Trigger warnings for The Way of the Cicadas

 
 

Following is a list of topics and images found in The Way of the Cicadas that are known to commonly trigger mental health reactions. While I’ve tried my best to be thorough, please reach out if I’ve missed something. If a particular topic is of concern to you, you can expand the term to see how deeply it is discussed within the book and, in some cases, pages you can skip to avoid the topic.

If you need more help deciding if this book is for you, feel free to contact me at audrey@audreyhenley.com.

  • A main character has a neglectful parent, and another main character has a violent parent. These abusive relationships are not a main focus of the book, but they do affect the characters and the plot.

  • A POV character negatively depicts a side character who has agoraphobia without fairly discussing their real struggles. The POV character’s opinions on agoraphobia are colored by abuse they’ve experienced at the hand of this character.
    Because it is told in close third-person perspective, and because no POV characters have agoraphobia, this book does not present a balanced or complete depiction of this mental illness or what it’s like to have it.

  • There are quite brief descriptions of blood throughout the book.

  • A POV character experiences frequent migraines and sometimes seizures. Characters around them are not always understanding of their pain.

  • Severe confinement, sometimes in tight spaces, are described in detail several times throughout the book.

  • Characters who have died in the past are discussed frequently throughout the book. There are two on-page deaths, one featuring the death of a key character. Both deaths are described briefly.

  • As is common in a post-apocalyptic book, nearly all characters in The Way of the Cicadas have lost family members and friends. Remembering those who have died is a frequent theme.

  • Guns do make an appearance a few times throughout the book. The most explicit depictions of gun violence occur in chapter 35.

  • Forced hospitalization is described in great detail in this book. I wouldn’t recommend my book to people who have strong reactions to this imagery.

  • A disabled POV character expresses sentiments that may be indicative of internalized ableism.

  • A POV character is scared of the dark and experiences light deprivation several times in the book.

  • If you would like to skip kissing, a short description of frontal nudity, and the fade to black before sex, skip the first section of chapter 23, pages 201 and 202 in the print book.

  • A POV character who almost died thinks about why this near-death experience didn’t bother them more.

    A side character talks about two people they knew who committed suicide at the end of chapter 19, which is page 174 in the print book.

  • One of the forced hospitalizations in the book features forced dosing of a toxic substance amounting to torture. This is described in detail.