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A review by jhulme
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
5.0
ALL THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. This is a hard book to read. I had to take breaks from it multiple times for multiple days. I ultimately needed it balance it with more lighthearted fare - like murder podcasts. I wish I was joking.
This is NOT a book that everyone should read. It gets deep down dirty into how insidious trauma and abuse gets and how hard it is to break cycles, even when you know you need to. And it beautifully gets into how hard it is to leave an abuser when you also love them/believe they love you. It’s heartbreaking. And it’s so beautifully written, even when the actions are horrific.
The prose of the book is honestly what allowed me to get through the entire thing. There is a lot of “crass” language (especially around degrading women including but not limited to liberal use of “c*nt”), but it’s used well - both to discomfit the reader and get the reader into Turtle’s world.
This book will make you uncomfortable. This book will make you put it down and walk away. This book will make most people cry.
I save 5 star reviews for books that make me feel some strong emotions. For books that grab me by the heart and will stay with me for weeks, months, or years in the future. Generally my 5 star books also fall under “ALL OF MY FRIENDS NEED TO READ THIS.” But this book is not part of that latter clause. This book has SO MUCH abuse. It’s amazing, but use Care and make sure you’re in a headspace to handle it before reading it. ❤️
This is NOT a book that everyone should read. It gets deep down dirty into how insidious trauma and abuse gets and how hard it is to break cycles, even when you know you need to. And it beautifully gets into how hard it is to leave an abuser when you also love them/believe they love you. It’s heartbreaking. And it’s so beautifully written, even when the actions are horrific.
The prose of the book is honestly what allowed me to get through the entire thing. There is a lot of “crass” language (especially around degrading women including but not limited to liberal use of “c*nt”), but it’s used well - both to discomfit the reader and get the reader into Turtle’s world.
This book will make you uncomfortable. This book will make you put it down and walk away. This book will make most people cry.
I save 5 star reviews for books that make me feel some strong emotions. For books that grab me by the heart and will stay with me for weeks, months, or years in the future. Generally my 5 star books also fall under “ALL OF MY FRIENDS NEED TO READ THIS.” But this book is not part of that latter clause. This book has SO MUCH abuse. It’s amazing, but use Care and make sure you’re in a headspace to handle it before reading it. ❤️