Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Lakewood by Megan Giddings

9 reviews

seethinglloron's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

I've been crying for an hour, since I reached part two. I am trying to act nornal in my plane seat right now.

I have read a lot of shocking, gory, surreal, unsettling literature. I love shit that makes me want to turn away, to cringe, to stand up and walk away. I have never been so nauseous that I had to stop reading a book and watch a youtube video to take my mind off what I'd just read. I only do that when I wake up from nightmares where I'm being chased by unnaturally large spiders, or where there are bees so deep in my ears that those hoes are in my g-ddamn brain. This was incredible, and no one in my life can read it because reading this means knowing that Giddings has a industrial-size drill, and this novel aims right for the pupil and makes you watch in the mirror as it pushes and pushes, veins popping out with the strain. I forgot where I was while reading it. I felt my stomach turn over at the mundane cruelty of it, the terror of looking down the barrel of something evil that asks, would you tolerate what I can do to you if it meant you would be safe, happy, and fed for the rest of your life?

I shocked myself with how fast I started to cry when the main character described the vacations she wanted to take her ailing mother on in France. I couldn't read the screen with how watery my eyes got as she watched the video on the tablet in the cabin. I felt fear. Real, honest-to-YHWH fear. This novel should be taught in schools, in college. This should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in learning about American history of medicine, of anti-Black racism, of governmental power, of how Americans consider class, of psychology as a created industry, of what the mind does when put under primal pressure in a postmodern world.

 

Beautiful prose. Babies screaming like melted glass, foaming lakes, nights as creatures. 

I don't know what else to say. Don't read this in public. Hold your loved ones tight. Don't drink anything you didn't watch be poured. Don't trust anyone in a labcoat. Read this yesterday.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Death

snazzy10101's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

bookworm_ran's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Vomit

ericaburns1's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Cool concept and themes. Unsatisfying ending with no real conclusion.  No questions fully answered. I don’t necessarily want everything spelled out for me, but I wanted more to the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

reggiethebird's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, and Death of parent

Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Torture, and Medical content

bitterseason's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

helhas3letters's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Very readable. The plot hooked me completely and despite a few awkward turns of phrase, I raced through this one.
My main gripe, however, is that I felt the ending was rushed and left too open-ended. I wanted more concrete answers and explanations as to why half the events in the book occurred. I understand that a lot of modern fiction leaves things up to interpretation for the reader, but in this case it felt less 'up to interpretation' and more 'couldn't be bothered thinking of specific reasons why specific things happened'.
The ending was also unfortunately semi-spoiled for me by a way too on-the-nose and frankly reductive pull quote on the cover of the book. It was from Essence and read:

"Reminiscent of Jordan Peele's terrifying film Get Out."

If you've read the book, you'll know what I mean when I say that reading that quote essentially told me the entire ending.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation

Minor: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, and Alcohol

liormaleficent's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mlindsay27's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror and Panic attacks/disorders