Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Carcoma by Layla Martínez

5 reviews

arxchiell's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Child death, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War

jill_holly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Oof that was a chilling one. If you like folk horror and unhinged MFCs mixed with a lot of WTF, this is the book for you. The multiple POVs offered a deeper reflection on the lives of women in the family and the house of horrors they live in. Filled with stark layers of generational trauma and legacy, classism, misogyny and violence, it packs a lot into a short novel. Lower on plot and more on character and vibes, a haunted house revenge story that I'll be unraveling for days to come. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism

rorikae's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Woodworm by Layla Martínez is a haunted house book that revolves around different generations of women within one family. 
The story shifts between the perspective of the grandmother and granddaughter in present day as well as reflections from the great grandmother and mother. Through these shifting narratives, they tell the history of the house and those who live in it, including how the town views the women. The story touches on classism and family through the lens of a haunted house. Shadows appear to rattle the house and ghosts knock on the doors. The revolving story centers around the granddaughter getting out of jail because she has been blamed for the disappearance of a boy and what really happened. 
Martínez utilizes a haunted house story to discuss how the family members haunt those currently residing in the house. The shifting narrative was sometimes a little bit confusing to pin down but not enough that I wasn't able to figure out who was speaking after reading a little way into each chapter. I like how the story unfolds and falls back on itself, disorienting just like the house is to those who live within it. Martínez's prose is lush and evocative, really making the reality of the haunted house and the family's tale stand out. I'll be interested to see what the author writes next and I hope it also gets translated into English. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

thegayestghost's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death

queersubtext's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Stalking