Is the Russian Mafia's torture of Callaghan too descriptive?

[Kourtney Bradley]

The scenes were a pretty grusome, but I have came across much worse with television. As grusome as they were, it was necessary for the story, like others said.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

The torture scenes remind me a bit of some of the gruesome torture seen in "Game of Thrones". The Russian style torture would fit right into "Game of Thrones". But I doubt I could handle watching it, I look down at a book during those parts of "Game of Thrones".

[Catherine Hsu]

They may have been very graphic, but I felt like it was appropriate for the story and added to the atmosphere. These descriptions make the story that much more engaging and horrifying to read, and that really adds to the power the writing has.

[Kourtney Bradley]

Detailed torture scenes can be very gruesome and hard to read, but I feel it necessary in order to fully grasp what is happening to the characters.

I completely agree!

[Yelitzag08]

I don't particularly enjoy reading graphic torture scenes but sometimes they are absolutely necessary for the story. I think being fully aware of the type of trauma the character sustained helps us understand the character better. I also think we can't help but sympathize deeply with someone that has been through something terrible. The graphic description makes that event much more real to us than just a short description of what happened.

[Genaaa]

They were definitely graphic, and parts were harder for me to read without sort of cringing away. However, I think that it's in a way necessary to really understand the details. It's not like they were unnecessary to the plot.

-- 10 Sep 2016, 02:50 --

Detailed torture scenes can be very gruesome and hard to read, but I feel it necessary in order to fully grasp what is happening to the characters.

I completely agree!

I as well fully agree. Despite it being slightly harder to read through all the graphic details, they ultimately add to the writing. It really helps the reader grasp what the situation is actually like, and makes writing more powerful.

[Thimble]

I think the torture scenes were very descriptive, but necessary to convey what Matthias went through and why revenge is so important to him. They didn't bother me because I've read more gruesome things before in other books. Also, reading about violence doesn't bother me as much as reading about cannibalism or gross things.

[MarisaRose]

This is such a tough question! I found so many of these scenes SO hard to read, they were overly descriptive and incredibly cringe worthy. HOWEVER, I do think the graphic nature of the torture scenes added to the suspense of the novel and made things more realistic. I think if these scenes had been lessened they would have been as dramatic and impactful.

[lane_vespertine]

I sort of thought they were when they happened, but I agree with some here that they provided motivation for what followed.
I've never been a big fan of violence (or sex for that matter) being too explicit unless it is absolutely necessary. And I guess retroactively, in this case, it is justified.
But it didn't feel that way at the point in the story where it happened.

[Michelle92]

I have to say yes. Because not all the people can stomach such detailed description. It was made extremely graphic and I don't know if that was the intention but the result was a little too realistic.

[Kdonegan91]

I know I am late about posting because I just finished this book. I believe the description of the torture was gruesome and sort of over the top but I felt like that is how the author was getting his point across. It helps shape the character by describing his experiences.

[Jasmine M Wardiya]

I'm going to be one of those oddballs who says nope, I don't find the torture description over the top at all - but that's more because I've never found a description (of violence, at least) too gruesome. Movies, yes (sadly enough, one of the Pirates of the Carribean ones was one - something about those sea creatures), but not something written and without images. Part of it is association: see stuff in movies or the news, but never in real life. And in other aspects, it's familiarity. Plenty of gruesome stuff to be found in hospitals and we can't possibly describe them well enough to capture it fully (or try; rather, we make it more clinical and dry).

(to be honest, I actually like reading descriptions of characters getting tortured...provided they're well-written and relevant - ie. not torture for the sake of torture, and this is both of those).

[Renu G]

Yes, it was too descriptive and graphic. I was really frightened. It has not left me although several days have passed since I read it.

[LinaMueller]

I think the torture scenes were very descriptive, but necessary to convey what Matthias went through and why revenge is so important to him.

Perfect, but I can't imagine the same scenes in a movie.

[C-obi]

It is better told than imagined the tortures described. This will create some reluctance to read the book.