Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Diecinueve garras y un pájaro oscuro by Agustina Bazterrica

12 reviews

oliviagarby's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Child death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Violence, Dysphoria, Grief, and Murder

hannahsfictionlibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Gore, Kidnapping, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, and Violence

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual violence, Death, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Rape, Medical content, Vomit, Sexism, Pedophilia, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Suicide, Sexual content, Self harm, Mental illness, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gun violence, Gore, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Incest, Grief, Stalking, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment

minimicropup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Ruthless, pensive, uneasy. 

So I don't spoil these layered, symbolic, and sometimes bizarre stories, I'm going to reduce them to their most literal base note:
1-An upstairs neighbour commits suicide 

2-A teacher takes an unhealthy interest in a young girl’s bunny 

3-Does a taxi driver with perfect nails hide a dirty secret? 

4-The five destructive final stages of break-up grief 

5-An alien or denial? 

6-A NY transplant worries the city has infiltrated her brain 

7-A child just wants to be close to their parents 

8-The last act before joining the twenty-seven club 

9-The subtly of the wolf 

10-Literary cat vengeance 

11-The danger of neglecting a grieving child planning a trip to the moon 

12-Celebrity obsession takes a toll 

13-Sitting on a bench observing a painting 

14-A family tradition must never be tainted with tears 

15-Circular aspirations 

16-A sick abused teen under a hole in the roof 

17-Torturing a caged bird while feeding those in the park 

18-An examination of stained glass 

19-A double-date to see a band in an undisclosed location

20-Being forced to work late puts a woman in danger

🐺🐕Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags: 

🤔 I think these are meaningful but varied stories, so I doubt they will all be impactful or even understandable for all readers. I enjoyed the ones that had more of a direct plot (6, 15, 19, and 20), but I also didn't mind reading ones with a style or themes I would normally dislike (9, 13, 17, and 18). They're all short so even if you don't resonate with some, it's not a huge time investment. 

👍 Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, irony, and allegory abound. None of the tales (even those that went right over my head) felt pretentious, weird for the sake of weird, forced edgy, or word salad. It was that I didn't have the education or life experience (thankfully?) to "get" it. Most of the stories were subjective so the reader and their interpretation can be a vital part of the experience. 

🥺 These are not like Tender is the Flesh. Any commonalities are in writing style and the ability of the author to make familiar unsettling feelings emerge from seemingly absurd unfamiliar moments. I would guess that even if you loved Tender is the Flesh, you won't necessarily not enjoy this. But if you enjoyed this, you will likely enjoy Tender is the Flesh too. 

😟 I read these all in one sitting without breaks and felt a little low-key anxious after, but very happy to be back in my world. Check the content warnings and be in the mental space for it going in. 

Mood Reading Match Up: 

• Highly symbolic, layered stories
• Themes and commentary about assumption, retribution, and abuse from (and abuse of) friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, society, and values. 
• Bizarro fiction involving elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque
• Deep, dark, confusing, unsettling, cathartic tales

Content Heads-Up: Suicide. Child abuse (sexual; insinuated on page or described via symbolism). Rape. Murder. Suicidal ideation and planning. Death of a spouse. Grief. Alcohol use (self-medication). Body shaming. Body horror (self-mutilation). Termination of pregnancy (involuntary). Animal cruelty and death (bird). Misogyny.

Format: Scribd Digital

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Moderate: Sexual violence, Death, Alcohol, Murder, Child abuse, and Grief

Minor: Abortion, Misogyny, Animal death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Body shaming

mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Sexual harassment, Murder, Blood, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Adult/minor relationship

oglopfabool's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

1.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Rape, Death, Child death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pedophilia

Suicide happens in the story written in 2nd person view, and when the reader shoots themselves, it’s described as a pleasant thing.

another_dahlia's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

lovelylilelle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Suicide, and Confinement

melted_books's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

 This was a highly anticipated read for me, having devoured the author's previous work, Tender Is the Flesh (yes, pun intended), and I was not disappointed! Bazterrica delivers impressive variety in this collection - you'll read about a girl who grows a bunny between her legs, the disorienting power of a religious cult, a woman intent on making her body into a circle, and many more bizarre tales.
.
What strikes me most about Bazterrica's writing (and, accordingly, Sarah Moses' translation of it) is the mastery over leaving vivid impressions upon the reader through the use of stark, even tantalizingly simple, language. This is not a consistent style across all stories (there are notable exceptions, such as the sensory descriptions of food in Perfect Symmetry), but I noticed I was especially drawn to the more simply written stories. This style amplifies the desolate, grim tone, which is the primary reason why I think Bazterrica's writing works so well to horrify the reader; there are shockingly gruesome things unfolding on the page, but due to the confines of the short story structure, there is little space to be flowery. This may be why my favorite of the collection was the shortest of the bunch, The Wolf's Breath, which explores the wolf-life predatory nature of a lurking man, all in just over four short paragraphs. My second favorite was the very last, The Solitary Ones, which is an all-too-believable tale about a lone woman traveling at night when the electricity on her train goes out; the last line gave me shivers.
.
This collection is a winner. Tense, grotesque, and starkly written, yet persistently provocative, the stories of this collection will vividly remain in my mind for a long time.
.
.
.
.
Special thanks to Scribner for sending me an early review copy! This comes out June 20, 2023. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Murder, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Self harm

catandherbooks's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Murder