Hopkins's depiction of child sexual abuse in Identical is deeply unsettling. While I understand that making readers uncomfortable can be an intentional choice—since the subject matter itself is horrifying—her portrayal often feels excessive and disturbing. When I first read Crank and Glass, I didn’t pick up on this as much. Smoke and Burned were more tolerable, but many of her other books come across as gratuitous in their descriptions, to the point that I’m surprised more people don’t call it out. That said, I recognize that my reaction may be influenced by my own morals and experiences. And, in a contradictory way, I did enjoy this novel—it was just as frustrating as it was compelling.