Quirky, thought provoking and impossible to put down
It has taken me a while to digest this book, and work through my feelings. There is a lot going on. At times, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares is incredibly surreal. It’s definitely one of those books where you have to accept the strange, and trust that things will become more clear along the way. If you can do that, you will find that this is a very worthwhile read. I don’t want to spoil too much, but the story takes a very interesting direction. It’s a case of the journey being as important as the destination.
At first I was worried that the obvious mental health aspects would be overlooked because of the curse. Thankfully, this is not the case, and I was impressed with the way it was handled. The descriptions of anxiety and panic attacks felt incredibly realistic to me, and her struggles weren’t undermined. I also liked that treatments and coping mechanisms were discussed in the text. I’m also really pleased that the harmful romance as a cure for mental illness trope was avoided completely.
I found the characters to be likeable and interesting. They are all very eccentric and definitely brought the story to life. I really enjoyed reading about them, and seeing them develop throughout the story.
At times it’s difficult to see what is metaphor and what is reality. This really kept me guessing all the way through, holding my attention firmly. I had great difficulty putting this book down, making it a quick read. It also does a good job at examining how mental illness can effect people’s lives, however I would say that it is not always easy to read about and there are definitely some triggering scenes. Even so, I’m glad that I read this, it was an emotional read, but also funny and enjoyable.
At first I was worried that the obvious mental health aspects would be overlooked because of the curse. Thankfully, this is not the case, and I was impressed with the way it was handled. The descriptions of anxiety and panic attacks felt incredibly realistic to me, and her struggles weren’t undermined. I also liked that treatments and coping mechanisms were discussed in the text. I’m also really pleased that the harmful romance as a cure for mental illness trope was avoided completely.
I found the characters to be likeable and interesting. They are all very eccentric and definitely brought the story to life. I really enjoyed reading about them, and seeing them develop throughout the story.
At times it’s difficult to see what is metaphor and what is reality. This really kept me guessing all the way through, holding my attention firmly. I had great difficulty putting this book down, making it a quick read. It also does a good job at examining how mental illness can effect people’s lives, however I would say that it is not always easy to read about and there are definitely some triggering scenes. Even so, I’m glad that I read this, it was an emotional read, but also funny and enjoyable.