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brookey8888'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
3.5
Graphic: Suicide, Vomit, Alcohol, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Grief, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, and Murder
james1star's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Blood, Gore, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Body horror, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Murder
thebearnest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicide, Mental illness, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
I also felt really bad that the one who I felt more creeped out by was not Marjorie, with her gruesome stories and actions, but Merry, who seemed to take glee from her and her sister's trauma. Merry should be a somewhat reliable narrator as a kid, aside from her shoddy memory. There isn't a reason to suspect her of leaving things out. However, I felt wary all the same as Merry became known for being an exaggerator and a storyteller. There's a few reveals later on in the book that highlight this fact and it just made me very suspicious of someone who is just a very traumatized child/person.
Tremblay has done a fantastic job here with this book. A reader questioning a narrator's true feelings makes for good conversation and deeper reading. I am so torn with Merry as a character. My initial feelings were as stated above: Merry is creepy for the way she expresses her thoughts on the situation and her sister. However, after I finished the book, I couldn't help but think that maybe Merry was just trying to find her own way of understanding what all happened in her childhood, everything that led up to the greatest tragedy of her life. Afterward, all I could see was a girl-now-adult, still struggling to figure out why her sister acted the way she did, what her sister could've been thinking throughout it all.
When I started this book, the summary had not prepared me for the gruesome descriptions Tremblay employed, nor how sad a story this really was. I just felt so bad for Marjorie, more than anything. She didn't deserve anything that happened to her, and needed to be taken out of the home and cameras that were definitely making things worse. I am curious to know of other's opinions of the portrayal of schizophrenia in this book. I did not touch on it as I am not an expert on the condition, nor do I have the condition.
Graphic: Sexism, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Blood, Violence, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Self harm, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Drug use, Alcohol, and Child abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse and Confinement
simp4sneks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
Minor: Ableism, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Child death, Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
devynvictoria's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Child death, Cursing, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
katiereadsbooks23's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Vomit, and Mental illness
onemamareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Self harm, Child abuse, Body horror, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Death, Murder, Blood, Vomit, Violence, Suicide, Mental illness, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Torture, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Confinement, and Child death
krdavis02's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Blood, Alcohol, Vomit, Death, Cursing, Gore, Violence, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
foiblesandfiction's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
another supposed horror story that leans its entire weight on villainizing mental illness and, in this case, that of a child, a girl.
fuck you, paul tremblay.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Body horror, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Child abuse