V171 reviewed The shape of water by Guillermo del Toro
Review of 'The shape of water' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I found this to be a really enjoyable story that was a lot more than what I was expecting. I did not see the movie, but I had a loose understanding of what it was about. But I didn't realize there would be such extensive commentary on issues such as sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, and PTSD. However, all of these themes were very seamlessly interwoven in a cohesive narrative that led to very satisfying character development for the full cast of characters. I thought this would be a plot heavy, fast paced read, but I was surprised to find that it was very introspective. There are some darker, heavy content warning scenes of the book, and don't expect any of the themes to lead to a ton of introspection. But aside from that, it was a quick, interesting read.