Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Recursion by Blake Crouch

12 reviews

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This novel is a trip. It puts you through an emotional gamut while reading. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

The world gets destabilized at points in this book. There’s the question of what types of unpleasant events should be intervened on if that’s a possibility. There’s a prominent element to the plot of this book which involves self harm. Personal tragedies are also quite focused on in this plot. The things that happen across life like declining health of yourself and family members is prominent as well. The question of what would you do for your loved ones is intermingled throughout the twisty plot. I loved this book throughout. It’s one of my favorite things read in 2024.

elizafiedler's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-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

4.5

I made the mistake of listening to part of this book (the part where Barry loops back and forth with the most frequency, the most futile-feeling part) while stuck waiting and being ignored in the Apple store, surrounded by that sterile, sensory hellscape. Don't make a similar mistake. Listen to it in the open air; it gets existentially claustrophobic in parts. But still, it's an amazing, creative, and ultimately affirming book about human consciousness. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

jazhandz's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This book has a really interesting premise and sci-fi twist, which it promptly proceeds to squander through lackluster characters and a bloated, complicated plot. Unfortunately it feels like it’ll join the ranks of scifi books that were almost good enough for me to remember, but not quite.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Medical content, Dementia, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Cancer, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Most of the self-harm serves an in-story purpose, rather than being the result of mental illness. Additional CWs for extreme depictions of life under nuclear attack and trauma when faced with an apocalyptic scenario.

kathywoo10's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Dementia, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

gondorgirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

hgunsch's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Dementia, Stalking, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bobbi's review

tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and War

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Dementia, Death of parent, and Murder

mar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.75

very readable sci-fi thriller :]

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Mass/school shootings

carolina_has_an_idea's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

3.5

I listened to the audiobook. Wow. This story dragged on for a really long time. When everything is revealed I thought “oh I must be getting close to the end.” No. I was only 50% through the book. I keep listening because I needed something to listen to while I was doing chores around the house.

If you watch/read enough time travel fiction you can guess what the solution is pretty easily on. It was a very frustrating listening to them fail over and over again. Just go to the first timeline idiots. That’s always the solution. I also did not understand why Helena had to go back with all the memories alone. Barry could’ve done the same thing and it would’ve saved Helena from having to explain everything to him. I also did not like when Barry was explaining the meaning of life. 50 cent did a better and more concise job in his song “Many Men.”

Too long. I also remember not liking Dark Matter by the same author. Maybe their writing is not for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and War

kingsteph's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent