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Mean
Cassandra Connelly looks like a normal twenty-four-year-old girl. She seems sweet and shy. She works hard in two jobs and still finds time to do volunteer work. Nonetheless, there's something wrong within her. She has a lot of anger boiling inside, and a very problematic past, making her a dark, twisted woman.
She hides her true self from the world, but there's someone Cassandra hates so much, she has been thinking of doing something unspeakable: killing this person.
To her, killing this person is absolutely necessary, for he or she should not be alive. However, since she is still not sure about doing it or not, she seeks help. She goes to a psychiatrist in order to make a decision: should she continue hiding her meanness and being a normal girl, or should she let the meanness win and kill this person she believes deserves to die?
In this contemporary piece of fiction, we'll find out how badly child abuse and a dysfunctional family can transform a life for worse, much worse.
Mean is a novelette (longer than a short-story but shorter than a novella).
ADVICE: CONTAINS VIOLENT SCENES AND HARSH LANGUAGE
She hides her true self from the world, but there's someone Cassandra hates so much, she has been thinking of doing something unspeakable: killing this person.
To her, killing this person is absolutely necessary, for he or she should not be alive. However, since she is still not sure about doing it or not, she seeks help. She goes to a psychiatrist in order to make a decision: should she continue hiding her meanness and being a normal girl, or should she let the meanness win and kill this person she believes deserves to die?
In this contemporary piece of fiction, we'll find out how badly child abuse and a dysfunctional family can transform a life for worse, much worse.
Mean is a novelette (longer than a short-story but shorter than a novella).
ADVICE: CONTAINS VIOLENT SCENES AND HARSH LANGUAGE
60 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2012
1 person is currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 26, 2012
Despite being a novelette, Mean by Renata F. Barcelos is captivating from the very first sentence. It starts off with the reader being let into the chilling mind of Cassandra Connelly, hinting at the deep but downright scary thoughts to come.
The unique style of writing makes this thriller even more exciting, as Cassandra could well be talking to the reader themselves. We soon find out that the whole story is her side of the conversation with her therapist and because the reader is seeing the whole thing through Cassandra’s eyes, it makes it even more chilling, especially as she has the urge to kill someone.
This mystery person who has angered Cassandra is only revealed at the end, keeping the reader literally on the edge of their seat. There are hints here and there as to who this person is, and you might not be as surprised at the end when all is revealed.
The unique style of writing makes this thriller even more exciting, as Cassandra could well be talking to the reader themselves. We soon find out that the whole story is her side of the conversation with her therapist and because the reader is seeing the whole thing through Cassandra’s eyes, it makes it even more chilling, especially as she has the urge to kill someone.
This mystery person who has angered Cassandra is only revealed at the end, keeping the reader literally on the edge of their seat. There are hints here and there as to who this person is, and you might not be as surprised at the end when all is revealed.
August 5, 2012
Mean is a great little novelette. A young woman starts to see a psychologist because she is worried that her meanness is going to drive her to commit murder, a murder that she hopes the psychologist can guide her to avoid committing. The murder that the young woman feels compelled to commit, however is not random but specific to a person who she feels is responsible for having ruined her life. As the story unfolds, more details of the young woman's horrific past are revealed, building to a carefully constructed crescendo of calculated madness. This is a compelling, well written read and a true psychological thriller!
November 11, 2012
Read more: http://www.sarcasmandlemons.com/2012/...
