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arielamandah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
What in the world did I just read? This is a strange, ambitious novel that’s part philosophy, part historical science, and part terrifying walk through the horrors of the modern world. And some very odd sexual scenes, to boot. It feels like there’s a lot of mixing fiction and science here - blurring those lines. And, truly, it was very dark, violent, and explicit about the horrors of war and chemistry, and the scary parts of math and science. (It didn’t make me walk away from it feeling very good - mostly just sad, disgusted, and a little WTF.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
caties_books's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
I am fully ready to admit that maybe I'm not as smart as all the people who love this book or maybe I'm not the right audience, but I didn't understand this book at all. It's a very confusing type of not understanding because I read the description again after reading and yes, I did read about and comprehend all the things mentioned, but overall, I was just left unsettled and confused. I don't like not knowing which parts were true and which weren't. I don't understand the point of the book. There wasn't any sort of cohesion that felt solid to me, it felt scattered and separate. Idk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail