Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Odyssey by Lara Williams

11 reviews

conspiracy's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious 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

3.5


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grunbean's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

3.0

It’s an interesting read for sure. I had no trouble engaging with it, and I found the darkness and humour I was expecting in parts. For me, it feels like it’s missing something to really pull it together. The ending was disappointing. Though it is a fun and eerie read.

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brnczv's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.0


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froggybooks's review

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

4.5

UGH THIS BOOK <333

it was such a weird little book. cultish, late stage capitalism (a cult in itself), unlovable/unreliable/unstable MC. incredible. 

mainly vibes over plot but still it was an amazing little book.

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t6bea's review

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challenging dark tense

4.0

did not enjoy while reading but could barely put it down. looking back on it though, this book is bizarre in the best way - i have no idea what it was about and had to pause multiple times to process what i was reading but it was good! would definitely recommend if you enjoy books that are absolutely insane and make you question literally everything you‘re reading

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litstyleguide's review

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3.0

This was truly the most bizarre thing I’ve ever read, and I think it’s really ambiguous. The inside cover says this is a “merciless takedown of late capitalism and our anxious, ill-fated quests for something to believe in.” I can see that, but I also had this feeling of none of it actually happening, and it just showing what this V troubled woman thought was happening. I don’t know.

A lot of this read as ICK to me, and for some reason I kept thinking of A Requiem for a Dream (yikes). It just gave me the same feeling of unease. I wouldn’t say I liked this book, but I was definitely invested, and I keep thinking about it.

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ashlyntalksbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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stayathomereader's review

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This is a hard one to discuss. I started it expecting a light, women's contemporary fiction style twist on a Greek classic, but I quickly realized the writing and character was definitely more in the vein of dark literary fiction. I felt like this book was a combination if My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh and The Circle by Dave Eggers. The ending lost me, both in terms of interest and understanding (the same way Megan Hunt's 'The Harpy' did). I see a lot of reviews mention satire, but I don't think that element came across well for me. I feel like it is a book featuring a spiraling, unreliable, unlikable female narrator and books like this are very hit or miss for me. This was a miss.

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nerdyprettythings's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. It's so weird, but in a really great way. If you're a fan of books like The Vegetarian by Han Kang or the film Synecdoche, New York (or most Charlie Kaufman movies), you would absolutely love this book too, The main character, Ingrid, has lost her identity and come unhinged. She replaced having a home life or personality with becoming one of the functioning parts of a high end cruise ship. Her boss tells her he sees something in her, and she feels more and more connected to the boat as she gets a combination of mundane and much more involved tasks. A takedown of consumer capitalism, reflecting on finding all your worth in meaningless jobs, looking for belonging, and it was darkly funny, The whole time I wasn't expecting the next turn, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. 

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adriennne's review

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

2.0


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