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everyotherpageorso's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I don’t know how I can give this a star rating.
Well written but it’s a book you endure rather than enjoy, which I guess is the point.
Allusion to Konerak Sinthasomphone at the end was really heartbreaking. If you aren’t familiar with the case, Konerak was 14 years old when he escaped Jeffrey Dahmer after being attacked, and police were alerted of an injured and naked boy in the area. Dahmer showed up, said they were lovers, and the police allowed Dahmer to take the boy back to his, where he killed him, despite the protestations of many African-American bystanders.
In the novel’s very clear reference to this incident, it is Jay who is allowed to leave with the injured and naked Tran, despite the protestations of an unnamed black musician, who is ignored and berated with slurs.
While I understand the objective of putting a real life example of police incompetence (especially when it pertains to marginalized victims) in the novel, I still think it’s disrespectful to the victim’s memory, as it seemed to me that it was not so much a reference or allusion as it was a line-by-line fictionalization of a real murder, eroticized through the perspective of his murderers. Yes, we do get Tran’s perspective during this as well, but I don’t think this offsets the disrespect of it.
Well written but it’s a book you endure rather than enjoy, which I guess is the point.
In the novel’s very clear reference to this incident, it is Jay who is allowed to leave with the injured and naked Tran, despite the protestations of an unnamed black musician, who is ignored and berated with slurs.
While I understand the objective of putting a real life example of police incompetence (especially when it pertains to marginalized victims) in the novel, I still think it’s disrespectful to the victim’s memory, as it seemed to me that it was not so much a reference or allusion as it was a line-by-line fictionalization of a real murder, eroticized through the perspective of his murderers. Yes, we do get Tran’s perspective during this as well, but I don’t think this offsets the disrespect of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Homophobia, Torture, Addiction, Cannibalism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, and Drug abuse
mirandarocks's review against another edition
2.0
I felt like this book was trying to hard. I get adding sex and violence To progress the story, but in this book, it felt like they were just doing it for the sake of doing it. The story overall was okay. I hated the characters but I’m guessing that was the point.
jully_bean's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Racial slurs, Violence, Rape, Suicide, Sexual content, Body horror, Dysphoria, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Murder, Excrement, Addiction, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Police brutality, and Terminal illness
wendalorian's review against another edition
Well, this was an absolute wild ride.
I’ve heard a lot of people talking about this one yet I went in knowing nothing about it. And it did not disappoint!
This book is weird, dark, gory and at some points disgusting. It has cannibalism, murder, necrophilia and a lot of torture.
The writing is so incredible. The descriptions of graphic violence, terror and gore are so beautifully done and pushing you to your limit.
I do want to point out two things:
1. The use of the word Oriental to describe Asian people is something I’m very annoyed with and
2. The use of the n-word (both by a white and a black cop). It didn’t add anything to the story and could have done without it. Completely unnecessary.
Overall I did enjoy it. It’s both twisted and tragic, gruesome at the surface but it goes way deeper than that. It has a lot of discussion around HIV/AIDS and it touched on issues the gay community faces, such ass discrimination and marginalization.
If you decide to read this book, check your trigger/content warnings and make sure you’re in the right headspace.
I’ve heard a lot of people talking about this one yet I went in knowing nothing about it. And it did not disappoint!
This book is weird, dark, gory and at some points disgusting. It has cannibalism, murder, necrophilia and a lot of torture.
The writing is so incredible. The descriptions of graphic violence, terror and gore are so beautifully done and pushing you to your limit.
I do want to point out two things:
1. The use of the word Oriental to describe Asian people is something I’m very annoyed with and
2. The use of the n-word (both by a white and a black cop). It didn’t add anything to the story and could have done without it. Completely unnecessary.
Overall I did enjoy it. It’s both twisted and tragic, gruesome at the surface but it goes way deeper than that. It has a lot of discussion around HIV/AIDS and it touched on issues the gay community faces, such ass discrimination and marginalization.
If you decide to read this book, check your trigger/content warnings and make sure you’re in the right headspace.
kumakrueger's review against another edition
5.0
TWs: murder, necrophilia, cannibalism, toxic relationships, HIV/AIDS mentions, substance abuse, sex scenes, racist/homophobic slurs
this was probably one of the most gruesome yet beautiful yet brutally commentative novels i've read this year. i thought Nick Cutter's writing was yucky, but poppy z brite takes the cake so far. his eye for purple prose was so beautiful but it was even more enticing as he gave himself the ability to also be absolutely depraved, raunchy, cynical, and disgusting at the same time.
im not a true crime junkie, but the correlations of jeffery dahmer to andrew and jay were so direct that even i recognized them. also there's a page about him in the beginning lol.
the ending was so depressing i couldnt help but feel drained afterwards. don't judge me for this but this might be added to my list of favorite books.
HUGE TRIGGER WARNINGS though, this is not for the faint of heart or stomach. as a splatterpunk fan, even i was cringing hard at some parts.
this was probably one of the most gruesome yet beautiful yet brutally commentative novels i've read this year. i thought Nick Cutter's writing was yucky, but poppy z brite takes the cake so far. his eye for purple prose was so beautiful but it was even more enticing as he gave himself the ability to also be absolutely depraved, raunchy, cynical, and disgusting at the same time.
im not a true crime junkie, but the correlations of jeffery dahmer to andrew and jay were so direct that even i recognized them. also there's a page about him in the beginning lol.
the ending was so depressing i couldnt help but feel drained afterwards. don't judge me for this but this might be added to my list of favorite books.
HUGE TRIGGER WARNINGS though, this is not for the faint of heart or stomach. as a splatterpunk fan, even i was cringing hard at some parts.
marigoldgem's review against another edition
Tried two different times to finish this book but I just didn’t have the motivation to give it my full attention.
daria_morgendorffer's review against another edition
Ew. No, just no. What is the point of this book?
_aimsreads_'s review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
trin's review against another edition
2.0
Disturbing and, in my mind, fairly pointless. (This is in spite of the part of me that hears "serial killers in love" and thinks, "Aww! Cute concept!") However, I am proud to say that I was able to eat an entire burrito while reading it.