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A review by bumblemee
Cry Baby: Scharfe Schnitte by Gillian Flynn
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm sure everything that made me struggle with this book was completely intentional. It just wasn't for me, but I wanted to finish it because I was interested in the solution of the case.
The story was cleverly constructed and the first twist in particular was very well done in my opinion. It was one of those that I didn't see coming even though it was obvious in hindsight, which is the best kind of plot twist. Namely:The moment Camille realizes that her mother has Münchhausen by proxy (even though she doesn't know what that is in that moment).
Camille had a very clear voice, which was my biggest problem with this book, because it legitimately made me feel sick sometimes. Everything was underlaid with subtle disgust. Sometimes not so subtle.
No matter what is happening at any given moment, be sure to never feel at ease ... which makes sense, because I don't think Camille is at ease ever.
There's also a lot of sexism woven in there and the way Amma was sexualized hurt a lot to listen to. Yes, she behaves that way, but the way it was written didn't treat her as a hurt 13 y/o behaving this way. She is written like the sexist depiction of a "slutty woman". ... Which also makes sense, since Camille has a lot of issues that would make it hard for her to look at the situation like an adult should. As I said: I know that everything I didn't like was done intentionally. It just made me sick.
This book left me feeling very angry and unsettled.
If you are triggered by anything, please be sure to check the content warnings, because chances are high it is graphicly depicted in this book ... I'm sure I missed a lot in the CWs of this review.
The story was cleverly constructed and the first twist in particular was very well done in my opinion. It was one of those that I didn't see coming even though it was obvious in hindsight, which is the best kind of plot twist. Namely:
Camille had a very clear voice, which was my biggest problem with this book, because it legitimately made me feel sick sometimes. Everything was underlaid with subtle disgust. Sometimes not so subtle.
No matter what is happening at any given moment, be sure to never feel at ease ... which makes sense, because I don't think Camille is at ease ever.
There's also a lot of sexism woven in there and the way Amma was sexualized hurt a lot to listen to. Yes, she behaves that way, but the way it was written didn't treat her as a hurt 13 y/o behaving this way. She is written like the sexist depiction of a "slutty woman". ... Which also makes sense, since Camille has a lot of issues that would make it hard for her to look at the situation like an adult should. As I said: I know that everything I didn't like was done intentionally. It just made me sick.
This book left me feeling very angry and unsettled.
If you are triggered by anything, please be sure to check the content warnings, because chances are high it is graphicly depicted in this book ... I'm sure I missed a lot in the CWs of this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism