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A review by lilifane
Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.0
I'm really torn here because there are aspects of this book I really liked, but I can't say I liked the book. I didn't hate it, either. I guess the best way to describe it is fascinating and frustrating.
I love the title, it fits perfectly, same as the cover. I liked the social commentary/ horror aspect of the story, the vibes did remind me a lot of Get Out (I feel like everything it compared to Get Out these days, but this is the first time the comparison actually made sense to me). I loved the slow burn, the unsettling atmosphere, the way you don't know what is going on or whom to trust.
Unfortunately, I had a bad reading experience. The writing or narrative voice wasn't for me. I like the idea to spend a whole book in the head of one character and have this limited point of view. But it was SO tedious to be in Farrah's head. First it was interesting and new and there were moments when it had an impact on the story for me. But at some point it just got exhausting. The narration was just so vague all the time and made me more and more angry the more I progressed with the book. It's clear that Farrah observes everything that's going on around her and makes assumptions based on what she thinks she knows. But she doesn't actually tell you what she thinks or what she knows. It's like she is secretive in her own thoughts for no reason at all. And this got really frustrating. I also wasn't a fan of the gore.
I love the title, it fits perfectly, same as the cover. I liked the social commentary/ horror aspect of the story, the vibes did remind me a lot of Get Out (I feel like everything it compared to Get Out these days, but this is the first time the comparison actually made sense to me). I loved the slow burn, the unsettling atmosphere, the way you don't know what is going on or whom to trust.
Unfortunately, I had a bad reading experience. The writing or narrative voice wasn't for me. I like the idea to spend a whole book in the head of one character and have this limited point of view. But it was SO tedious to be in Farrah's head. First it was interesting and new and there were moments when it had an impact on the story for me. But at some point it just got exhausting. The narration was just so vague all the time and made me more and more angry the more I progressed with the book. It's clear that Farrah observes everything that's going on around her and makes assumptions based on what she thinks she knows. But she doesn't actually tell you what she thinks or what she knows. It's like she is secretive in her own thoughts for no reason at all. And this got really frustrating. I also wasn't a fan of the gore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Racism, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Emotional abuse