I'm very picky about my short stories, but I really, really liked this. It's such a clever concept. Girl goes to therapy...because she wants to kill someone, and she wants her therapist to help her decide whether to do it. I mean, come on? Aren't you already curious!? I think part of the reason I liked it so much was that Barcelos legitimately did her homework. I thought, well, this would never work. As soon as she names a person, her therapist will have to tell the police. But she even mentioned that loophole in the text and how Cassandra got around it. I had a moment of sheer joyful geekery. The writing was clean, though a little bit exaggerated. It's an all-dialogue story, which is neat, but some of the phrasing felt a little over-the-top. I also felt that "meanness" just wasn't impactful enough for the concept Barcelos wanted to get across. But overall, it kept me up turning page after page and I'm about to go buy Barcelos' other story because I want more!
plot . 4/5
It's divided into therapy sessions, which is great. Barcelos has a good concept of pacing. Cassandra slips a lot of details in the first session, but you realize in the next and next that there is still so much more to the story. I wish she had been a little more vague about the situation with her mother at first, since she re-explains it in much more detail (and more powerfully) later. However, it was definitely paced right to build suspense. I had to stop myself from reading the end first. (Also, there are people screaming in the apartment over from mine. Just thought you should know. Gr.) Also, I guessed the ending about halfway through but that's not a bad thing. It was more like, "Oh, I hope this is the ending because that would be really cool!" And it was. And it was really cool. And still managed to surprise me.
concept . 5/5
So great! Serial killers and such go to therapy all the time in books and movies. But this is a whole different take on it. Like a non-humorous version of Gross Pointe Blank. Which you should watch. Now. Anyhoo, the story is also entirely Cassandra's dialogue, which is also really clever. You know that the therapist says things because sometimes Cassandra responds to them, but you're only getting words. It's like listening to a transcript and trying to piece together what happened. It lets your imagination run wild and gives it a very interview-like feel.
characters . 5/5
Weirdly enough, the therapist doesn't speak in the whole book. We know her through Cassandra's statements about her, which is a really clever idea. She/he's like this ghost in the room, someone who is so important but invisible to us. Like the wife in some old play I can't think of, sadly, who is very important but never appears. Maybe she murdered someone? (If you know what I'm referring to, please comment because now it's driving me crazy.) It lets your imagination run wild. On the other hand, we get to know Cassandra very well through her statements, but we have no visual cues to tell how truthful she's being. What tone. Yet, we come to know her very deeply.
style . 4/5
Like I mentioned, a little over-the-top sometimes. Cassandra sometimes waxes stereotypical southern and I just thought, No one talks like this. But if that were toned down, what's left gives her plenty of personality. And Barcelos has a gift for description. I could imagine the scenes perfectly even without visual cues. I will say that I thought "mean" was a little too, I dunno, schoolyard bully for this book. Feeling murderous is beyond mean. I would have felt more power if it had a different name or nickname.
mechanics . 5/5
Very nicely formatted. I liked the breaks into different sessions and there weren't any noticeable typos or mistakes, which is always nice to see in an indie work.
take home message
A unique tale of a girl's struggle with her murderous desires and a fatal question--to kill or not?
I'm very picky about my short stories, but I really, really liked this. It's such a clever concept. Girl goes to therapy...because she wants to kill someone, and she wants her therapist to help her decide whether to do it. I mean, come on? Aren't you already curious!? I think part of the reason I liked it so much was that Barcelos legitimately did her homework. I thought, well, this would never work. As soon as she names a person, her therapist will have to tell the police. But she even mentioned that loophole in the text and how Cassandra got around it. I had a moment of sheer joyful geekery. The writing was clean, though a little bit exaggerated. It's an all-dialogue story, which is neat, but some of the phrasing felt a little over-the-top. I also felt that "meanness" just wasn't impactful enough for the concept Barcelos wanted to get across. But overall, it kept me up turning page after page and I'm about to go buy Barcelos' other story because I want more!
plot . 4/5
It's divided into therapy sessions, which is great. Barcelos has a good concept of pacing. Cassandra slips a lot of details in the first session, but you realize in the next and next that there is still so much more to the story. I wish she had been a little more vague about the situation with her mother at first, since she re-explains it in much more detail (and more powerfully) later. However, it was definitely paced right to build suspense. I had to stop myself from reading the end first. (Also, there are people screaming in the apartment over from mine. Just thought you should know. Gr.) Also, I guessed the ending about halfway through but that's not a bad thing. It was more like, "Oh, I hope this is the ending because that would be really cool!" And it was. And it was really cool. And still managed to surprise me.
