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samcsmith's review against another edition
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm and Sexual content
notcasino's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It gives me really mixed feelings cause I like the topic but it's just... I don't know how to describe it.
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
bealunn11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
lostgwennel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt
chloeam3103's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Self harm
vixenreader's review
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism and Vomit
Be aware of dysfunctional families, programs for troubled youths, depression manifesting into anger, youths smoking, and property damage.fynn_jls's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, and Self harm
Minor: Sexual content
deedireads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
TL;DR REVIEW:
Shy is a tiny book that packs a gigantic punch like only Max Porter can. Dark but emotionally poignant, this book will break your heart in the best way. I loved it.
For you if: You like when a book experiments with voice and interiority through typography.
FULL REVIEW:
Whew, y’all. I need to read Grief Is the Thing With Feathers ASAP because Max Porter really just does it for me. I read Lanny back when it was longlisted for the Booker and it instantly became an all-time favorite, so I was very excited to read Shy. This one was darker and heavier, but just as emotionally poignant and distinctive.
When we first meet Shy, a teen who lives at a school for troubled young men, he’s sneaking out in the middle of the night with a backpack full of rocks. The main narration takes place over the course of only a few hours, but we spend a lot of time flashing back through his past — the voices, the violence, his struggle with impulse control and relationships with others.
There’s nobody who can put you inside a character’s head like Max Porter. His use of creative typography (for example, a character yelling at Shy might be depicted by giant text running across both pages of the open book), mastery of voice, and trust in the reader to keep up as he barrels forward combines perfectly every time. For this reason, I implore you: Always listen to AND read Max Porter’s work! Listen as you read along. Trust me, do not skip the audio or print editions!!! (Also, it’s so short. Only 2:16/136 pages!)
This book broke my heart in the best way that books can. Shy has a lot of trauma and struggle. He’s tunneling deep into the core of who he is and whether he can feel hopeful again. Porter shows us how impossible it is to know the core of someone, and that we are all individuals whose struggles are unique even when patterns emerge in behavior. He reminds us how easy it is to forget all that simply by making Shy himself so vivid.
Do it do it do it. Read this one.
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
jarshark's review
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, and Suicide
staceys_adventure's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail