Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

53 reviews

archaicrobin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A short gruesome novella about toxic parents, abuse, and mother-daughter resentment. This one absolutely terrified me, and though you could see where it was going I still found it disturbing. This book is so short but quick paced and addictive. Because it is rather short I don’t want to give too much away.  This was a perfect read for me until the end. The pacing was perfect the whole book until the ending which was abrupt, predictable, and a little too bleak for me. Other than that I loved this 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

hsheehan85's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

This is Where We Talk Things Out was incredible! It was like a combination of Misery and Mommie Dearest. 
We follow Miller as she leaves for a weekend away with her mother, Sylvie. The two do not have a good relationship at all, and Miller has agreed to try to work on their relationship despite the warnings of her girlfriend/wife. 
There were immediate red flags as soon as Miller went to get into her mother's car. Personally, after one major red flag just after getting in the car, I would've immediately gotten out and said this isn't worth it. Of course, then there wouldn't be a book. 
I understand where Miller was coming from in trying to create some sort of relationship with her mother, despite everything she knew about the person her mother is. Sometimes, we give our family too many chances because they're family, and we feel guilty for cutting them out of our lives. Miller is this type of person. She feels guilty and thus gives her mother too much power over her.
Please check content warnings before picking this up

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Death of parent

valmai's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

illychilly's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, and Car accident

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

kklosowski09's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

terriblelynne's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.75

Wow, what a book! I don't normally make this kind of comparison but honestly? Misery meets Psycho but also totally original. This is a rough read if you've lived through an overbearing, emotionally abusive relationship with a parent. But it deals with the dynamic with a vivid emotional honesty juxtaposed against a disturbingly heightened set of  circumstances. Harrowing, difficult, tense and quick.  Highly recommended.

(review copy provided by publisher)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, and Car accident

molliundera_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Dysphoria

jessie_roz's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

ericarobyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau is a story that is like a slap to the face, but one that hits you over, and over, and over again. 

Content Warning:
Please tread very carefully here if you have a narcissistic parent. 

With a wedding approaching, Miller is convinced that she needs to give her narcissistic mother, Sylvie, one more chance. Sylvie has asked Miller to go with her for the weekend and Miller has agreed. Miller thinks they are going to talk things out to see if they can salvage the relationship, but Sylvie has very different plans.

Right from the start, I wanted to scream at Miller for thinking things would be different this time. If only she had listened to her partner’s warning.

As soon as Miller is about to get into the car, all the red flags start to pop up.

This story just goes from bad to worse. At each new development, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. My heart broke for Miller. The gaslighting was absolutely wild.

My Favorite Passages from This is Where We Talk Things Out

And while Sylvie had a bad habit of extending poison ivy disguised as olive branches, Miller had a worse habit of accepting them.

The snow falls heavier than when Miller and Sylvie first hit the road. It comes down in sheets, which drape the trees and mountainside in a blanket of white. Even the pines lose some of their resilient green as the snow coats the branches and bleaches away their colour. The clouds hang low in the burnt umber sky, the sun almost done tucking itself out of view despite how early in the evening it still is. Miller watches as flakes of snow hit the window. perfect geometric wonders, before melting against glass warmed by the car’s heater.

Outside the cabin, the wind rattles the trees and the glass windowpanes, the snow a heavy spiral of white that covers everything in its path. Miller watches it through the open blinds, lawed by its beauty and annoyed by its inconvenience.

My Final Thoughts on This is Where We Talk Things Out

If you’re looking for a quick and brutal read that will have you gasping at each scene, then this is a great book for you!

This one made me so angry and wildly uncomfortable! I had a pit in my stomach the entire time I was reading. What wonderful work! I cannot wait to read more from this author!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

danidamico's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

3.0

Me gustó, es de esas lecturas fáciles que terminás en una tarde. Algunos aspectos me resultaron bastante predecibles, hay una cosa específica que vi venir desde el minuto uno. Más allá de los clichés, Marceau logra mantener un buen ritmo y generar tensión durante las 90 páginas. El personaje de Sylvie es realmente horroroso, la manipulación que ejerce sobre su hija me puso la piel de gallina, sobre todo porque ese tipo de violencia existe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Lesbophobia