Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Chouette by Claire Oshetsky

8 reviews

violetturtledove's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I mistakenly thought from the description of this story as a 'fairytale' it might be a bit too cute and saccharine. It is not. The best fairytales are actually a mix of magic and horror, and so is this book. And although I have no personal experience I believe the same could be said for motherhood! 

You've got to suspend your disbelief for this one and not ask too many questions. Is the narrator reliable? How much of this is literal and how much is metaphor? Is this our world seen through a different lens, or do different rules apply here? How do we reconcile Tiny's experiences with the reactions of those around her (are they overreacting at something slightly out of the ordinary, or being shockingly calm in the face of a medical marvel?). The morals of the story, and the balance of magic and horror, changes quite a bit depending on how literally you take it. 

Does the owl-baby represent a trans child, a disabled child, an autistic child? All of these fit in some ways but not others. Some of the details of the book may recall some of these experiences, but it's not a straightforward allegory of anything more specific than 'letting your child be themself'. Or maybe just 'this is what being a parent is like'. In the words of the author 'the child in the novel is an owl'. 

It's sweet but also very unsettling, and I felt frustrated on Tiny's behalf as her opinions are constantly ignored, her feelings dismissed and her actions misinterpreted. And fair warning (hopefully not too much of a spoiler in a book about an apex predator), there's a lot of animal death. But if you can handle these aspects it's well worth reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

vishnork's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Abortion

alyssapusateri's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Abortion

Minor: Cursing, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

i'm not really sure how to tag this considering there is such a mix of metaphors or what i thought were metaphors... i don't even know

hotdrinks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Car accident, and Abortion

gondorgirl's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Vomit, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Forced institutionalization

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

Not at all what I expected. The synopsis makes it seem like a charming motherhood story with elements of magical realism. I was hooked by the gorgeous prose, but stayed to unravel the disturbingly sad allegory at the core of the story. Tiny is a reluctant mother desperate for support while trying to get others to accept and love her disabled child, Chouette & the world around her will not stop trying to change, fix, cure, or kill Chouette. The only downside to this story is that it becomes what it is trying to criticize when its focus is on Tiny and not Chouette. Tiny eventually becomes a fierce advocate for Choutte, but since Chouette has no voice it is hard to say if, in the end, Tiny was the mother she needed. Poor Chouette. The author chooses to use magical realism to make Chouette's disability animalistic and savage. I can see this book being very triggering for anyone who is disabled and has been made to feel like they are a monster by society. I'll be thinking about the author's intention when writing this for a long time after putting it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Infidelity, Blood, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Abortion

This book is an allegory for having a disabled child that could be extremely triggering for people with disabilities.

ctrl_shift_dlt's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical trauma and Murder

Minor: Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, and Cannibalism