Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Play It As It Lays

I was recommended Play It As It Lays by someone who said it was unforgettable and empathetic. I was able to read it in a day. Didion’s writing is beyond unique. This book captures stagnation. It captures fear and being stuck and chasing after something that keeps moving away. It’s surreal and removed and yet so impactful. This is Fahrenheit 451 meets The Female Persuasion. Highly worth the read.

Content Warnings

hannahnasir's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.75

The highlight of this book was Didion’s depiction of escapism. How one reaches a certain point of “what’s the fucking point?”, the panic turns into numbness, the chaos and anarchy into mere white noise. Didion expresses an extreme example of one who is disconnected, alienated in the most implicit means possible, the reader (or at least, me) is suspended in a binding pool of fear, fuelled by absolutely nothing. The feelings I felt whilst reading this book is so difficult to explain. But for the lack of a better analogy it felt like one big, painfully slow, painfully quiet panic attack. When everything feels so wrong it almost feels right - only it isn’t, this contradiction thus creating a void, in which the reader is pulled into a blackhole of nothing. I sound like I’m talking in circles, but perhaps that’s exactly what it is - a cycle. You feel so much it breaks you to the point of not being able to feel. Only for that to allow others to hurt you even further, breaking you again, so on so forth. TLDR; this book drove me insane. Do not read this if you’re not ready to face horrible Post-Read-Depression.

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amyrezende's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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pippawig's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.25

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madisoncarter's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad 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

4.0

i tore through this book. the writing style and format was absolute catnip for me. after getting stuck on a few books that i wasn’t inspired to read, this one had me chucking in my bag everywhere the last week. everyone is terrible and i know i’m in the minority with how much i appreciated maria. she is an extremely battered woman and going through these moments with her was heartwrenching but in the end, worthy of the utmost respect.

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margotcolville's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.5

My experience was very split between the two times I sat down to read. The first time (about the first half), I was engrossed - I couldn’t put it down. However, the second, I struggled to follow the storyline and couldn’t get my head all the way in. I didn’t get lost in the story like I did in the first half, and was more aware of my progress and position with regard to the end. However, the pace remained despite my detachment.

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katelynleonardi's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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hippiequeen's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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