concept . 5/5
So great! Serial killers and such go to therapy all the time in books and movies. But this is a whole different take on it. Like a non-humorous version of Gross Pointe Blank. Which you should watch. Now. Anyhoo, the story is also entirely Cassandra's dialogue, which is also really clever. You know that the therapist says things because sometimes Cassandra responds to them, but you're only getting words. It's like listening to a transcript and trying to piece together what happened. It lets your imagination run wild and gives it a very interview-like feel.
characters . 5/5
Weirdly enough, the therapist doesn't speak in the whole book. We know her through Cassandra's statements about her, which is a really clever idea. She/he's like this ghost in the room, someone who is so important but invisible to us. Like the wife in some old play I can't think of, sadly, who is very important but never appears. Maybe she murdered someone? (If you know what I'm referring to, please comment because now it's driving me crazy.) It lets your imagination run wild. On the other hand, we get to know Cassandra very well through her statements, but we have no visual cues to tell how truthful she's being. What tone. Yet, we come to know her very deeply.
style . 4/5
Like I mentioned, a little over-the-top sometimes. Cassandra sometimes waxes stereotypical southern and I just thought, No one talks like this. But if that were toned down, what's left gives her plenty of personality. And Barcelos has a gift for description. I could imagine the scenes perfectly even without visual cues. I will say that I thought "mean" was a little too, I dunno, schoolyard bully for this book. Feeling murderous is beyond mean. I would have felt more power if it had a different name or nickname.
mechanics . 5/5
Very nicely formatted. I liked the breaks into different sessions and there weren't any noticeable typos or mistakes, which is always nice to see in an indie work.
take home message
A unique tale of a girl's struggle with her murderous desires and a fatal question--to kill or not?
October 8, 2012
This is the first story I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mean is a novelette which is packed with story. The story is set around a lady who seeks therapy because she feels she has a mean streak inside her. She seeks therapy not for help but to make her decision on whether to act on dark thoughts she has been experiencing.
The story unfolds in a Psychiatrist's Therapy Room, it is set around numerous therapy sessions where the patient tells her whole life story and has to make a decision which the Doctor will have a huge impact on the final decision made.
I do not want to spoil the story so I will not divulge anymore. This story is a dark psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns, I read the story in one sitting because it had me captivated from the beginning to the end.
I can not wait to read more of the author's work, I have rated this 4 stars but if the option was available I would rate a strong 4.5 stars.
Becky Sherriff
(The Kindle Book Review)
The story unfolds in a Psychiatrist's Therapy Room, it is set around numerous therapy sessions where the patient tells her whole life story and has to make a decision which the Doctor will have a huge impact on the final decision made.
I do not want to spoil the story so I will not divulge anymore. This story is a dark psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns, I read the story in one sitting because it had me captivated from the beginning to the end.
I can not wait to read more of the author's work, I have rated this 4 stars but if the option was available I would rate a strong 4.5 stars.
Becky Sherriff
(The Kindle Book Review)
September 29, 2012
‘Mean’ totally blew me away. This novelette was so filled with entertainment. It’s the story of a young woman who is turning to the help of a psychiatrist because she thinks this meanness inside of her is going to take over. The story is told in her point of view and the doctor never speaks in the book. It is simply Cassandra’s twisted mind speaking, a one sided book. From the very first doctor’s session the story was crazy. It just took off and was filled with such a crazy story, with twists and turns, that I couldn’t stop reading it. I mean this girl’s life was truly insanity at its best.
I read through this novelette very quickly. I just couldn’t wait to see what Cassandra decided to do.
Then at the end, wow, what a shocker, I did not see that coming. I expected it to be something crazy but not THAT crazy. It was pure brilliance, I really loved this story. It was one of my favorites this year. I just found all of it fascinating.
