Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

34 reviews

kal517's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent

Minor: Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Drug use

readsbymoonlight's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content and Homophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Hate crime, War, Death of parent, and Drug use

waybeyondblue's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Chronic illness, Outing, Infidelity, Biphobia, and Sexual content

mainon_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Violence

Minor: Antisemitism, Drug use, and War

ez_heath's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Antisemitism, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Classism, and Drug use

hxcpanda's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Outing, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content

Minor: Police brutality and Antisemitism

rieviolet's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I appreciated the setting because it focused on a time and place (Poland in the 1980s) that I am almost completely unfamiliar with and it was very interesting to be immersed in it, even if briefly.
I quite liked the narrator's voice and I think that the author was very good at handling Ludwik's emotional journey, the final chapters especially hit me right in the feels, harder than I thought they would.

However, there were some plot points that I found a little bit weird

for example, the drugged soup and the hallucinated stroll in the woods, okay I guess?!

.
Also, I think that at times the language was a tad overwritten and going a bit too heavy on metaphors and similes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Police brutality, Death of parent, Drug use, Outing, Classism, Sexism, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Blood, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Violence

itsredandread's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Homophobia

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, and Outing

Minor: Police brutality, Deportation, Genocide, and Antisemitism

lauren_shilling's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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 was not what I was expecting it to be in the best way possible. It was beautifully written, and I underlined and marked so many quotes that literally made me stop breathing for a moment. It was some of the most beautiful writing I've read in a while. The portrait it drew of 1980s Poland and the main character's experiences there was heartbreaking to read, and the relationship between him and Janusz broke me in a way that I really haven't felt since I read Call Me By Your Name. There was nothing I didn't like about this book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of picking it up. I urge you to prioritize it, because it just blew me away!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, and Drug use

Moderate: Death of parent

gerzonvillegas's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Outing, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Chronic illness

Minor: War, Animal death, Drug use, and Police brutality