Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Chouette by Claire Oshetsky

18 reviews

k_pelowk's review

challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

• 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? No

5.0

Incredible, magical, poetic, surreal description of motherhood. Astonishing. I highly recommend the audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism and Gaslighting

violetturtledove's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I mistakenly thought from the description of this story as a 'fairytale' it might be a bit too cute and saccharine. It is not. The best fairytales are actually a mix of magic and horror, and so is this book. And although I have no personal experience I believe the same could be said for motherhood! 

You've got to suspend your disbelief for this one and not ask too many questions. Is the narrator reliable? How much of this is literal and how much is metaphor? Is this our world seen through a different lens, or do different rules apply here? How do we reconcile Tiny's experiences with the reactions of those around her (are they overreacting at something slightly out of the ordinary, or being shockingly calm in the face of a medical marvel?). The morals of the story, and the balance of magic and horror, changes quite a bit depending on how literally you take it. 

Does the owl-baby represent a trans child, a disabled child, an autistic child? All of these fit in some ways but not others. Some of the details of the book may recall some of these experiences, but it's not a straightforward allegory of anything more specific than 'letting your child be themself'. Or maybe just 'this is what being a parent is like'. In the words of the author 'the child in the novel is an owl'. 

It's sweet but also very unsettling, and I felt frustrated on Tiny's behalf as her opinions are constantly ignored, her feelings dismissed and her actions misinterpreted. And fair warning (hopefully not too much of a spoiler in a book about an apex predator), there's a lot of animal death. But if you can handle these aspects it's well worth reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

holly_pop's review

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Weird book for the weird book lovers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, Excrement, and Gaslighting

Minor: Vomit and Abortion

bookishmagpie's review

emotional funny inspiring sad fast-paced

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

4.0

what did i just read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

readingpicnic's review

5.0

I was hooked by the first page! Such weird and captivating writing that I finished it in one day. Such a heartbreaking story about the isolation of motherhood coupled with having a disabled child that her husband wants to “fix” (autism speaks vibes). I love how she never gave up on her owl daughter and that she understood that there was nothing to fix about her daughter; that the world needs to be fixed to be a more accessible and accepting place for Chouette. I loved the queerness of this book as well, in all its many layers. Overall, a stellar book. This is like The Fifth Child if the mom hadn’t been ableist also. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

vishnork's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Abortion

redrockhoney's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content and Excrement

Minor: Abortion

alyssapusateri's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Abortion

Minor: Cursing, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

i'm not really sure how to tag this considering there is such a mix of metaphors or what i thought were metaphors... i don't even know

savvylit's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Chouette is a beautiful and brutal depiction of motherhood, mental illness, toxic marriage, and loneliness. Despite her delusions, Tiny is a main character who is easy to root for. Though she battles with postpartum depression, her absolute love for Chouette is undeniable. In direct juxtaposition, Tiny's husband is a horrible man and a textbook example of toxic masculinity manifest. He belittles all of Tiny's concerns, he ignores all signs that Tiny needs literal help, he doesn't contribute to household chores, he's distant from Chouette, and he thinks he can "fix" his child with invasive procedures. Any time the (unnamed) husband appears in the story, he is infuriating.

Utilizing magical realism, Oshetsky leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not baby Chouette is an actual owl. I personally am firmly in the camp of readers who believe that this whole tale is a metaphor for the challenges of raising a disabled child. The way that Tiny's in-laws call her "courageous" for raising Chouette, the way that her husband is obsessed with finding medical "fixes"... It's more than clear that Tiny's isolation throughout the novel is due to other people's heartlessness and lack of understanding. The people around Tiny refuse to acknowledge her mental illness before and after her pregnancy. And they refuse to engage with Chouette, choosing to be frightened by her differences.

All in all, Chouette is an emotionally devastating book written in an engaging, lyrical manner. I highly recommend reading this - as long as you are prepared to join Chouette & Tiny as they take on the world alone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

hotdrinks's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Car accident, and Abortion