Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

27 reviews

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

Despite the prose being overwritten at times, and the amount of violence against women, this book is about nature taking its revenge and breaking intergenerational trauma cycles. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Murder, Torture, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Suicide, Racial slurs, Blood, Child death, Body horror, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Moderate: Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity, Classism, and Abandonment

The subjects of shame towards a parent, murder of indigenous and white women, tensions about interracial relationships, and intergenerational trauma are explored in detail within the text.

emilyinherhead's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

For some reason I let this novel intimidate me and I put off reading it for way longer than I should have. It's such an engaging book, and so easy to get lost in. We follow a couple of main characters, the last ones left of a group of friends who did something ten years ago that is now coming back to haunt them. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, and every time I thought the plot couldn't get any crazier, Stephen Graham Jones really went there. The ending wasn't what I was expecting either, but I thought it was perfectly fitting. I would put this in a "literary horror" category with books like This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno, or Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, and strongly recommend it to people who have enjoyed those.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol and Blood

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

writerkit's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Blood, Death, Body horror, Pregnancy, and Racism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Vomit, Miscarriage, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual content, and Genocide

apworden's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Gore, Gun violence, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Child death, Colonisation, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Police brutality, and Racism

peachani's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

From start to finish, this book was not what I expected. It's written in a way that I didn't expect from horror--not that I've read much of the genre. For the most part, it added to the cyclical, mysterious feel of the story. Only occasionally did I get confused on timing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, Animal death, Blood, Death, Car accident, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Grief, and Racism

Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Body horror, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

beccam22's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, and Colonisation

creativeerosion's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Body horror, Torture, Gore, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Stalking, Animal death, Child death, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, and Grief

Minor: Car accident, Colonisation, Genocide, Addiction, Confinement, and Abandonment

mitone_winona's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is absolutely fitting for the phrase, "Reading a book is like watching a movie in your head". This book was detailed in a way that gave enough of the settings, mood, expressions that won't make it difficult for the reader to imagine what is going on within the story.

The book is essentially about a group of native men facing karma for their actions; very much a story that turns into a complete circle that makes sense quick and never misses a beat or leaves a question un-answered.

Each character you meet is realistic in a way where either you cheer them on, become shocked of their actions, or even hope for their downfall in a way. This book is very much justice that is served and a fantastic ride depicting why we should respect our cultures and not cross boundaries, otherwise there will be something valuable to pay for it.

I encourage people who enjoy a quick paced horror to read this book as the story makes sense quickly and the reader isn't left out of the circle but surrounded by it as the story picks up on a good starting beat that is both humorous and grim.

Kudos to Graham Jones for depicting us natives how we would be in tense and horrific situations, which is always making a joke or a quip for smiles.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Racism, and Police brutality

2000sanimeop's review

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I borrowed this book blind, without any information about the plot or genre, and this was my first encounter with SGJ's work. I couldn't put it down! I finished the entire thing in less than a day and immediately set to acquiring Jones' other works.

The narrative style, across all points of view, was refreshing. Each character has a distinct voice, but there is a consistent flow that runs from start to finish. I never really have success when I specifically search for this style of writing, but it is exactly what I hope for whenever I pick up a new author; it doesn't meander or rush. The thoughts and actions of each character feel genuine at all times. Whether by internal monologue or conversations between characters, Jones constructed a cast that truly sound, act, feel like people to me.

And as plot-driven as this book is, its people are given the focus they deserve. I was equally engaged in where the plot was going as I was in where a given character's life was going. There is love here. The cast is comprised of flawed individuals with flawed relationships; they are in danger when they're together as much as they are when they are isolated. But there is always love. The horror comes from the twisting of that love. It transforms families, grief, an entire landscape.

When you're on the hunt for something new but don't know where to start, you take recommendations from friends, coworkers, (if you're desperate) the book jackets themselves — and they never seem to line up with those descriptions. "If you like [BOOK], then you'll love this!" It feels like that's never true. With that said, I was most reminded of Koji Suzuki's Ring series. Both TOGI and Suzuki's work do a great job of capturing the tension and dread that result when a person's continued existence stands in opposition to the supernatural momentum born from a grudge. Who will win? Who will survive? Read, and find out!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit, Mental illness, Death of parent, Racism, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Child death

keen's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

I've learned more about basketball from this book than I ever had in my entire life. I'm pretty sure watching several basketball games wouldn't teach me this much about basketball. How correct this information is, I don't know, but Jones must have a lot of love for it to be mentioned so often. So, if you're a basketball fan and a horror fan, this book was probably made for you specifically. Not that any of this is bad. The focus has its purpose and serves it very well to the end.

A few times, I felt like the book wasn't scary to me. Body horror, paranoia, animal mutilation, been there, done that. Each and every time, after I got comfortable, I'd be thrown off with a punch. And I loved it! Books that make me forget I'm reading a horror book add so much more to the horror. If I'm scared and nervous all the time, the effect will wear off too soon. I've never read a horror story like this either, giving my favorite horror tropes a new twist. If you like body horror mixed with animals, give this book a look.

Reading this book with my friend (who doesn't consume much horror) made the experience so much more enjoyable. We pointed out our ideas on how the book would go, the meanings within the book, and our responses to each scene. I'm excited to go through the Reader's Group Guide with her.

Additionally, Big props to Shaun Taylor-Corbett for such a good audiobook performance. It got to the point where I preferred reading along with the audiobook to reading the book without it. His ability to change his intonation for each character is something to admire. The more I listen to good audiobook performances, the more I wonder what kind of training goes into it. For Taylor-Corbett, his experience as an actor—I actually recognized his voice from the musical In the Heights—must have helped a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Stalking, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Pregnancy and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Excrement, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts