Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Abyss by Pilar Quintana

9 reviews

abbie_'s review

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

Thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this sad little book, I’m a sucker for a mental health narrative. This one is told through the eyes of a child, eight-year-old Claudia who lives with her parents in Colombia. Though she continually watches her parents, her mother who suffers from depression, and her overworked father, she often doesn’t fully grasp the complexity of the adults’ lives around her - but she understands enough. The depiction of depression and suicidal tendencies in this book are brutal, so do look after yourself if you read it, but it’s so well done. The imagery of that cliff road with the fog and the steep drop-off - glorious. Your heart will break for Claudia, ten times over, during the course of this book. 

Excellent translation by Lisa Dillman
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skaimml118's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

4.75

Eu tinha uma noção de qual final estaria me esperando, mesmo assim foi uma mini decepção. Como terminar um livro assim? 

Por motivos pessoais, não foi tão bom ter lido esse livro, num sentido de que me deixou um sentimento de vazio. Infelizmente eu sou muito parecida com a mãe da protagonista, a rinite me acompanha desde a adolescência. Foi uma ótima representação, principalmente pelo ponto de vista ser pelos olhos de uma criança, mas não é uma das melhores situações para estar. 

Dito isso, o livro é incrível, adoro uma leitura direta mas rasa. As nuances estão ali e as interpretações são importantes até pelo POV ser um narrador não confiável, mas num formato de linguagem concisa. 
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shankarhere's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • 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

4.0

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mirva's review against another edition

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

4.5

This story is masterfully told entirely from the perspective of a young child. The writer captures the inner voice of a child incredibly well, while the world of the adults in the narrator's life is the focus of the story. It's a short, captivating read. 
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w0rmonastring's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • 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

2.75

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internationalreads's review

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dark reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

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what_karla_reads's review

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challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

This book was poignant and emotional. So many moments I had to pause to take in what I was reading. You rarely get a book from a child's perspective, especially with so many dark themes. Claudia witnesses so much without truly comprehending what is going on but she feels it all. As adults I think we take for granted that a child can take in the negative energy without understanding in full what is happening around them. I wanted more at the end...I wanted to know if she was going to be ok...unfortunately this book ends too abruptly for me. Maybe it was meant to leave us hanging but I wish there was more.
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goatsrsexy's review

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

3.5


Abyss was a very pretty but melancholy story. Told from the perspective of 8 year old Claudia as she starts to learn about mortality and the fact that her parents are very human and make many mistakes. We are watching Claudia's family through her eyes and seeing how much children take in even when they seem like they're not paying attention. The story to me felt very true to how I felt about things as a child. This was my first Pilar Quintana book, but it won't be the last. Thanks to Netgalley and World Editions for the advanced copy.
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ahnminjim's review against another edition

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dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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