Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

26 reviews

laura_cat's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Perhaps the most deeply disturbing book I’ve ever read. This book has extremely graphic descriptions of violence and cruelty and I had to skip ahead at times to avoid some of them. I am relieved to be finished with the book. It’s well-written but I’m not convinced that all of the scenes and disturbing imagery were necessary, and I wonder if this detracted from the impact.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

stacey_lynneburger's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail

tamzy6's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.0

You know what, this book reminds me of A Little Life, like trauma porn set in the natural world. As a reader you got to have a certain detachment as you read it because there are some unfathomable scenes that make you go "whaaaaat?!?!?" I was grossed out yet intrigued, and that shows how Tallent is a tallented writer (haha).

I love love love his prose and his writing style. He has a frightening way of making violence, in all its forms, seem so seductive. 

Anyway I've also entered many tags under graphic

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

amessina3399's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

3.75

Wow. What beautiful language, and what a masterfully told and utterly heart wrenching tale. While not told in the first person, this story paints  such a viscerally clear picture of what it’s like being in an abusive relationship, and why it can be so hard to leave. The only thing stopping me from giving a full 5 stars is the ending—it was a great ending, don’t get me wrong, but it left a lot of holes open that were set up earlier in the book to seemingly be revisited. So while I was disappointed with its conclusion, it was overall a fantastic read that I highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

greenwillow77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

When I pick up a book for the first time, I have a routine- I read the back cover, see if I like the idea of the book; then a random page or two to see if the writing interests me; then the inside front pages to see if there are interesting pull quotes, then I skim the author bio if there is one, because sometimes it will offer a crumb of information about the person the author wants to appear as to you. In the case of this book, my edition opens with the fact the author was “raised by two mothers.” That’s sweet, right? It’s hardly unusual now, but it’s nice to see he credits his parents enough to mention them first, & f’ yeah for visibility. 

Then I read the book, & I realised why this fact above all others would be what stuck like a splinter in my brain. There is no way to sugarcoat or avoid the violent, monstrous misogyny in the language & abusive behaviour that Turtle both lives with & has internalised. Even as she grows more & more aware of it, it rushes out of the story in punishing current that hurls you towards an ending that looms with the inevitability of a tsunami. 

It would be easy for me to tell you how appalling Turtle’s father is in intricate & fine detail, but like true crime finding delight in the supposed intricacies of the crimes of men who kill women, his humanity, grief, his ability to see the environmental disaster the world faces, feel like giving him credit he doesn’t deserve. 

& perhaps that is the skill here, to take someone who ultimately deserves everything he gets, & occasionally think he might have a microcopic glimmer of humanity. To take a story of unrelenting,  visceral, hardship & abuse, & set it against a landscape that shimmers with beauty. Nature is not kind, but it is gorgeous. Above all, that kept me reading through the darkness & grinding cruelty even as Turtle begins to resist her father’s rule. 

The are echoes of “The Wasp Factory” here, & hints of “Deliverance” (which is name checked in the text, very meta.) This is a genuinely well written book, I can’t argue with the skill or the story telling even when it stumbles- the romantic plot feels clumsy but perhaps that is more down to reflecting on Turtle’s own inexperience. What I can’t reconcile in myself is that this is a story written by a man, about the graphic abuse & isolation of a girl by her father, & for however well written & beautiful it can be, it still boils down to my discomfort at that fact. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pregnancy and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use

kellyofcali's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.5

I rapidly consumed this book, which is heart-wrenchingly dark and awful, but very well written and you just keep reading hoping that it's going to get better (I won't say whether this want comes to be). It is really, really tough, so you have to be up for that kind of horrific material, but I found myself quickly entangled in the characters and story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abortion, and Alcohol

Minor: Pregnancy

readbybetty_'s review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I need to go and sit in the sun for a while after reading this…

4* for the writing, characterisation and world building but 1* for enjoyability based on the subject matter (check tw’s) and bizarre choice of language at times (iykyk)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

hattieb2000's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Blew my mind in the worst and best possible ways. So much to unpick and absolutely gripping, especially towards the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

yilliun's review

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

Let’s start with the good things: Tallent does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are THERE with the characters and can construct beautiful scenes through his EXTREMELY descriptive writing style. Sometimes I felt like I was walking with Turtle through the woods and on the beach.

The not so good: this book lacked the nuance necessary to approach the topics of child abuse and incest. 

Much of the time it felt like the author was writing from a totally different perspective than a 14 year old girl’s. I think there was a good story here, but there wasn’t enough compassion for Turtle. I understand that Tallent tried to walk the line between the deep care and fear Turtle held for her father. In the instances where we are immersed in Turtle’s stream of consciousness, Tallent excels at illustrating how the abuse permeates all aspects of Turtle’s life. He misses the mark more often than not. Specifically, the use of the word “pussy” for a 14 year old’s vagina is wholly inappropriate. It slants the scenes away from abuse and towards the experience being sexually gratifying (which is sadistic in its own way). Because of these scenes, I almost DNF’d this book. The twist ending did suck me back in.

I do think it was a satisfying ending to have Turtle kill Martin, her father. Turtle living with Anna in the end felt very Matilda/ Miss Honey dynamic to me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

There are multiple graphic depictions of incest and physical abuse.

cannibaldear's review against another edition

the grandfather's stroke as he was trying to keep Turtle safe hit too close to home

can't finish now, wish to come back when my grief isn't as prickly

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail