Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

5 reviews

icarusandthesun's review

funny hopeful reflective fast-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

4.25

charming—i'm pleasantly surprised! i impulse-bought this book even though the synopsis didn't particularly speak to me, and i'm honestly really glad i did. 

- there was lots of talk about books and the act of writing and writing as a form of art (a given since both main characters are writers), which i, as a writer myself, throughly enjoyed, but i can definitely see how that's not a relatable topic for everyone. 

- the book's quite funny at times, and what i found especially entertaining was the upbeat writing style constantly being paired with incredibly grave topics. 

- the characters weren't lovable at all imo (except for the dog, ofc), but rather just plain interesting to observe. 

- the feminist commentary (if you can call it that?) was confusing as hell. like it was sort of feminist but then some lines weren't at all—quite the opposite. idk, it was confusing. 

- the plot... was basically non-existent. no plot, just vibes is all. i guess there was a plot twist, but that one was just really unnecessary. it wasn't impactful at all, because it didn't actually change anything. it wasn't some sort of great revelation that would make the reader feel betrayed, it didn't make the reader feel anything, really. 

another point of criticism i have is that most of the book's depth comes from quoting other authors. the narrator references other authors and works like every other page and i found that most of the lines i underlined/annotated were just said quotes. so i'm wondering a little bit—how much did nunez actually add to the depth and grade of profundity of her own book? 

something i also want to mention, even though a few other reviews have already done so, is that the book doesn't live up to its synopsis... so if you expect the things in the synopsis it's invariably going to be a little underwhelming, if not disappointing. 

but i personally really enjoyed it nevertheless—perhaps even *because* it was so different from what i had expected (since, as i've already said, the synopsis didn't really speak to me anyway.) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

rainbowarpaint's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

motleybooksandtea's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

2.5 — Oh goodness.

There were aspects of this book that really resonated with me. My internal sad girl felt very seen. The writing, itself, was also stunning and addictive.

I also loved that all the characters were unnamed except Apollo, the dog. That added a really cool depth.

However.

There were a lot of macabre topics that were mentioned, glanced over, and didn’t feel like they were purposeful to the story. There were asides that were not pertinent to the story. There were a few statements or ‘jokes’ that fell flat.

The triggers were not a problem for me, but there were A LOT of triggers. Do yourself a favor and look them up if you are thinking of reading this book.

I do want to try Nunez’s other works, though, due to the beauty of the writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Mental illness and Abandonment

garynoplastie's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Zoophilia

klor's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.75

A nuanced look at grief, live, and friendship. There's so much heart in this book as well as the mundanity of grieving, of existing with it. It primarily followed the train of throughts of our narrator and wherever it takes her throughout the chapters. I really appreciated the complex relationship she had with her friend, the build up and development she had with Apollo

(even the switch of the second person from her friend to Apollo, I thought that was really neat and it gave the last chapter such a punch)

, and the spectrum that exists within teaching and the writing world despite my not agreeing to all of the narrator's points. The plot often gets lost in the deviations that happens per chapter and while some hits more than others, I wouldn't say it's the worst thing. I feel so emotional about this, and thinking of my own pet and of my friends who I love a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death and Infidelity