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frances_frances's reviews
270 reviews
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book. It reminded me a bit of Claire Keegan's Foster in its ability to capture the way children experience the world: being scolded for not already knowing social etiquette, overhearing adults and trying to make sense of their world, being talked about as though you're not in the room, getting glimpses of pain and mortality and becoming even more confused because of the roundabout ways adults talk about such taboo subjects. Poor Deer hurt my heart but made me feel seen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
I can very much understand why people either love or hate Moshfegh's work. Eileen, like her other novels, is an uncomfortable read that managed to pull me in right from the start.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Stalking
Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Ehh...it was fine
Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm still processing this book. I love Felker-Martin's prose and character development. The story itself, less so. Worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Transphobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, and Dysphoria
Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band by Michelle Cruz Gonzales, Mimi Thi Nguyen
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
It always feels weird to critique someone's memoir. It's their story and they can tell it how ever they want. That being said, The Spitboy Rule fell flat for me. I think I was expecting more depth and analysis. I didn't feel very connected to the author, somehow it felt like she was holding back or guarding herself. Despite my interest in 90's punk culture and in intersectional feminism and analysis, the reading experience was fairly dull.
The Freezer Door by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
The writing style and overall reading experience wasn't for me but there's so many good quotes and important insights and that made it worthwhile.
The Arrangement by Robyn Harding
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I don't know why people like writing about stuff they clearly don't know anything about. It's kinda embarrassing. Also this book does that annoying thing where everything is conveniently revealed at the end and side plots and details that were never mentioned before come out of nowhere. Poorly executed thriller that fails to create any tension at all.
A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.25
What a brutal read! This book was hard to get through because being in Hank's head is horrifying, but I couldn't put it down. The psychological manipulation and compartmentalization he engages in is so chilling and gross. A really interesting character study and look at human psychology. As with The Ruins, I didn't love the way Scott Smith wrote the women characters. I really wanna know more about Sarah and what motivated her actions. She was a bit of a question mark for me.
Overall, a very effective, impactful reading experience that made me squirm with discomfort.
Overall, a very effective, impactful reading experience that made me squirm with discomfort.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
The Ruins by Scott Smith
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
Phew! This book is bleak as hell, but overall, I really enjoyed it. It's gory and deeply unsettling. The physical and psychological anguish experienced by each character is relentless. The pacing is slow and meticulous but somehow manages to be consistently engrossing throughout. The "monster" in this book is refreshing in its originality. I found it much more disturbing than an actual monster, ghost, etc. And the constant shift in perspective was expertly pulled off.
There were a few things that bothered me about this book. The biggest problem I have is when Jeff accidentally sees Stacy's breast and then contemplates the differences and similarities between Amy and Stacy's nipples. I really hate when male authors include that kind of shit. The women characters are sexualized for no reason and in ways that the men never would be. Amy and Stacy are written as Madonna/whore stereotypes. I guess there's some "commentary" about this when Eric describes how Hollywood would write their story, but still, the only two women in the book are comparatively two dimensional and clearly written from a male perspective. The shallowness of the women and the references to their bodies really made this book go from 5 to 4 stars.
I thought the whole pretext for the group to be in the jungle in the first place was weak and could've been fleshed out more.
I feel uncertain about how the Mayan community was portrayed. They are nameless, voiceless, and for our purposes basically interchangeable. And like the environment itself, the Mayan people are a lethal threat to our (white) main characters, with unknown motives. On one hand, the way the Mayans were presented felt realistic to how the main characters would view them. At the same time, it's hard to say where the characters end and the author begins.
There were a few things that bothered me about this book. The biggest problem I have is when Jeff accidentally sees Stacy's breast and then contemplates the differences and similarities between Amy and Stacy's nipples. I really hate when male authors include that kind of shit. The women characters are sexualized for no reason and in ways that the men never would be. Amy and Stacy are written as Madonna/whore stereotypes. I guess there's some "commentary" about this when Eric describes how Hollywood would write their story, but still, the only two women in the book are comparatively two dimensional and clearly written from a male perspective. The shallowness of the women and the references to their bodies really made this book go from 5 to 4 stars.
I thought the whole pretext for the group to be in the jungle in the first place was weak and could've been fleshed out more.
I feel uncertain about how the Mayan community was portrayed. They are nameless, voiceless, and for our purposes basically interchangeable. And like the environment itself, the Mayan people are a lethal threat to our (white) main characters, with unknown motives. On one hand, the way the Mayans were presented felt realistic to how the main characters would view them. At the same time, it's hard to say where the characters end and the author begins.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Vomit