gasrat's reviews
22 reviews

Jungle House by Julianne Pachico

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Walking Practice by Dolki Min

adventurous dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.5

The stream of consciousness flow of the writing was my favorite part of this book. The main character is so different from us in the facts of their physiology, so the first person narrative as if they're doing a lifestyle vlog is really fun.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood

dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

dark slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Rape, Torture, Medical content, and Cannibalism

The Taiga Syndrome by Cristina Rivera Garza

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

4.5

Reading it backwards and forwards helped me understand better what was happening, like turning a puzzle over and over. Very enjoyable to read but I'm going to be wondering about it for a while.

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Wish Her Safe at Home by Stephen Benatar

dark reflective slow-paced

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

0.5

I didn't find the main character, Rachel, believable. I haven't known anyone who has consistently flubbed social interactions so badly and not been aware of it to some degree - that's not really how it works. I get the idea the author wrote about an odd woman he vaguely knew, whose internal life he knew nothing about but imagined as mean-spiritedly as possible. Predicable ending.

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

Beastings by Benjamin Myers

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, and Sexual violence