himboluvr's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
geetswrites's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Camille's relationships— with her mother, with Amma, with side characters like Curry and Richard and John, but most importantly with herself— will stay with me for a long, long time. There are hauntingly relatable moments throughout, and for all its extreme severity, the core of the story is rooted in perfectly believable awfulness. The exploration of motherhood, daughterhood and selfhood as intertwined, bitter experiences supplemented by all the gruesome, unflinching imagery was revolting, painful and positively brilliant.
I can't possibly fit everything I think and feel about this book into this review, so I hope it suffices to say that I'm now completely enamoured by Flynn's writing, characters and thematic choices. Everything else she's ever written is immediately making it to the top of my TBR list. What an author.
Graphic: Self harm, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Gore, and Homophobia