Reviews tagging 'Grief'

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

62 reviews

dkamada's review against another edition

informative mysterious reflective

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol

lpdx's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

fuguballoon's review against another edition

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

1.5

I can sum up my opinion of this book in two words: "bloated" and "snoozy." For many more words, see below.

I'm happy for Rebecca Makkai that she's reached the level of success where she doesn't get edited anymore, but it massively sucks for her readers. This book was way too long, with nothing to show for it. There was so much navel-gazing that did not enhance the plot or characters. There were so many named characters who did not need to be named, it was hard to keep track of everyone (easily 25 with big speaking parts, where 10-15 is average).

With all of that extra material floating around, you'd think there'd be an interesting twist nestled in there somewhere, but there wasn't. The whole thing was predictable from the first time the murder was described in detail. I hoped that the choice to have Bodie talking to someone would ultimately lead to something compelling, but it didn't.

Bodie being a crummy person didn't bother me as much as other readers, but I was put off by Makkai's MeToo subplot. I am old enough to remember being extremely online in 2018, and the whole thing was unrealistic to me. I agree with the other reviewers who said her Makkai's engagement with the serious issues in this book (criminal justice, racism, etc) are superficial.

Lastly, and because I haven't seen it written about on here, I am getting tired of able-bodied authors writing about people cheating on their disabled spouses using language that makes it seem like it's okay because the spouse is sick, with no interrogation or examination of the characters' ableism. I don't care if it's supposed to make us dislike a character--it's lazy character building and gross.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism

sabrielsbell's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

This was pretty close to a 5 star for me! I listened to it on audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. I was so invested in figuring out what happened and how it would all tie together! I could have done without the husband vs old fling side plot....it felt unnecessary to the point of distraction.  Also, the ending was not my style but overall I burned through this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

becktothefuture's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I raced through this book, not necessarily because it was that good but because I really wanted to know what happened. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Grief, and Gaslighting

alyssaakdefusco's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

This book! It somehow managed to be an extremely poignant commentary on misogyny and our culture's fetishization of violence against women, but also a true crime story about violence against women that I couldn't put down?! I think it's brilliant what this author has done with this genre. It also felt extremely nostalgic thinking about high school and college as a young woman. All of the excitement and giggling all while moving through a world that we didn't understand and baring the weight of womanhood while we were just girls. Ugh. So good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

leaxhue's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

hstcrow's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

5.0

Reading this felt like holding my breath for five days. Wtf. Very intense, overwhelming, and jolting in terms of the realistic story & crime, and the alarming clarity of how broken the judicial system is, how tight a chokehold the patriarchy, class, and race have on our society. The ending was so perfect and clever. It’s supposed to reflect reality. This is such an incredible feat of a book. Hell yes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Police brutality, Car accident, and Death of parent

summerofsoaps's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Racism

Minor: Drug use, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Car accident

phantompansy's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Eating disorder, Racism, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Cancer, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt