cmcrockford's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Read to catch up with an old Weird Studies episode but the experience is hypnotic and deeply, deeply sad. The title and plot promises something more structured, and I did think of Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard's Floridian grotesquerie, but this isn't really a genre novel even if it has some crimes. Death, decline, ennui, and heartbreak rule the day here, along with a mystical doublespeak associated mainly with the character of Willie but it's also embedded deep in the prose. Where many books would have exposition, this has mystery mixed with a very real pain, rooted in degradation and deep depression, even if the last half does come to a real climax.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Violence
testpattern's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Nothing unbelievable or fantastic happens in this novel, but throughout there is a dreamlike, alien texture. This is a powerful text, one that lingers in the mind well after you read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Infertility, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, and Grief
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