elsakern's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
2.0
This book is dark, but far from a thriller. Picking it up, I knew I would probably hate it or at least have very complicated feelings about it, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I took off a star for its frankly shitty depiction of women and people with mental illnesses.
Spoiler
I found the ending both aggravating and chilling. The way in which peter tells it is very gross. He abuses his authority over a mentally ill patient by trying to marry her which is so so unethical and then describes her as manipulative. He had a responsibility to her as his patient to actually try to help her, but instead he sexualized her and ignored the fact that she obviously wasn’t making progress. Despite how angry this makes me feel, i think it was deliberate by McGrath (or at least I certainly hope so) which is why I feel more terrified by his actions than anything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Child death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization
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