Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel

10 reviews

kkpines's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

2.25

girl there’s medication for these kind of things 

incredibly stagnant book with a delusional narrator.. starts off with a lot of unhinged promise and delves into a slightly pathetic, whiney, narcissistic stream of consciousness. 

two(ish?) stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Bullying

emma_sky's review

challenging dark informative fast-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Sexism, Colonisation, Stalking, and Mental illness

Minor: Drug use

divyab's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved the structure and the exploration of a number of topics including -- whiteness and proximity to whiteness, class, wealth, capitalism et al. I think it did a very good job of setting up the main character as someone who has very little power in relation to the other characters. It also explores influencer culture and fame. Also, love and obsession. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Stalking

floatinthevoid's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

3.5

It tried. 
There are some aspects that I really like, but there are more aspects that disappoint my expectation. 

I like the overly specific description of luxury things. Or the jab at wealthy white public figures' hypocrisy, or the exploration between themes like power, intimacy, obsession, algorithm, privilege, etc. 

But. 

The social commentary itself doesn't feel natural to me, because instead of trying to incorporate those social themes in the story, the author instead write it like a punch line in an article of essay with an overtly quirky choice of words that doesn't make sense. 

Also, I know that an unreliable narrator often use inconsistency to entice the reader what's real or not. But there's a big gap in between the plot that feels too jarring. 

I agree with other reviewers that it's a bit repetitive. The ending is unsatisfactory too to say the least. 

So take it with a grain of salt whatever people say about this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence and Toxic relationship

Minor: Physical abuse

rosalind's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Stalking

Moderate: Cursing and Emotional abuse

Minor: Racism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

teddylouise00's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

Had it’s moments but did not captivate me truly, found myself glossing over a lot of it. The topics raised are important but overall I feel like it did not commentate on them in anyway that is substantial or adds anything to the conversation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse

saoreads's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

There's a lot to unpack in here; the raw style of writing and toxicity are so oozing that it's oddly all-consuming to read. It's a different kind of self-destructive concept when the main character itself is hyper-aware of all these things. It left nowhere for finality, which is not satisfying; it just ended however it wanted at the pinnacle of making the worst decision as time and emotional well-being have been invested for so long to stop. It's a short-sighted way of ruining yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Addiction

laurataylor's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Alcohol

emilyrowanstudio's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0

4.75 rounded up - This is a fantastic book and I would love to see it win the Women's Prize (although I don't think it will).
I love books like this. So 2023, so modern, so political, so about social media and internet culture.
I'm a Fan is told in short chapters, many less than a page long. Some are first person narratives where our protagonist loses herself in The Man I Want To Be With and The Woman I Am Obsessed With, some are essays about race, womanhood, manhood, art, and some are a mixture of both.

I can see why this such a marmite book. If you're not a lover of the internet, or intrigued by fame and influencer culture, or fascinated by the way we can so easily be found and traced online, then you won't "get" this. It as an acquired 21st century taste. The protagonist, and three of the other main characters, are never named. They are all horrible and unlikeable people. The impersonality with the lack of names combined with the spewing of dark thoughs and deep desires, the conscious and unconscious will to destroy themselves, the sinister traits of their character - there is much here reminiscent of the MCs in Eliza Clark's Boy Parts and Otessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest in Relaxation, but I'm A Fan is smarter than them both. The social and political commentary interspersed with the non-linear plotless prose is expertly done.

I'm A Fan is so of the moment yet so one of a kind. This is a near perfect book. I can't wait to see what Sheena Patel does next.


[To add - and this has nothing to do with the book itself and only the reception it has received - I didn't find I'm A Fan as dark as I expected. Unhinged, certainly. The actions of the protagonist make you wince at times, but to be labelled 'dark' I was expecting something more explicitly sinister to happen].

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Classism, Colonisation, and Gaslighting

risemini's review against another edition

dark funny informative mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Alcohol, Biphobia, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Lesbophobia, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Mental illness