andrewhatesham's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical content, Suicide, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Death
ilana_pop's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
i have no clue what I just read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Dementia
Moderate: Body horror
pigeon_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Dementia, and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
gggk's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Gaslighting
samarakroeger's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I hated this book. for such a short book (when you account for all the white space) it felt like I was slogging through it even when I actually read it fairly quickly. the whole book is double spaced, so it takes up ~3 times more pages than strictly necessary.
also, for something labeled as horror, this had literally no creepiness or intrigue or sense of tension or foreboding element to it. the plot was basically nonexistent and the characters were so deeply unrealistic (has Iain Reid ever talked to someone suffering from Alzheimer's before? and why did he decide to write a book about it???).
my main problems, other than simply being very bored, revolve around the writing, the clunky first person present tense perspective, and the incredibly flawed depiction of dementia. first of all, women in their 90s/people with dementia do NOT talk like pretentious teens written by John Green. simply inaccurate. and they certainly don't think in complete sentences and have a serviceable short-term working memory. does he understand that short-term working memory loss is basically the first sign of dementia????
I also really don't like how Reid decided that "the real horror is neurodegenerative disease" and like, yes, I agree, I am not a fan of neurodegeneration, but I think it is incredibly misguided to make it the "horror element" to your "horror" book. also, the ~quirky fungus element that isn't properly explored~ was just thrown in. it did not add any suspense or sense of mystery or any horror. I think Alzheimer's could potentially be used as an element in a well-done body horror book, but not from a first person perspective that had no character to it.
and the ending -- I fully disagree with the incredibly heavy-handed message that was shoved down the reader's throat.... I don't think a life without a clear end is meaningless and I don't think that not romanticizing death is a bad thing. death is just part of life. let's stop fretting about it so much. I actually laughed at the ending of this book because it was ridiculous.
also, for something labeled as horror, this had literally no creepiness or intrigue or sense of tension or foreboding element to it. the plot was basically nonexistent and the characters were so deeply unrealistic (has Iain Reid ever talked to someone suffering from Alzheimer's before? and why did he decide to write a book about it???).
my main problems, other than simply being very bored, revolve around the writing, the clunky first person present tense perspective, and the incredibly flawed depiction of dementia. first of all, women in their 90s/people with dementia do NOT talk like pretentious teens written by John Green. simply inaccurate. and they certainly don't think in complete sentences and have a serviceable short-term working memory. does he understand that short-term working memory loss is basically the first sign of dementia????
I also really don't like how Reid decided that "the real horror is neurodegenerative disease" and like, yes, I agree, I am not a fan of neurodegeneration, but I think it is incredibly misguided to make it the "horror element" to your "horror" book. also, the ~quirky fungus element that isn't properly explored~ was just thrown in. it did not add any suspense or sense of mystery or any horror. I think Alzheimer's could potentially be used as an element in a well-done body horror book, but not from a first person perspective that had no character to it.
and the ending -- I fully disagree with the incredibly heavy-handed message that was shoved down the reader's throat.... I don't think a life without a clear end is meaningless and I don't think that not romanticizing death is a bad thing. death is just part of life. let's stop fretting about it so much. I actually laughed at the ending of this book because it was ridiculous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement
kshertz's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is such an interesting concept. I really enjoyed how highlighted nursing facilities in homes and how people can be thrown away from society. The real horror is real life. I like those kind of horror stories. You spent the whole time trying to understand the unreliable narrator and I liked that aspect. Highly recommend
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Body horror, Medical content, Suicide, and Death
Minor: Vomit, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
mauvesoul's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content, Mental illness, Torture, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Murder, Terminal illness, Death, Dementia, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma
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.
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.
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Suicide
Minor: Stalking, Vomit, and Animal death