Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Split Tooth

My most succinct reason for disliking this is just that it's not for me. I very much enjoyed the surrealism of the plot, but so much of the book was overshadowed by sections upon sections of what seemed to me to be trite quips trying very hard to be profound and quotable through vague generality. The sections and poems with genuine heart shone through besides, but I couldn't get past the writing, and although a goal of this book seems to be challenging notions of what is natural and sitting with that discomfort, I personally could not get past the recurring upsetting sexual imagery and motifs.

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emsim's review against another edition

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kassiopeija's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition

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challenging 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

2.75

I don't really know how to rate this, since I have the feeling that I didn't even understand half of the book. The prose was certainly interesting and beautiful. I am a bit sad that I couldn't get the audiobook. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more.

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kay_raichu's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

It's an amazing novel that manages to incorporate prose organically.

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catapocalypse's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

The description of the book doesn't do it full justice; the book is a mix of brief sections of prose, poems, and Jaime Hernandez's illustrations. The narrative is equally fragmented, but forms a powerful whole that is both fierce and vulnerable. Tagaq draws inspiration from her own life in this depiction of growing up in Nunavut that is brutally honest yet shrouded in spirits and visions. The girl at the center of the narrative roams the town and surrounding wilderness through the extended daylight of northern summers and endless night of the winters. She tries to escape the demons plaguing the adults, including alcoholism and sexual abuse. She encounters spirits with varying intentions, and at seventeen one such encounter leads to an unusual pregnancy.

I had to sit with this for a bit, because reading poetry is not something I have enough experience with. Much like Tagaq's music, it's haunting, beautiful, and explores a wide range of emotion and experience. Despite the vast difference between these experiences and my own, there were things that deeply resonated with me.

The brief length of the book and the quick pace the short sections make of it suggest a fast read, but I recommend taking your time to sit with each section, especially if you're inexperienced with poetry or more unconventional narrative styles. Please look up the content warnings if you need, as well; there is a lot of trauma explored, but also a lot of healing.

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