Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino

7 reviews

artfullysinful's review against another edition

I read up until the halfway point and when i saw that format I'd had enough. Maybe another day I'll finish it

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pedophilia

phantomfighter724's review against another edition

dark 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

Moderate: Murder, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Body shaming, Violence, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Cursing, Physical abuse, Death, and Eating disorder

Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Alcohol, Dementia, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Incest, Addiction, and Pedophilia

mirrorofneptune's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

One of the official reviews of this book describes it as less of a crime novel and more of a character study, and I agree with that. The cast of characters are all morally ambiguous and unreliable narrators, and it was interesting to see their multiple takes on the same events. The book leaves a lot up for interpretation but that’s definitely intentional on the author’s part. There’s a recurring motif of what makes someone monstrous/“grotesque” that I found fascinating, especially in the context of Kirino’s other works. 

Overall: a book that navigates intense and dark subject matters without sugar-coating or glamorizing, while asking some deep questions about how people (but particularly women) interact with society. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

Minor: Incest, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Murder

amandahaydock's review

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Murder, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Suicide

sspaghettiboness's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

First of all, this book is beautifully written. I don’t read female authors as often as I’d like, but I felt such a deep kinship with this book as it explored things like female rivalry, ageing, and a culture which commodifies sex and youth. 

The diary sections are, by far, the most fun and interesting to read. Kirino does such a fantastic job of maintaining her high level writing while also giving each character a distinctiveness it’s impossible to doubt who is who. 

Overall it was a great read, there are some slow patches which I found less than engaging, but this is a book worth sticking with! Very thought provoking about some heavy subject matter while unfolding at a true crime pace. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Eating disorder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Misogyny

Minor: Incest, Fatphobia, Murder, and Excrement

emudds's review

dark

3.0

some poignant observations on the constrictive nature of femininity and feeling defined by your relationships to men ("for a girl, appearance can be a powerful form of oppression." or "that was the first time i noticed that the men who embrace me, every single one of them, end up with an expression of emptiness when they are done, as if they have lost something.") but feels unfair to take that out on and possibly misrepresent the sex work industry (with the recognition that i have limited knowledge of the cultural context around it in japan specifically). also very invested in the constant refrain to "be good to me" throughout the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Murder, Sexual violence, and Incest

ceciliabereadin's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

This book needed to be 100 pages shorter but other than that, I found it so interesting 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Suicide, Death of parent, Sexism, Violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Misogyny, Bullying, Classism, Death, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Incest, Murder, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Toxic friendship