Reviews tagging Suicidal thoughts
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin
7 reviews
emilycmarshman's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Violence, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
isleoflinds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I thought that the characters - Sadie and Sam - were really well-rounded and flawed, but believable people. I was disappointed in the development of the character Marx, who felt most often like a plot device despite also appearing to be almost as significant as Sam and Sadie. Many of the tropes included about halfway through also felt unnecessary and I think a lot of the tension between Sadie and Sam could have happened without employing them. In general, I think Sadie's story was marred by too many gender-related difficulties. I know that being a woman in tech (now, but especially in the 90s) was difficult, but the bulk of the harm she experienced wasn't even related to her work, and I just wish we could have seen her face other issues.
The structure of the book was incredibly compelling - it is built around the vague idea that each "part" is its own game. Especially in the first half of the book, I could really feel the themes aligning with the structure of the book in an intriguing way. The story took a lot of turns in the second half that were just not for me (
Spoiler
miscommunication trope, two accidental pregnancy tropes for the same character, dead baby daddy, and just a general waste of what could have been a really enlightening use of the NPC chapter concept.Overall, I think that Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow had great bones for a story, I just wish it had been a little shorter and/or that it had spent more time considering the significance of Marx. In a story about the complex ways that people can love one another, Marx was central to this, and making <spoilers>the NPC</spoilers> seemed more of an afterthought to be profound rather.
My final very small complaint is the little statement at the end about <spoilers>"this generation thinking their whole personality is their trauma." I am a millennial, so perhaps this very Gen X sentiment just isn't for me, but in 2022, the inclusion of this bit feels quite purposeful. It was said and largely abandoned, squeezed in at the end and unexplored. Why say something that significant and then end the book with "oh I guess maybe our trauma made us who we are too... or maybe not!" Trauma use colloquially often refers to 'the difficult things I have experienced in my life that give me perspective on the world and how I interact with it.' Perhaps this is nuanced, but it just felt quite dismissive and not necessary.</spoilers>
Graphic: Body horror, Gaslighting, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, and Sexual violence
jenmcreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spoiler
I was honestly particularly upset by the use of a background character's suicide to propel the plot of main characters who did not even know her. That felt emotionally manipulative and exploitive to me and it was a part of the book I struggled to move past. Similarly, I felt the treatment of abortion was quite glib and did not add much.Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Car accident, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
sakisreads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Spoiler
Him getting shot though devastated me and I had to dry my tears very discreetly, reading this on a plane! The way it was written out read like a game and hit me hard.Moderate: Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
eregriel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Cancer
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Drug use, Cursing, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Drug use, Classism, Toxic friendship, and Abortion
kellenk's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
c_ab_bage's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Racism, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Car accident, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Ableism, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy