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herelieshenry's review
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
1.25
I’m genuinely stunned at the fact that this has been compared to In Cold Blood positively — Bully is even less ethically handled and tenfold more irresponsible in presentation, and it also lacks the level of skillful prose behind In Cold Blood; Bully is shallow and does a disservice to everyone involved in this case. On top of that, it doesn’t really grapple with the question it’s advertised with (“does anyone deserve to die?”) and in fact does not seem to delve into that question at all.
It’s baffling (but not really that surprising, in the face of abuse apologism treating victims who fight back as disposable) to see the same author who paints an abusive predator as deserving of sympathy—solely on account of the brutality he faced—cannot offer even a portrayal of depth in the victims of rape & abuse who lashed out in response to brutality enacted on them. It’s hypocritical, sensationalist, and fails to deliver on an analysis of the case, the factors that fed into it, the reasons these horrible things happen to begin with, etc.
It’s baffling (but not really that surprising, in the face of abuse apologism treating victims who fight back as disposable) to see the same author who paints an abusive predator as deserving of sympathy—solely on account of the brutality he faced—cannot offer even a portrayal of depth in the victims of rape & abuse who lashed out in response to brutality enacted on them. It’s hypocritical, sensationalist, and fails to deliver on an analysis of the case, the factors that fed into it, the reasons these horrible things happen to begin with, etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Vomit, Grief, and Pregnancy