Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman

9 reviews

jettblack_92's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

0.25

There are trigger warnings, please check that out. Unfortunately I was not able to give it a 0 rating. There is a severe plot shift 3/4 in, and the book just lost me. First it's one kind of eery mystery, and now it's just generic junk. Dangit, it had potential.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Gun violence and War

Minor: Child abuse

shelf_life_with_jay's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

One of my favorite booksellers recommended this book at my go-to bookstore just down the street. While I trust their judgment, I initially hesitated because I'm not too fond of stories from WWI or WWII eras. As a person of color, I know that if the author is committed to historical accuracy, there’s usually racial trauma lurking in the pages. Sadly, this one didn't disappoint in that regard.

At its core, Those Across the River reads like a debut novel. And when I found out this was Buehlman’s debut, that made sense. It’s tense, dark, and builds up a slow burn of dread in this small Southern town. The suspense was gripping at points, but the action took a while to kick off. We knew something deeply sinister was going on from the beginning, but the pacing stretched that out longer than I would have liked.

One issue I had with the structure was the opening scene. It drops you into a moment from later in the book but then pulls you away for a long backstory. I’m not a fan of that device—it felt like a bit of a bait-and-switch. I prefer a slow, steady climb rather than this narrative whiplash.

Another element that didn't sit well with me was the frequent use of the word "Negro" and, even worse, the N-word with a hard "er." I understand the importance of historical accuracy, but maybe we could have toned that down a bit. I’m looking at you, editors. A sensitivity reader could have been invaluable here, though I’m not sure if that was even a consideration at the time.

Buehlman’s portrayal of women also felt clunky. Like many male authors, he struggled to avoid oversexualizing them. The number of times Eudora, the main female character, was described as "Sphinx-like" was a bit much. It seemed like a fallback for capturing her mystery, but it became repetitive and felt like a lack of nuance in writing women.

The people in this small Georgia town probably should’ve kept their heads down and stuck with tradition, no matter how tough things were. They got a firsthand lesson in the age-old saying: “Fuck around and find out.” By the time the truth of the town's dark secrets comes to light, you can't help but feel they should’ve left well enough alone.

While Those Across the River had flaws, it was a solid debut from Buehlman. The atmosphere was rich, and the tension was palpable, but a few narrative and character choices held it back from greatness for me. This might be worth a try if you’re looking for Southern Gothic horror with a slow burn. Just be ready to wade through some problematic waters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Slavery and Torture

Minor: Infertility and War

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and War

Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

charmarie's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Enjoyed the atmosphere and overall vibes of the story - didn't enjoy the portrayal of women or people of color. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death

stephanieluxton's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Murder

jess2obsess's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

akmay17's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Overall, I thought this was good book with good enough writing and an interesting premise/plot. 

However, it takes place in the 30s, and the characters certainly speak like it — and by that I mean, they’re racist. Even if that character is not, like, extremely racist, they use the n-word, and there’s at least one anti-Semitic comment as well. These parts were hard to read and, to me, often felt unnecessary even it was “true” to the historic time period. I wanted to mention if that’s just not something you want to be reading. 

There’s also a racist trope presumably unintentionally used—

of a black man preying on/raping a white women—read more about the history of this of you don’t understand this has a racist stereotype/trope

as well as a few other uncomfortable depictions and passages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Cannibalism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

orizenda's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I liked this book but not fully. I think I just didn’t care about Frank that much for some reason. like he’s just some guy. guess i’d rather have it from dora’s perspective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

whatathymeitwas's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

I'm not usually into books of this particular supernatural topic, but I finished this one in a day. Fantastic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Minor: Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Death of parent