I read through this novelette very quickly. I just couldn’t wait to see what Cassandra decided to do.
Then at the end, wow, what a shocker, I did not see that coming. I expected it to be something crazy but not THAT crazy. It was pure brilliance, I really loved this story. It was one of my favorites this year. I just found all of it fascinating.
October 27, 2012
I really wanted to like this book. When I read the synopsis and saw an overall 4 1/2 star rating I figured it would be right up my alley but sadly I was a little underwhelmed.
I will say that the premise of the book was solid. The character portrayal of Cassandra was intriguing in that she is so damaged. My main complaint is the book was so one sided, as it was spoken in the first person even though the "conversation" taking place was between two people, who incidentally were the primary characters, with the other's only being mentioned when they were pertinent to the telling of the story.
While the story line was full of potential it was easy to figure out who Cassandra had the vendetta against early in the book so the suspense wasn't as intense as it could have been. On the plus side it was a dark thriller of a disturbed, morbid individual and that is what the book is marketed as.
Although I wasn't a big fan of the book I'm sure others would find it a compelling read.
I will say that the premise of the book was solid. The character portrayal of Cassandra was intriguing in that she is so damaged. My main complaint is the book was so one sided, as it was spoken in the first person even though the "conversation" taking place was between two people, who incidentally were the primary characters, with the other's only being mentioned when they were pertinent to the telling of the story.
While the story line was full of potential it was easy to figure out who Cassandra had the vendetta against early in the book so the suspense wasn't as intense as it could have been. On the plus side it was a dark thriller of a disturbed, morbid individual and that is what the book is marketed as.
Although I wasn't a big fan of the book I'm sure others would find it a compelling read.
December 29, 2012
WOW! What an unusual story this is! I must say I have never read anything even remotely like it. Each chapter is a therapy session, and during these sessions Cassandra reveals why she is filled with such a deep, festering rage. I read this quickly mainly because I was curious if she would be helped in the end.
This is a dark story and, frankly, I had a difficult time relating to Cassandra’s woes – though I accept she does have valid reasons for her skewed mentality. I have thought about this story; mulling over the whole tangled web of deceit and deception on more than one occasion. I am not at all disappointed in the tale though it honestly is a disturbing narrative about a seriously unbalanced person who is able to function socially by adeptly hiding her psychotic anger.
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
This is a dark story and, frankly, I had a difficult time relating to Cassandra’s woes – though I accept she does have valid reasons for her skewed mentality. I have thought about this story; mulling over the whole tangled web of deceit and deception on more than one occasion. I am not at all disappointed in the tale though it honestly is a disturbing narrative about a seriously unbalanced person who is able to function socially by adeptly hiding her psychotic anger.
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
November 4, 2012
I read this book very quickly, which means that I really was hooked on it, so I have given it 5 stars. I tend to carefully pick my books to suit me and always read around 20 or so pages and if I am not hooked, I will put it down and never pick it back up.
It is hard to review it without giving anything away in the story, but the mixture of the main character's current story and the weaving in of her past experiences, written in the first person, created the tense atmosphere every thriller needs and I found myself empathising with her as it provoked a great deal of emotion in me.
Definitely worth a read and I look forward to reading Renata's new book! :-)
It is hard to review it without giving anything away in the story, but the mixture of the main character's current story and the weaving in of her past experiences, written in the first person, created the tense atmosphere every thriller needs and I found myself empathising with her as it provoked a great deal of emotion in me.
Definitely worth a read and I look forward to reading Renata's new book! :-)
September 16, 2012
A young girl approaches a psychiatrist to help decide if she should kill someone or not, what will the outcome be?
This is a very intriguing novelette that makes you want to keep reading to find out what the outcome will be, and very cleverly written, its like the main character, Cassie is speaking to you, as well as the psychiatrist. I thought I guessed the ending part way through, but I was very wrong!!
Very interesting style, and will be interested to read more by Renata.
