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Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '
Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country by Chavisa Woods
2 reviews
courtknoc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, and Suicide
courtneyfalling's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This has been on my list for a while, and I had pretty high hopes for it. Overall, the stories lived up to the atmosphere I expected them to create: gritty, unabashedly rural, critical of people but much more critical of the systems and limits people are forced to live under, vaguely threatening and dark the whole time.
How to Stop Smoking in Nineteen Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven Seconds, Usama: 3.5 stars
This set the tone for the collection well, as an unflinching look at the inescapable and mundane horror of legal surveillance. And the supernatural weirdness of the green orbs actually worked for me, like the narrator was finally accepting their own place among the townspeople, rather than trying to disavow them for the odds stacked against them. Where this story struggled was in the bar scene. I didn't feel like I had enough sense yet of the collection's tone or political criticism to have the speaker's reaction to Osama bin Laden's death and surrounding news coverage feel anything but underdeveloped. And the twist toward Chastity's funeral donations made me really uncomfortable.
Zombie: 4 stars
I feel like this is going to be the story I remember most from this collection. It was really stark... Everyone ends up losing. But I feel like it focused on youth and disillusionment with what rural life actually means in a real and raw way.
Take the Way Home That Leads Back to Sullivan Street: 2.5 stars
Idk. On one hand, 'your sadness doesn't make you special or extra smart, it just makes you sad' is probably a message someone should've told me at fourteen. On the other hand, this felt like a pretty bad portrayal of schizophrenia, especially as it blurs with dissociative identity disorder. Kali isn't really the villain of this story (her parents are), but she doesn't come off well, in large part because of the ways her schizophrenia and even her coping mechanisms are vilified. And for the love of God, don't do acid at your girlfriend's shitty parents' house. The secondhand embarrassment here.
What's Happening on the News?: 4 stars
Like in "Zombie," I feel like this collection's most interesting moments centered around youth and the process of disillusionment. This was definitely a slow burn story, with a lot of appalling conservative Christian kid moments, but it feels like it ends exactly where it needs to, in cycle with the beginning.
A Little Aside: 3.5 stars
I liked the whole opening page and a half of this story a lot, with its abstractions and comparisons almost like a prose poem. But the ending felt like the 'let's get into the mind of this character' prompt had been stretched a little thin, and it didn't have as much critical lens as other stories did.
A New Mohawk: 3.5 stars
Mixed feelings about this. It was definitely a memorable story, mostly from the concept. It reminded me of Kristen Roupenian's writing style a little bit, the magical concept used to ground a gritty analysis that doesn't ultimately feel quite accurate or finished, even as it's like, mostly there. I just feel like Sheldon was too bland a main character (and too white a main character) to make the political commentary on the occupation of Palestine successful. Sheldon's mom's transphobia just made me sad with no resolution. And the ending overall was... meh? Like I get that's part of the point but nothing really changed at all, on micro or macro levels.
Revelations: 2.5 stars
Wtf did I just read. Especially with so little resolution in the end to the wild range of stuff that was just on the pages in front of me.
When You're Goth in the Country: 3.5 stars
Like the beginning of "A Little Aside," I liked the poetic language here. The discussion of self-harm felt really misframed and triggering... Like I get this was via a character's perspective but it feels like some responsibility was dropped here. The whole ending page is gorgeous ("Always be prepared for the apocalypse. Or rather, be willing to see the apocalypse that is happening around you.") and this makes for a good titular story.
How to Stop Smoking in Nineteen Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven Seconds, Usama: 3.5 stars
This set the tone for the collection well, as an unflinching look at the inescapable and mundane horror of legal surveillance. And the supernatural weirdness of the green orbs actually worked for me, like the narrator was finally accepting their own place among the townspeople, rather than trying to disavow them for the odds stacked against them. Where this story struggled was in the bar scene. I didn't feel like I had enough sense yet of the collection's tone or political criticism to have the speaker's reaction to Osama bin Laden's death and surrounding news coverage feel anything but underdeveloped. And the twist toward Chastity's funeral donations made me really uncomfortable.
Zombie: 4 stars
I feel like this is going to be the story I remember most from this collection. It was really stark... Everyone ends up losing. But I feel like it focused on youth and disillusionment with what rural life actually means in a real and raw way.
Take the Way Home That Leads Back to Sullivan Street: 2.5 stars
Idk. On one hand, 'your sadness doesn't make you special or extra smart, it just makes you sad' is probably a message someone should've told me at fourteen. On the other hand, this felt like a pretty bad portrayal of schizophrenia, especially as it blurs with dissociative identity disorder. Kali isn't really the villain of this story (her parents are), but she doesn't come off well, in large part because of the ways her schizophrenia and even her coping mechanisms are vilified. And for the love of God, don't do acid at your girlfriend's shitty parents' house. The secondhand embarrassment here.
What's Happening on the News?: 4 stars
Like in "Zombie," I feel like this collection's most interesting moments centered around youth and the process of disillusionment. This was definitely a slow burn story, with a lot of appalling conservative Christian kid moments, but it feels like it ends exactly where it needs to, in cycle with the beginning.
A Little Aside: 3.5 stars
I liked the whole opening page and a half of this story a lot, with its abstractions and comparisons almost like a prose poem. But the ending felt like the 'let's get into the mind of this character' prompt had been stretched a little thin, and it didn't have as much critical lens as other stories did.
A New Mohawk: 3.5 stars
Mixed feelings about this. It was definitely a memorable story, mostly from the concept. It reminded me of Kristen Roupenian's writing style a little bit, the magical concept used to ground a gritty analysis that doesn't ultimately feel quite accurate or finished, even as it's like, mostly there. I just feel like Sheldon was too bland a main character (and too white a main character) to make the political commentary on the occupation of Palestine successful. Sheldon's mom's transphobia just made me sad with no resolution. And the ending overall was... meh? Like I get that's part of the point but nothing really changed at all, on micro or macro levels.
Revelations: 2.5 stars
Wtf did I just read. Especially with so little resolution in the end to the wild range of stuff that was just on the pages in front of me.
When You're Goth in the Country: 3.5 stars
Like the beginning of "A Little Aside," I liked the poetic language here. The discussion of self-harm felt really misframed and triggering... Like I get this was via a character's perspective but it feels like some responsibility was dropped here. The whole ending page is gorgeous ("Always be prepared for the apocalypse. Or rather, be willing to see the apocalypse that is happening around you.") and this makes for a good titular story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, and War
Minor: Police brutality
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