Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - Model Home

Have you ever sensed that if you and the author were both students in a college creative writing class, the author would spend the entire time arguing with the professor and prevent other students from getting critiques on their work? That was this book for me. A very interesting premise that did not (again, for ME) pay off in the end. Rated 2 stars for some very well-written and evocative turns of phrase.

Content Warnings

rachaelwho's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn't *like* the beginning, but I understood why it was so... Impressionistic? So I kept with it. I liked the middle and thought this would be a 4 or better even though it wasn't quite my cup of tea. And then we got to the last third, where the supervillain tells James Bond his whole evil plan. Did the author (or maybe their editor?) really think it wasn't clear what was happening?

I had it about 70-80% sorted when they alluded to having constant UTIs as a child, and I clearly was meant to notice that. Why not trust me to notice it??

It was the weirdest combination of telegraphed from miles away, over-explained, and very muddled; it didn't make sense.

Voice acting was VERY good. But I'm puzzled at Elijah not being portrayed with a British accent when the text pretty much says she has one, and Elijah's mum was read with a perfectly fine English accent. Still-- excellent performance.

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nadiarausa's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It’s difficult to review this book without spoiling anything, so I’ll just say this: The prose is utterly gorgeous and haunting—Rivers Solomon is an absolutely incredible writer and storyteller.

This could definitely be a triggering book, so please read with care! I didn’t find anything overly graphic or explicit, but there are definitely some disturbing things that occur. The trigger warnings in the “graphic” section I included were because they were themes throughout the story.

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definestrange's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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babayulia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Model Home by Rivers Solomon is difficult to write about because I am still processing it, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be done processing it, so I’m writing a review now in hopes that my friends read it and we can process it together.

This is a novel about terror and trauma. The Maxwell siblings are mourning their parents, who died in an apparent murder/suicide pact in their childhood home. But questions keep emerging: what happened to them? Were they killed by the house, long rumored to be haunted? And if the house isn’t haunted, then what could explain the frequent and inexplicable horrors they experienced growing up?

The beating heart of the book is the main character, Ezri, a queer & trans Black human navigating identity, parenthood, family, and trauma. Just as important are Ezri’s family, especially their daughter, Elijah, and younger sisters, Eve and Emanuelle. I love these characters. They are complex, messy, sweet people, fully fleshed out in all their glorious imperfections. They are easy to root for.

Solomon’s writing is also a major highlight of the book. The prose is lyrical and challenging, a pleasure to read and dissect. I highlighted multiple passages to return to. This is a book I would like to read again, knowing what I know now, so I can try to pick up on more of Solomon’s nuanced storytelling, including faer expert use of foreshadowing.

I recommend this book to fans of the horror genre, especially haunted houses because of how it turns this one on its head. I also recommend it as a critical text that depicts the horrors of white supremacist violence in ways that are somehow both shocking and predictable. This book is upsetting and unsettling at its core, and that’s exactly why you should read it. Text me if you do.

Please check the content warnings! Some are included below, with details that could be considered spoilers.

Child sexual abuse and symptoms of CPTSD are common themes throughout the book. Though CSA does not occur on the page (to my memory), it is a core component of the novel. Grooming does happen on the page, focusing on interactions between an adult white woman and a queer Black child. There is also a sex scene between a white adult male and a queer & trans Black adult that is consensual but involves humiliation play and transphobic language and is preceded by racist remarks and a threat of gun violence (proposal of murder/suicide).

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me_rose's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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casparquarius's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

this book burrowed into my bones and is going to live there for a long time. solomon's writing is incredible, the characterization full, and the characters themselves compelling and real. I saw more of myself in Ezri than is maybe comfortable while also being deeply, positively resonant.

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puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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