This is a very intriguing novelette that makes you want to keep reading to find out what the outcome will be, and very cleverly written, its like the main character, Cassie is speaking to you, as well as the psychiatrist. I thought I guessed the ending part way through, but I was very wrong!!
Very interesting style, and will be interested to read more by Renata.
September 7, 2012
That was so unexpected.I never expected it would turn out the way it did.This book just goes to show you how upbringing and environment can affect how children turn up.I could so relate to what Cassandra was going through,even if I haven't gone through what she did.But we all have some feelings within us that makes us so dark sometimes.All part of life.I loved this short novel,Amazing.
October 5, 2012
My sister is into the thriller books. When she told me about this book, and its plot line. I wanted to read it. I have never read a thriller before, so this one being my first, It was really good.
October 5, 2012
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Mean in a Librarything Giveaway.
An intriguing little novellette, featuring the monologue of one person fighting what they perceive to be'evil' inside of them; it feels like an exploration of morality, revenge and human nature.
At first, as the whole story is written in first person, I found it difficult to tell if the author isn't so great with grammar, or if she is just writing in a way that is reflective of the grammatically incorrect way that people tend to talk. Either way, it seemed to work, until the protagonist says 'Grammar is a passion of mine'. At that point, the novel's style stoped disguising its unfortunate failling.
The protagonist, Cassandra, is an egocentric, selifish, vile human being; she claims she is not a sociopath because she can feel empathy, she just 'cant be bothered'. I find her to be immature and just as annoying as the people she claims to hate. Despite the fact that she suffered torture and witnessed her father's murder at the age of 16, I am under the impression that Cassandra's problems are more deep rooted than those that may be caused by this, indeed, I'd say she was the way she is before that even happened, if her account is to be believed.
I found Mean to be quite an engaging read. I didn't enjoy it at all, but it wasn't badly written, or even a bad idea. I think my apathy, which bordered on distaste, stemmed from my own opinion of the incessant whinging of this totally immature fool of a protagonist. To be brutally honest, even half way through - I didn't care if she was going to kill someone or not. I just wished she'd die herself. Yet I'm not going to bore you all with more of a rant about it. I did, however, quite enjoy the ending. I'm not sure if I was being a little obtuse, but I didn't see it coming until it was almost upon me, and I enjoyed it for that.
I'd be intrigued to read more of Renata F Barcelo's work; as I say, this isn't a badly written book. In fact, it may be that it is an exceptionally well written book, that has evoked such a powerful feeling by making me feel nothing for the protagonist, and centre of the story.
An intriguing little novellette, featuring the monologue of one person fighting what they perceive to be'evil' inside of them; it feels like an exploration of morality, revenge and human nature.
At first, as the whole story is written in first person, I found it difficult to tell if the author isn't so great with grammar, or if she is just writing in a way that is reflective of the grammatically incorrect way that people tend to talk. Either way, it seemed to work, until the protagonist says 'Grammar is a passion of mine'. At that point, the novel's style stoped disguising its unfortunate failling.
The protagonist, Cassandra, is an egocentric, selifish, vile human being; she claims she is not a sociopath because she can feel empathy, she just 'cant be bothered'. I find her to be immature and just as annoying as the people she claims to hate. Despite the fact that she suffered torture and witnessed her father's murder at the age of 16, I am under the impression that Cassandra's problems are more deep rooted than those that may be caused by this, indeed, I'd say she was the way she is before that even happened, if her account is to be believed.
I found Mean to be quite an engaging read. I didn't enjoy it at all, but it wasn't badly written, or even a bad idea. I think my apathy, which bordered on distaste, stemmed from my own opinion of the incessant whinging of this totally immature fool of a protagonist. To be brutally honest, even half way through - I didn't care if she was going to kill someone or not. I just wished she'd die herself. Yet I'm not going to bore you all with more of a rant about it. I did, however, quite enjoy the ending. I'm not sure if I was being a little obtuse, but I didn't see it coming until it was almost upon me, and I enjoyed it for that.
