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Ch 23: Jack is back #hedoesntbelievetheverdict #suicide #hesayshehasproof #blackmailtime #butwillanyonebelieveadrunklunatic #staytuned #hashtagbrigade #pemberlittens 📷 Colonel J

This is one of those books that you feel you can‘t say you loved, because of the subject matter (suicide). But I did love it.

It‘s very dark but also darkly humorous in places. Looking back on it now I can also see a sense of hope there too.

I can‘t wait to what this author writes next.

#womensprize

Surprisingly funny and entertaining for a book that's also pretty sad. Also very life-affirming for a story that deals with suicide, eating disorders, domestic abuse, depression, generational trauma and more in a completely non-moralising way.

#WomensPrize2024 #WomensPrize

This book slapped me across the face and grabbed me by the lapels at the start, yanking me along with its intensity. It loses some of that in the middle, but the intensity certainly returns by the end. Because of the heaviness of this book, I wouldn‘t say I “liked” it, but it‘s powerful and will stick with me. I definitely appreciated it.

It really should come as no surprise that "In Defence of the Act", by Effie Black is my Book of the Week, although "How to Cook and Eat the Rich" by Sunyi Dean came as a close second: https://tardisgrades.blogspot.com/2024/04/book-of-week-april-1-to-7.html?m=1

#BookOfTheWeek

4⭐
I found this to be fairly powerful in topic and writing. Jess was a relatable and realistic main character. The story is multi-layered and heartfelt. This is one of the better Women's Prize Fiction long list books this year.

Without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read. The subject matter (suic*de) is an incredibly difficult topic to address in any shape or form, but Effie Black manages to talk about it beautifully, with tact, facts, kindness and even humour. The story is captivating and the writing is so light and pleasant that you end up easily reading through a lot more pages in one sitting than you were expecting.

#LGBTQ+ #lesbianlove

"But if it's all bullshit anyway, I'm choosing the bullshit that will get me through the day."

This has been my motto for a while now. I used to try to form the most accurate, the most correct, the most informed opinions as possible on everything, but some things are just not that simple or even important. Now I just look for what makes me happy and gets me through the day. Because, in the end, most of it is just all bullshit anyway.

"I forgot to bring my book today, so instead I pick up one of the magazines the carer tends to leave lying around. I rarely read women's magazines anymore, and I'm surprised anew by the number of ways it is possible for a woman's body to be wrong."