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musicmenagerie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
caramelcaylee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
erica_reads_things's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse and Forced institutionalization
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I also felt really bad that the one who I felt more creeped out by was not Marjorie, with her gruesome stories and actions, but Merry, who seemed to take glee from her and her sister's trauma. Merry should be a somewhat reliable narrator as a kid, aside from her shoddy memory. There isn't a reason to suspect her of leaving things out. However, I felt wary all the same as Merry became known for being an exaggerator and a storyteller. There's a few reveals later on in the book that highlight this fact and it just made me very suspicious of someone who is just a very traumatized child/person.
Tremblay has done a fantastic job here with this book. A reader questioning a narrator's true feelings makes for good conversation and deeper reading. I am so torn with Merry as a character. My initial feelings were as stated above: Merry is creepy for the way she expresses her thoughts on the situation and her sister. However, after I finished the book, I couldn't help but think that maybe Merry was just trying to find her own way of understanding what all happened in her childhood, everything that led up to the greatest tragedy of her life. Afterward, all I could see was a girl-now-adult, still struggling to figure out why her sister acted the way she did, what her sister could've been thinking throughout it all.
When I started this book, the summary had not prepared me for the gruesome descriptions Tremblay employed, nor how sad a story this really was. I just felt so bad for Marjorie, more than anything. She didn't deserve anything that happened to her, and needed to be taken out of the home and cameras that were definitely making things worse. I am curious to know of other's opinions of the portrayal of schizophrenia in this book. I did not touch on it as I am not an expert on the condition, nor do I have the condition.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement and Domestic abuse
simp4sneks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
gbyronwilliams's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, and Alcohol
onemamareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
foiblesandfiction's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
another supposed horror story that leans its entire weight on villainizing mental illness and, in this case, that of a child, a girl.
fuck you, paul tremblay.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
abbygcarter08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, and Vomit
the_escapist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved the underlying tension throughout that builds and builds, loved how the author set up the story so you're not sure whether it's supposed to be an actual demonic possession, mental illness, or whether the sister is faking it. I think it was actually a very wise decision because, in a lot of ways, having a definite supernatural element made explicit from the start takes a lot of the scare factor out of the story because it stops feeling real and grounded (for me, anyway).
I've never really read/watched a possession story that felt so tense and messed up but believably so – that's what makes this work so well. Nothing feels too ridiculous. The characters feel like real people, the setting feels like a real setting, even the TV crew feels like a real crew. The POV was also really fun – it's written in the first person and during the flashbacks to her childhood, the author has a way of writing through the main character's eyes to really make her feel like a real child – all her wants and (mis)understandings and the things that she picks upon.
If it wasn't for the unique concept, I wouldn't have picked this up. I wouldn't have given it a go if it was just a straightforward possession story. But I really liked the idea of the uncertainty of it all and thought it was executed brilliantly. It's the first horror book I've read in ages. Ever since I finished it, every now and then I find my thoughts drifting back to it. Especially the ending. I really enjoyed how it ended.
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Blood