I'd be intrigued to read more of Renata F Barcelo's work; as I say, this isn't a badly written book. In fact, it may be that it is an exceptionally well written book, that has evoked such a powerful feeling by making me feel nothing for the protagonist, and centre of the story.
November 23, 2012
A young woman seeks psychological counseling and, bit by bit, she tells us (and her psychologist) her story. That she feels meanness inside her and that that meanness has always been there, but lately it has been harder for her to resist it.
She recounts how she grew up in a dysfunctional family with a depressed and abusive mother and a permissive and absent father and how it all ended very, very badly.
She also tells the need she feels to kill the only person who could have avoided everything that happened. Therapy will be her means of deciding whether or not to act accordingly to the meanness inside her and kill that person.
I thought the premise of the story very interesting and its execution well done. I liked the writing and the way the story is told (in the form of a monologue divided in the different therapy sessions). I'm looking forward to reading a more developed story from the author.
She recounts how she grew up in a dysfunctional family with a depressed and abusive mother and a permissive and absent father and how it all ended very, very badly.
She also tells the need she feels to kill the only person who could have avoided everything that happened. Therapy will be her means of deciding whether or not to act accordingly to the meanness inside her and kill that person.
I thought the premise of the story very interesting and its execution well done. I liked the writing and the way the story is told (in the form of a monologue divided in the different therapy sessions). I'm looking forward to reading a more developed story from the author.
October 26, 2012
"In this contemporary piece of fiction, we'll find out how badly child abuse and a dysfunctional family can transform a life for worse, much worse."
The first thing I have to say about MEAN is that it held quite true to the Goodreads synopsis. Over the course of nine different therapy sessions I was introduced to the main character Cassandra and learned of her past and what she refers to as "the meanness."
The second thing I sadly have to say is that I really didn't enjoy MEAN all that much. The plot was okay, the writing was okay, the characters were okay. But sadly the novel was just that: okay. Nothing about this book stood out to me or made me want to keep reading more. I can safely say that I could have put this novel down midway through and never picked it up again and not been even the least bit curious about the ending. It's not that the novel was bad, it just really wasn't for me and I struggled to finish it.
The first thing I have to say about MEAN is that it held quite true to the Goodreads synopsis. Over the course of nine different therapy sessions I was introduced to the main character Cassandra and learned of her past and what she refers to as "the meanness."
The second thing I sadly have to say is that I really didn't enjoy MEAN all that much. The plot was okay, the writing was okay, the characters were okay. But sadly the novel was just that: okay. Nothing about this book stood out to me or made me want to keep reading more. I can safely say that I could have put this novel down midway through and never picked it up again and not been even the least bit curious about the ending. It's not that the novel was bad, it just really wasn't for me and I struggled to finish it.
February 11, 2017
That is one sick woman! Reminds me of 'The Catcher in the Rye.'
May 13, 2016
The worst thing is that I expected this novelette to be cool. I am friends on Twitter with Renata F. Barcelos and she's a great person, but her book didn't work for me.
I loved the fact that she dared to try something this strange that could have been a great idea only if it was easier to read. I mean... you know, it is hard to understand, it's a hard read, I had to re-see some paragraphs thrice only in the first eight pages.
I do not say it is a lost cause.
It simply wasn't my piece of cake.
Hopefully, I might resee it later and everything might be different!
I loved the fact that she dared to try something this strange that could have been a great idea only if it was easier to read. I mean... you know, it is hard to understand, it's a hard read, I had to re-see some paragraphs thrice only in the first eight pages.
I do not say it is a lost cause.
It simply wasn't my piece of cake.
Hopefully, I might resee it later and everything might be different!
April 17, 2013
This was okay really. It was not what I expected, it was a bit boring and dragged on and on. Really what I wanted to know the story portion of the book, could have been summed up in about 4 pages. This was a bit disappointing really. I thought it would be so much more.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews