Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction)'s Reviews > These Violent Delights

This book really was a fever-dream of obsession and spiralling mentality.

Initially starting this book, it hit a lot of themes you would expect from a story dubbed as "dark academia". The prologue throws you right into some shady business, and so you head into this book knowing that somehow, somewhere, this plot will escalate dramatically. Adding on the immediate display of intelligence via ethical debates in college, the appreciation for art, and the macabre interests of both characters, the dark academia vibes are strong.

As mentioned in the synopsis, this all starts with a relationship between two guys and their increasing obsession with each other. Note that this isn't a good kind of obsession - far from it. This is the intoxicating, delirious kind, that ultimately leads to a huge amount of tension between mentalities. Neither of our main characters can be trusted, their personalities being built through unreliable views and ever-changing narratives. Reading through Paul's perspective, it's never quite clear what the truth of the matter is, every situation being tinted by his pure self-loathing. You wouldn't think an emotion - or a belief - like that would affect a story so considerably, but ohhhh how this book proves otherwise.

It really is a wild ride of a read. It's possible that for some readers, it would be increasingly frustrating with its constant switch in narrative, the never quite knowing if everything is truth or lie. But I couldn't help getting caught up in it, this big overwhelming story feeling close-knit and private for everyone involved. Everything else merged into the background - the monotony of college life, the persistence of family members. All became irrelevant as the focus zoned in on Paul and Julian, reflecting their relationship perfectly. (Please note, this is not a healthy relationship by any means and this book is accompanied by a few content warnings - see end of review).

This entire book feels like a huge manipulation game. Between the characters, how they play the narrative, how it makes you believe certain things right until the last moment - it was fascinating to read. Micah Nemerever does a brilliant job of reflecting the obsessive mindset consuming his characters, pulling you in just as far. Not so much a thriller as a slow spiralling of mental state, this is one which slowly pulls you in and refuses to let go.

CW: abuse, self-harm, suicide, homophobia