Reviews with content warning for Rape - A Short Stay in Hell

“How do you give it up? How do you do things you thought you’d never do? Where do all the things you believed go, when all the supporting structure is found to be a myth? How do you know how or on what to take a moral stand, how do you behave when it turns out there are no cosmic rules, no categorical imperatives?” (pg. 43)

This book was an interesting read. It challenged moral character and religious beliefs in a really interesting and way that I enjoyed, and the above quote truly sums it up perfectly. What kind of person would you become if your religious morals or belief weren’t guiding you? In this story, it turned some people into human monsters.

Let me break it down to you, the task that is set out for this man, Soren Johansson. Those sent to his version of hell have to search through a seemingly endless library for a book that contains their life story; if they manage to find it, they are released from hell and sent to heaven. It gets even better when you realize they’re provided whatever food they want, they have showers, beds, they come back to life if they die, and their bodies are returned to the prime of their life. Now, you hear that and you may think that it’s gonna be the toughest thing you’ve ever done, but it’s doable, right?

That’s where you’re wrong, cause they’re not just in any library, they’re in the library of Babel, where every book that has ever been written and could be written is there. Oh, and by any book that could be written, we’re talking a book that contains nothing but periods EXCEPT for the millionth character—that one’s an exclamation mark; a book that looks like someone started raging on a keyboard; a book that is a retelling of “The Tortoise and the Hare” where the hare actually wins… oh and it doesn’t use the letter e at all, so it’s actually “Th Tortois and th Har”, oh and it was also written with every word backwards. Literally A N Y T H I N G that can be written or put together with all the alphabets and symbols is there.

You might start to feel a little hopeless then, but let me make it even worse. Those books, yeah, they’re all exactly 410 pages long. Not too big of a deal until you realize that the story of your ENTIRE life is not gonna fit in 1 book. So, guess what, you’ve gotta find multiple volumes of your life story scattered amongst layers upon layers and floors upon floors of shelves. Make sure you’re holding them tight because at the end of the night, all the books that you aren’t touching get returned to the shelves… wherever they were. Oh yeah, I didn’t even mention how long it takes to travel along one floor, let alone multiple. That’ll be a little surprise for if you read.

Learning of those odds, what kind of people do you think would be created? What kind of person would you become? This story allows you to explore what could happen. Remember, eternal peace is at stake here. I found myself intrigued and thoughtful throughout my read. It’s so short, but the setting was very well explained, and it all comes together so well.

Content Warnings

mjverrall's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? No

4.25

For such a short read this book really makes you think. The writing is very simple and straightforward but it leaves you wrestling with concepts of philosophy and puts a pit in your stomach. This was truly impressive work for a hundred page novella and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Content Warnings

megwhitlock's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

2.25

Whilst it was an enjoyable concept and really made me reflect, can't rate it too highly because the overall hopelessness of the situation was bordering on too oppressive/misery porn. Interesting, philosophical read, and a cool idea that never really reaches a satisfying conclusion.

Content Warnings

aproudmc13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Content Warnings

boop123's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

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