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Review: Obsession
Dec. 26th, 2017 09:11 pmObsession by Theophilia St. Claire
(Trigger warnings: This book contains rape, physical abuse, and mention of childhood sexual assault.)
This book billed itself as a dark psychological thriller. In the end, unfortunately, it fell short of that goal.
I wasn't entirely sure whether this book was really trying to play an abusive relationship straight or not. Although it definitely showed the sexual assault and physical abuse as being not okay, the ending—with Nick forgiving Claude just because Claude gave him money and came to his senses, I guess?—makes me think the whole thing was somewhat romanticized in the end, which was...disturbing. In a sense, it wasn't "dark" enough—in its search for a conventional romantic HEA, it fell into something of the same trope that it initially seemed to be deconstructing. And that's disappointing. Nick, the protagonist, deserved better.
Also, in a baffling turn of events, the climax ended up being rather racist. Plus, having a white character nicknamed "Little Asian" is also...kind of racist.
(Trigger warnings: This book contains rape, physical abuse, and mention of childhood sexual assault.)
This book billed itself as a dark psychological thriller. In the end, unfortunately, it fell short of that goal.
I wasn't entirely sure whether this book was really trying to play an abusive relationship straight or not. Although it definitely showed the sexual assault and physical abuse as being not okay, the ending—with Nick forgiving Claude just because Claude gave him money and came to his senses, I guess?—makes me think the whole thing was somewhat romanticized in the end, which was...disturbing. In a sense, it wasn't "dark" enough—in its search for a conventional romantic HEA, it fell into something of the same trope that it initially seemed to be deconstructing. And that's disappointing. Nick, the protagonist, deserved better.
Also, in a baffling turn of events, the climax ended up being rather racist. Plus, having a white character nicknamed "Little Asian" is also...kind of racist.
