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seethinglloron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
I have read a lot of shocking, gory, surreal, unsettling literature. I love shit that makes me want to turn away, to cringe, to stand up and walk away. I have never been so nauseous that I had to stop reading a book and watch a youtube video to take my mind off what I'd just read. I only do that when I wake up from nightmares where I'm being chased by unnaturally large spiders, or where there are bees so deep in my ears that those hoes are in my g-ddamn brain. This was incredible, and no one in my life can read it because reading this means knowing that Giddings has a industrial-size drill, and this novel aims right for the pupil and makes you watch in the mirror as it pushes and pushes, veins popping out with the strain. I forgot where I was while reading it. I felt my stomach turn over at the mundane cruelty of it, the terror of looking down the barrel of something evil that asks, would you tolerate what I can do to you if it meant you would be safe, happy, and fed for the rest of your life?
Beautiful prose. Babies screaming like melted glass, foaming lakes, nights as creatures.
I don't know what else to say. Don't read this in public. Hold your loved ones tight. Don't drink anything you didn't watch be poured. Don't trust anyone in a labcoat. Read this yesterday.
Graphic: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Death
snazzy10101's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Trafficking and Alcohol
brotestantethic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What fell just short for me was the main character Lena’s personality and stakes. She has high stakes for sure, but they are not built in a convincing way before plummeting into the horrors. Lena’s personality blossoms in the second act, consisting of letters written to her best friend Tanya; here, we get a hazy first person account of her journey. This section is full of personality, with words and grammar slipping into a diabolical haze of sickness and poor memory. This bit was, I will say, extremely hard to follow. But the heart is there, and the
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Medical trauma, and Murder
sarahdenn27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
mommaalia's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Torture
elskabee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I won't say the vibes were strong with this one contrary to many reviews I've read. Rather it feels like reading a really dry daily journal of someone listing all the things they do each day. There are moments of stronger tension as the character questions why they're participating in the Lakewood program, but they are just moments.
Still, I think it's an interesting and valuable book, hence why I gave it 4 stars. It's hard to categorise because it's firmly set in reality (aside from a few tests that are probably not) so to call it dystopian is to call our current reality dystopian. Maybe that's the point, idk.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, and Gore
killmoore_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
There were a few moments that could have been pure horror, but Lena's need to be detached and emotionally void dampened the effect, which was disappointing.
I'd recommend as a conversation starter for a book club, or someone looking for a truly interesting concept written as a "stuff happens" sandwich. It begins, stuff happens, then it ends.
Minor: Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Gore, Racism, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Cultural appropriation
spineofthesaurus's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Slavery, Terminal illness, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Police brutality, Car accident, and Pregnancy
danielles_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A body is like outer space: The more you actively think about it, the smaller you feel, the more detached you feel from the business of living.
Lena’s grandma used to say the difference between us and them is they try as hard as possible to never think about us, and we have to think about them all the time.
I love this book, way more than I expected to. It packs such a punch in its commentary on racism, sexism, poverty, lack of healthcare access, capitalism, the corruption of the United States government and its history of unethical human experimentation, the dehumanization of marginalized peoples, etc… Seriously, this book has so many layers but if never felt overwhelming or forced since it just came naturally with the story Giddings was telling.
I really love Lena. She truly felt like a real person. Her love for her mother and how it was affected by her mother’s chronic illness was really powerful. I also liked seeing how her mother and grandmother compared in their views of the world and how they raised Lena. I especially liked Lena’s reflections on trying to come across as cute and kind and harmless as possible, both because of her experience as a Black woman, but also because of a lifetime spent caring for her ill mom. I was also glad to see the various relationships Lena had both before and after Lakewood, and it was great to see such a close female friendship with her and Tanya, and how their dynamic was affected by their different economic classes as well as the situation Lena was in. I also loved her sense of humor, and Giddings had the perfect timing of jokes vs tense situations vs deep reflections on society.
The atmosphere was SO GOOD. It was tense and eerie and it felt like just waiting for the pin to drop.
And wow, the ENDING! Some might consider this a spoiler, but others like to be warned: the ending is vague and doesn’t really explain anything. But honestly, I think it’s perfect. It also made the eerie atmosphere even more so, because we never know
Do you think people really believe another person’s pain exists?
And the last line was stunning:
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Racism, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma