Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Discomfort of Evening by Lucas Rijneveld

23 reviews

astridrv's review against another edition

Reading this book felt like watching Hard to be a god. Can't recommend it but don't regret it. And the author sure is a poet. All of the content warnings..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Incest, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Excrement

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

sidekicksam's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.0

Dit hele boek is ongemak. Rijneveld laat geen schunnig onderwerp onbesproken, van aanranding en verkrachting tot het penetreren van koeien, en het was op sommige stukken echt een heel ongemakkelijk boek om te lezen. 

Maar het was wel goed. 

We volgen Jas, wiens broer Matthies door een noodlottig ongeluk om het leven komt. Haar gezin is ontwricht door de uitval van haar oudste broer: vader praat er niet over, moeder stopt met eten, en haar broer Obbe en zusje Hanna krijgen de ruimte niet om hun verdriet een plekje te geven. 

Jas loodst ons door thema's als de dood, rouw, religie, leven in een boerengemeenschap, puberteit, seksualiteit en fantasie heen met de nieuwsgierige en open blik van een 12-jarige, waardoor het door tragedie doordrenkte verhaal niet aanvoelt als een steen in de maag. Het jeukt, het kriebelt en het fronsen staat je nader dan het lachen, maar dat maakt het boek alleen maar beter. Van wat ik in andere recensies las, ligt het wellicht ook aan de taal; het spreekt wel erg tot de verbeelding in de eigen taal, wat zorgt dat je eerder gruwelt van de inhoud dan wanneer je het in het Engels leest. 

Als stadskind kan ik me geen inbeelding maken van hoe het leven in een dorp moet zijn geweest, maar ik geloof dat sommige elementen van dit boek dat wel goed weergeven. Het boek is doordrenkt van tragedie, maar leest verrassend 'makkelijk' weg voor hoe ongelukkig de personages zijn. 

Ik lees eerst even zo'n 15-20 andere boeken voor ik weer een Lucas Rijneveld boek pak, maar een volgende komt er! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Child death, Death, Animal death, Self harm, Incest, Gore, Grief, Excrement, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Mental illness

ursa_arlo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Positives. Marieke Lucas Rijneveld is a master when it comes to the Dutch language. The writing style was wonderfully poetic and each new event layered onto each other to reveal new and hidden meanings. Example spoiler.

(Like the last plague, 'Darkness', leading Jas to the basement where she crawls into the freezer to be close to Mathias, which is also the day on which she is supposed to 'go to the other side' of the lake with Hanna.)

The book is also supremely uncomfortable; the things Jas does make sense through her reasoning and her innocent view of things which helps her cope with the death of her brother and the subsequent abuse she suffers. All in all, this is a beautiful book, not for the faint of heart, about the different ways in which grief can spiral and corrupt.

Negatives. This book is as Dutch as can be in its subject matter. The events described are unapologetically horrible and I do not find that appealing. While I could, to an extent, put myself in the shoes of this traumatized, reformist, farmer's family in the early 2000's, I greatly disliked the taboo subjects covered, the animal cruelty, the sexual and physical abuse, etc. You really need to have the stomach for it. 

Quote. "'Weet je," zeg ik terwijl ik mijn neus in haar haren duw die naar Zwitsal ruiken. "Ik wil wel groter worden maar niet dat mijn armen mee groeien. Nu pas jij er precise in.' Hannah is even stil en zegt dan: 'Als ze te groot worden, sla ik ze net als mijn wintersjaal gewoon twee keer om mij heen." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Child death, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Animal death, Child abuse, Excrement, Death, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Abortion and Antisemitism

dizzzybrook's review

challenging dark 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

5.0

Equal parts vile, depraved, nauseating, beautifully written, and absolutely brilliant.. and I never want to read it again.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Antisemitism, Incest, Self harm, Vomit, Body horror, Sexual content, Animal death, Child death, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Blood, and Pedophilia

melissaroos's review against another edition

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? Yes

3.75

The book made me uncomfortable, true to it's title. But I somehow did kind of like it. The writing style sucks you into the book and you do want to know what the characters will do. It's not for the faint of heart

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Death, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide, Mental illness, Child abuse, Self harm, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Incest

erikwmj's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Child abuse, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Antisemitism, Blood, Abortion, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Body shaming, and Ableism

judythedreamer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Self harm, Vomit, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Excrement, Incest, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

ficteon's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.0

A very, very uncomfortable read. The grossest book I've ever read. Though I think I'm excusing a lot of the gross behavior in it as it's spookymonth and I'm reading it as a horror Halloween book, but it's gross. If I read this in March I'd probably hate it. 
Still it made me keep reading to find out what happens to the child mc. I also get why it was gross in someway, as it is meant to be uncomfortable and traumatic, and it's about what grief does to you if you handle it the wrong way. Though.. why would you ever want your name to be on this book? I wonder why she wrote this. 

It was still interesting, but for it's contents I don't think I can give it higher than a 3, but also not lower as the story did make me invested, and it was a horror read as said before. If you plan on reading this, do it now and not in other months. Or if you love gross books, go ahead, this one is really gross.

Though the Dutch culture, and Christian Dutch culture was fun to read throughout this book as someone who comes from that culture. Lot of recognizable things mostly from my siblings memories. I think my brother is born the same year as the MC. I would've been born around the time of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Grief, and Incest

Moderate: Pedophilia, Cursing, and Gaslighting

Minor: Blood

jytteanne's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Violence, Vomit, Abortion, Excrement, Grief, and Self harm

oftheolivetree's review

challenging dark sad tense 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

1.0

The Discomfort of Evening touches on grief and the way families fall apart in a unique way. Jas, the main character, exemplifies how anxiety and obsessive tendencies develop following the experience of severe trauma, and how children often feel the need to be the glue that keeps their dying families together in the wake of tragedy. That being said, this book uses incredible violence, molestation, and incest, among other things, as shock value and excitement for readers who clearly have never experienced these things. Sexual abuse is romanticized heavily in this book and is described in heavy detail literally for no reason other than to shock the reader. Child molestation, incest, abuse, etc. adds nothing to the book and just feels like a perverse fantasy for creepy readers to get off to. It’s all discussed in such specific detail too. None of that needed to be in this book whatsoever, and it’s clear that this book is not for survivors in any way, especially with how the author writes children literally enjoying being molested. All of these things are in here just to be taboo. It is not a discussion of sexual trauma or violence in any regard. It romanticizes sexual violence and abuse. Don’t read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Excrement, Incest, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Blood, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Torture

Don’t fucking read this, my god.