assigned to the Cold Cases unit of the DA's Office:  it's sad and it sucks and there's nothing you can do about it other than watch it unfold. When I say "it sucks," that is by no means a reflection on the plot or storytelling, both are excellent; Tana French is an extremely skilled writer.

Having Toby as the narrator makes this book so much of a mindfuck, because he's an extremely unreliable narrator because of his brain injury. While Toby questions himself, his character, and his memory, it kind of forces the reader to ponder the same questions. I cannot recommend this book if you grapple with memory issues, questions of identity, and/or depression. It'll absolutely exacerbate those feelings. The ending is far from happy. It left me with a very diminished sense of the world, of lingering diffuse sadness.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

valkyriecain82's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

It was long and slow and the main character was not likeable, but it was like nothing I'd ever read before. Tana French has a very encapsulating way of writing. And even though the main character infuriated me at times, I couldn't put the book down for long.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug use and Sexual assault

Minor: Self harm

moreta1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

dizzymisslizzy's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical trauma

Minor: Self harm

lumilammas's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

Very well crafted story. Ultimately upsetting. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

birdsandships's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment

stjohnswarts's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This book is dark, even for Tana French - particularly the ending. Her books rarely have happy endings but man. She’s great at writing hugely unlikeable characters and then throwing so much shit at them that by the end you just feel sorry for them more than anything else.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

te_ss_i's review against another edition

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

allynat's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Self harm, and Alcohol