Reviews tagging 'Death'

El Test by Sylvain Neuvel

39 reviews

sarahbythebook's review against another edition

dark

5.0

read on El's (ermreading) recommendation

Holy shit. 

This one needs time to process more, but the single most terrifying element of this novella is that I could easily see this becoming the reality of citizenship tests in the not-so-distant future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape, War, and Deportation

lucywood227's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gun violence

justagremlin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

 

This was the first audiobook I’ve listened to, and I REALLY recommend this on audiobook! There is so much emotion in the narrator’s voice.

The book is also fairly funny in some parts but is equally as dark. The gunman actually has some fairly funny quips here and there which translate very well into an audiobook form

 

I’ve seen a lot of reviews say it gives <i>Black Mirror</i> vibes, and while I’ve never watched it, based on what I know of Black Mirror I would be inclined to agree. 

Recommend for: Sci-Fi dystopian lovers who want a short commentary on xenophobia and biases 

4.25/5 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Child abuse and Fatphobia

Child Abuse:

Slight mention of a child getting slapped. Character was immediately remorseful of what he did

Blood/Death/Death of Parent/Gun Violence/Mass Shooting/Violence:

Many people are killed by a gunman including a mother sacrificing herself for her son

Emotional abuse/Mental Illness/Panic Attack/Disorder:

MC is left with PTSD after his test.

Fatphobia:

Gunman makes some hateful quips about someone’s size, however he’s a gunman so its not exactly the worst of his crimes

Grief:

Man is DEVASTATED after the death of his wife

Racism/Xenophobia

The novel explores biases especially in regards to immigration

opplecopter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Meet Idir. An Iranian man sitting for the British Citizenship Test. He’s brought his wife and two children along with him to wait while he answers 25 multiple choice questions that will determine their future. He feels confident in his ability to pass, but the test is unexpectedly interrupted and Idir is immediately plunged into a nightmare where the questions asked of him shift into life and death. 

This is one of those books that left me speechless. I had to sit and think on it for a minute after finishing. At barely over 100 pages this little dystopian novella packs a punch with its mixture of thriller/sci-fi/psychological flavors going on. It gave me strong Black Mirror vibes and although I think the story wrapped up perfectly in those short pages, I’m honestly so sad it wasn’t longer because I wanted more! This was incredible and really makes you reflect on topics like the numerous and sometimes ridiculous requirements involved in immigration, how we determine the value of human lives, what choices we would make in situations when the options presented seem impossible, and how our choices ripple out and impact the lives of others. If you’re looking for something to really get into your head and make you ask “what would I do?” then this is for you. I can’t say much without spoiling the plot, but this is truly worth reading. My first 5 star book of the new year and one of the best I’ve read hands down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Deportation

Minor: Child abuse

biobeetle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Colonisation and Classism

Minor: Body shaming

katrinarose's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.0

An fast, engaging read with an interesting thought experiment but I don’t really get the message/meaning/point. Every time it seemed about to make a social commentary, it seemed to steer away from actually getting to the meat of the idea (i.e. brief mentions of immigration, identity politics, but no depth to it).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder

tey_lynn's review against another edition

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Deportation

cosmicpanda's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Medical content, Abortion, and Alcohol

cheyrohm's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Wow wow wow. This had me locked in from start to finish. Short fiction done right. It feels like anything I say about this book will spoil the experience so I will simply say, go read it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gun violence

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Child abuse

t_higgsreviews's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

5 Stars
CAWPILE = 9.11

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Deportation