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esmealejo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
mairead_parade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, and Blood
stvmln's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Suicide
kermit_the_wrong's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
snielsen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Murder
emperor_aj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mark_cc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide
Minor: Ableism
teaandtales1's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism
mikayyyla's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Kidnapping, and Murder
lilifane's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I haven't read a book like this before, and it really made an impression on me.
The investigation in the beginning has True Detective Season 1 vibes. I liked that, although the story then went into a totally different direction.
There is time travel, which I always love. But the way it's done here is so unique and also complex (and sometimes complicated, it's hard to wrap one's head around). I loved how the author used actual scientific research and theories to explain things, though. The direction the plot takes, phew.... did I mention it was wild? Because it's really mind-blowing sometimes.
There are mysterious scenes, there are action packed scenes, there are reflective scenes, there are gruesome scenes, there are unbelievable scenes. And at the same time, there is this melancholic atmosphere that dominates the whole book. It got really depressing at some point tbh.
I really liked the protagonist btw. She's very cool, what she does for a living (wild!) and the way her disability is portrayed in the book... I really, really liked that. Most of the time, when a character has a disability, it's either not effecting the plot at all, or it's dominating the plot. But here... it was just there, and we got really detailed every day experiences of a disabled person. The disability affected the plot sometimes, but it didn't dominate it.
There were some action-packed scenes that were described like movie scenes, and this made me wish for a movie adaptation. At this point, I have to mention the 90s pop culture reference because as a 90s kid myself, I had a lot of fun with them. But I also loved how thought-provoking the story is. There is so much to think about and to discuss.
Although I think the ending was very satisfying, I'm not a fan of the epilogue. It somehow felt like a punch in the gut to me to have these complex characters and then do THIS at the end. But then again, it is a great discussion point.
I'm glad I read this so slowly and had time to reflect on the different parts. This book will stay with me for a long time, mostly because I can't believe an author pulled something like this off. I have the most respect for Tom Sweterlitsch.
Do I recommend it? Yes, but it's definitely not an easy read and I don't think it's for everyone.
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy