dafni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Rape
velvet_young's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Grief
eri002's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Incest, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Grief, Lesbophobia, Vomit, Addiction, Homophobia, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Death, Suicide, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault
Minor: War
deedireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
TL;DR REVIEW:
Case Study is a quick, (I found) engrossing read. The way it explores the idea of the self and performance was also very smart. I don’t think it’ll be for everyone, but I liked it!
For you if: You like epistolary, psychological novels.
FULL REVIEW:
Longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, Case Study was definitely one of those I probably never would have picked up otherwise. But I’m glad I did!
The novel is written by “GMB,” a fictional narrator who presents a woman’s journal entries alongside GMB’s own biography of fictional psychotherapist Collins Braithwaite. The woman believes Braithwaite drove her sister to death by suicide and goes undercover as “Rebecca Smyth” to find him out. (Braithwaite’s prevailing belief was that there’s no such thing as the “real” Self; all our various versions of ourselves are performances, and so to free ourselves from misery we have to “kill our Selves.”) We flip-flop back and forth between her journals and GMB’s biography as things become more and more unraveled.
Not everyone in my book club liked this one, but I did. I found it to be surprisingly engaging; I was drawn in and held the whole time. I also thought the parallelism between Braithwaite’s theories and “Rebecca Smyth’s” journey was smart and creative enough to not be too on the nose. There were some parts of this (which professional reviews called satire to the counter-counter culture of the 1960s) that went a bit over my head, but I’m not bothered by it.
Ultimately, this was a quick, fun one!
CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Suicide, suicidal thoughts; Mental illness; Rape (imagined and off-screen); Alcohol use
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Rape
realbooktingz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Mental illness
loveyourlibraries's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
queerloras's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Car accident, Classism, Death, Grief, Sexism, Addiction, Suicide, Ableism, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm
mrgeof's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
runefactory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
carnbostrikesagain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Suicide, Rape, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts