emilyexley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Injury/injury detail, Emotional abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
jubaju's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sorry, I missed something. I didn't enjoy this book at all, neither as a story nor as a metaphor. The most obvious interpretation (and the one I'm going with) is that this is a novel about raising a child with autism and the toll that it takes on the psyche of the parents and their relationship with each other.
I can't say whether it handled the theme well or not; I've never raised a child with autism. But considering that I rate books based on my enjoyment of them, I can't give this one more than 2 stars. The writing was good, but this was just a nonsensical book for me, in the vein of Megan Hunter's The Harpy, which I also gave 2 stars to.
Tiny was all over the place, a completely unreliable narrator, and the child was very hard for me to get a grasp of, which made it very hard for me to follow this novel. I haven't struggled with visualizing a novel since I started reading in English, but this one was too weird.
All in all, this would probably be a decent book for someone who is interested in this kind of theme. I might check out more from the author because I enjoyed the writing.
I can't say whether it handled the theme well or not; I've never raised a child with autism. But considering that I rate books based on my enjoyment of them, I can't give this one more than 2 stars. The writing was good, but this was just a nonsensical book for me, in the vein of Megan Hunter's The Harpy, which I also gave 2 stars to.
Tiny was all over the place, a completely unreliable narrator, and the child was very hard for me to get a grasp of, which made it very hard for me to follow this novel. I haven't struggled with visualizing a novel since I started reading in English, but this one was too weird.
All in all, this would probably be a decent book for someone who is interested in this kind of theme. I might check out more from the author because I enjoyed the writing.
beatboxboyfriend's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Excrement, Animal death, Pregnancy, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Body horror
Moderate: Abortion, Mental illness, and Sexism
clairewimbush1997's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sallyscriv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
5.0
What an incredibly weird, beautiful book.
Through Chouette, Claire Oshetsky explores themes of motherhood, sacrifice and parental perception. I don’t know if I really had expectations when I picked up this novel, but whatever they were, this book absolutely shattered them.
Through Chouette, Claire Oshetsky explores themes of motherhood, sacrifice and parental perception. I don’t know if I really had expectations when I picked up this novel, but whatever they were, this book absolutely shattered them.
jouljet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Excrement, Injury/injury detail, and Ableism
runningjenw's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.5
cuevas77's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
ane_jito's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nicolepaul_ine's review against another edition
3.25
I liked this story but I feel like the meaning went right over my head