Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

We Spread by Iain Reid

16 reviews

vanesst's review

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia

Moderate: Suicide

mbmayo's review

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

Penny is an elderly woman who has found herself alone for quite some time after the death of her partner and friends. After she suffers a fall herself, she is moved to a long term care residence, Six Cedars. 
The book is told through Penny's eyes and we readers are left wondering whether her fears, paranoia and lost time are real and sinister or a merely a symptom of dementia? Reid's prose leaves either possibility open.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Body horror, and Dementia

Moderate: Suicide

bookcaptivated's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia

Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Medical content, Mental illness, and Suicide

keen's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Body horror, Medical content, Suicide, and Death

Minor: Vomit, Animal death, and Emotional abuse

ivorymusic82's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, and Dementia

Moderate: Dysphoria and Grief

Minor: Suicide

house_of_hannah's review

mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

I think this book will be in my thoughts for awhile. The concept is something we all fear. No one wants to lose themselves and forget. My grandfather had alzheimer's, so I'm familiar with the confusion and anger that someone going through that can experience when they just can't remember. That made this feel like a very personal story to me. 

What makes this book so interesting is we truly do not know what is happening in the end. Is Penny's memory failing ? Could be, there definitely seems to be evidence for that. Is there something more sinister going on here ? Also a maybe, as there is evidence to support this as well. It could also be a little bit of both. You really can go either way with it, and interpret conversations multiple ways. What brings my rating down a bit though, is that there are a few scenes that don't make sense in either of the scenarios presented, and I'm a bit confused by them. 

I do love the conversations here about the concept of time, how we always want more of it, and what eternity really means. The fact that most of the characters are nearing the end of their life brings us face to face with mortality and legacy. We need more books with older characters. 

This book is also a super quick read. The formatting spreads out the dialogue and paragraphs so much that you are constantly turning the page. You could easily complete this in one sitting. The story is always moving forward, and I never felt any lulls in the pacing. 

Overall, this is a book that you can interpret any way you wish. With an unreliable narrator we simply have no idea what's real or not. Decide for yourself what the true horror really is. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Death

Minor: Suicide and Animal death

abrasieve's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Suicide

Minor: Stalking, Vomit, and Animal death

sierrawilson23's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide

alexisgarcia's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

this is such an indescribable book. it left me confused and sad but in a good way? the progression of the main character's mental state left me devastated. this was beautiful and sad. i would totally recommend this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Alcohol, Abandonment, Dementia, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Body horror, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicidal thoughts

hajasad's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide