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I have a soft spot for unlikeable and wretched women characters in novels. I love them. Love when they are irredeemable, crass, and awful people. And, even so, the main character of this novel, Vivian, was almost too much for me to stomach. She was so...abhorrent. Judgemental, mean, so self-critical and self-hating, vindictive, selfish beyond measure and very unpleasant. But Vivian was also sharp, funny, and deeply traumatized. It was hard not to get pulled into the deepest and darkest recesses of her mind and not begin to root for her, just a little at first. And then a lot. Post-Traumatic has a meandering plot following Vivian's life as a psych ward lawyer, pothead and dating addict, but this is a character study first and foremost. The plot is really very secondary to the deep interiority of this novel.

I was struck by the writing in this novel. It is that distinctly millennial style - sharp and darkly funny, with such crystal clear and honest observations about people and relationships that it almost takes your breath away. So many moments in this novel where I'd stop and think I thought I was the only fucked up monster whose ever had a (weird/ disturbing/ bizarre/ scary/ devastating etc etc) thought like that?! In the vein of Normal People, or Luster, or Insatiable, reading this book was cathartic, frustrating, frightening, and illuminating all at once. I won't forget it any time soon.

This book is not (and I don't think it aims to be) for everyone. I think a lot of people will be really turned off by Vivian and her story (which is fair), but I also think there is so much here. So much honesty and vulnerability and risk taking that I genuinely believe should be commended. But, if you hated this novel with every fibre of your being...I get it lol.

4.5 stars.

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MASSIVE TW in this book for: eating disorders, body dysmorphia, looooots of fatphobia, graphic descriptions of violence against women, sexism, emotional abuse, drug use bordering on drug abuse, prison industrial complex, forced institutionalization, child abuse, sexual assault/rape, trauma/PTSD (maybe C-PTSD? a psychologist would need to confirm that so don't take my word for it)....I might be forgetting some others, but I would not recommend this book if any of those topics are really triggering for you because this shit is DARK.