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romeowth's review against another edition
4.0
feels all kinds of wrong to give four stars to something i did not enjoy reading—yet it must be done
who are the ghosts again, us or our dead? maybe they imagined us first, maybe we were conjured out of the deep past by other minds
who are the ghosts again, us or our dead? maybe they imagined us first, maybe we were conjured out of the deep past by other minds
chloelovesmile4ever's review against another edition
4.5
always looking for more bog body lit and this was a really cool take on it :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
mezekial's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Concise, in both its length and shape. The book felt constrictive, brilliantly so, and Silvie’s tendencies towards unreliability—or, at least, trapped in a world that we as readers are all-too aware of—created an excellent narrative voice alongside the backdrop of an intensive, 5-day camping trip. Shocking and haunting in a way that I didn’t expect (intimate, sad), while gorgeously rendered in direct prose.
vanessagamoo's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
3.5
damara_reads's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
scarleto's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
Overall I thought it was fairly interesting and raised some insightful points on class, gender and an abuse victim’s mentality, however I think it fell short of immersing me fully as the MC’s narrative voice felt detached from the events of the book, as if she was experiencing it in Spectator Mode.
The author did a good job in using the inherent horror of the father’s abuse as tension in the narrative, with his beliefs bleeding into the other male characters making the powerlessness of the women seem all consuming and it felt like there was an untapped threat of violence brewing in the men up until the final scene. However, I would have liked if the story went more in depth of what happened to the MC, as despite being in her mind it never really seemed like she felt anything, she was a placid narrator. I can partly explain that away as her being an abuse victim and her lack of reaction a learned response by her father, but it tended to be boring (and frustrating when she was talking about her mother). But I thought her relationship with Molly was a highlight. I liked the author’s writing style, but hated her lack of dialogue punctuation, especially given the Northerner accent, it sometimes took me out of the book trying to figure out if someone was talking or if we were just reading her thoughts.
The author did a good job in using the inherent horror of the father’s abuse as tension in the narrative, with his beliefs bleeding into the other male characters making the powerlessness of the women seem all consuming and it felt like there was an untapped threat of violence brewing in the men up until the final scene. However, I would have liked if the story went more in depth of what happened to the MC, as despite being in her mind it never really seemed like she felt anything, she was a placid narrator. I can partly explain that away as her being an abuse victim and her lack of reaction a learned response by her father, but it tended to be boring (and frustrating when she was talking about her mother). But I thought her relationship with Molly was a highlight. I liked the author’s writing style, but hated her lack of dialogue punctuation, especially given the Northerner accent, it sometimes took me out of the book trying to figure out if someone was talking or if we were just reading her thoughts.
readinkedfairy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
planetkerri's review against another edition
2.75
kinda disappointing :/ I feel like the book would've made more sense if the narrator was a bit younger or homeschooled, especially homeschooled lol. And, honestly, I wished the anthropology felt more true to life. Maybe it's different in the UK, but I studied anthropology and took experimental archaeology and the vibes were just not there. The writing was beautiful, though.
djorgenson112358's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, so that was a tougher than expected 130 pages. Riveting with an undeniable dread as it marched to its conclusion. The abusive father was rough to read waiting for the next spot of trouble. A fascinating story but I need something lighter after that.