Status Updates From You're No Better

‘“If you want to be a man,” he says, “you need to start by putting a bitch in her place.”

I try to pull away, but he's stronger. “Let go.”

“And if you want to take your father's advice, you should probably start with your mother. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it.”’

Jesus Christ

‘I fantasize about a version of the world where she was one of the dead girls on Dad's floor, where I had to catalog “evidence,” “photograph,” “Bellamy Slaughter-Autopsy.” I imagine being in my father's body and cutting her throat to belly.’

Oh no

ARC # 87

GO GET AN OCD DIAGNOSIS KING

and i thought it was bad when i related a little too hard to crane in YWMTBH…

‘Each victim was restrained and forced to listen to the same audio recording, detailing what lay ahead for her in the coming weeks: what she would be subjected to, the rules, and punishment for disobeying. Slaughter claimed to believe that this would help “break” them, and make them more compliant.’

So gross

In the span of the 6 chapters that are currently free to read, the following problems have made themselves apparent;
1. Like literally all of Andrew’s four books prior to this, there is yet again another transgender woman mothering an ungrateful tboy protagonist, to her own detriment.
2. There is a Black man introduced who’s already having his achievements reduced to his race rather than his capability.

You don't think the daughter is innocent, do you? It's too late for her. She's already a monster. Someone should put her down.

— aw shit... here we go.

Unfortunately, I predicted this plot point, but I'm still interested to see how it all unfolds 👀

my brain rapid-fires through a version of the future. (...) A future where I force myself into the shape of womanhood so I never have to risk seeing my father in the mirror, not more than I already do

—I was then shot 57 times because omg... Bro is being a little too relatable rn 🫡

if I faced down the monster that makes up half my DNA-if I let him remind me that his goal was to mold me into something like him? That he'd succeeded?

If I don't rip him out from under my skin, prove that I'm not him, I swear to god, I'm not him, I'm not him I'm not I swear I'm not-

—Damn... Computer, play 'Like Him' by Tyler, the Creator

The episode, the video of William Campbell, Mom's social media pages, every video, every podcast, they all have one thing in common: I'm never actually a person. I'm a story to be unraveled or projected onto. A modern-day circus freak.

Living clickbait.

— I'm loving the commentary on sensationalism, commodification and exploitation of tragedy/trauma so far.

"I think violence comes easily to you (...) because you've found it's often the only form of communication people respond honestly to."

—This book is gonna hurt me isn't it?

“...Her name in every document is Jane Doe, which is fitting—I don't remember much about that day, but I do remember that she had big, beautiful doe eyes. Dad hadn't gotten the chance to take them out yet.”

Oh lord

Dad says, "For what it's worth, you were so good at hurting people."

I close my eyes. I can't look at him. I can't do this.

"You were a natural. God, if you'd just kept our little secret, I could have taught you everything. I could have helped you get away with anything (...) But you stuck me in here," he says. "So when you finally make a mistake, I won't be there to save you."

—This is gonna be a wild ride

If I don't end up loving this one, I'd be very surprised 👀

BuddyRead link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/buddy_r...

Anyone is welcome to join :)