Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

120 reviews

support_lesbian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

Sometimes I come up with a numerical score for these reviews and sometimes I don't, is what it is. There more nuanced review below if you wanna read but this book is a hard do not recommend for me due to the 14 year old being groomed by the 18 year old gross shit happening here.

The writing style and the slow pace of the novel isn't for everyone I would say but I will give credit in saying that the author does know how to write and is good at my but the problem lies in the story itself. It had a good foundation and characters I really empathized with and were this a story written written by a person who has struggled with autism and schizophrenia and delusions these characters could have gotten the respect and pay off they really deserved to have but that wasn't given here. I can only describe as the way these characters with mental illness and addictions were being piloted by the story just felt off.

The best way I can explain it is that there was three different stories going on and the author didn't want to commit to any of them, which is fitting cause in the end the author had nothing to say about any of it..like there was no point being made. Goes to show whenever any author writes anything outside of themselves that research is one thing but being able understanding it is another.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, and Animal death

katieconklin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

This book is an interesting concept and does a great job expressing how grief looks different in all of us. However, I basically had to force myself to read it because of how slow paced it is, and the fact that I didn't like any of the characters. The entire point of the book was character development, yet almost all of the character development was brushed over in the last 2 pages of the book in a sort of montage way. It's thought provoking and sends a good message, but is overall just too long and dry for my taste.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Addiction, Police brutality, Alcoholism, and Violence

warning_about_sophie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Incredible and deeply moving. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Self harm, and Abandonment

Minor: Racism and Fatphobia

augie_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Death of parent, Violence, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, and Fatphobia

morgancleaver's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Moderate: Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Addiction

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, and Drug use

kristaad's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Death of parent

eljarvo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death of parent

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Addiction

schopflin's review against another edition

funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This is a very good book, and has lots of touch points for me (librarianship, materiality of the book, even media monitoring) but there was something just a bit soft-centred and sprawling about it. It's highly readable though, don't let that put you off. It has echoes of Helen DeWitt's The Last Samurai which is less pageturning and more cynical, and which I preferred. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, and Drug abuse

Minor: Mass/school shootings

hollyzijderveld's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Self harm, and Death of parent

vif's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Death