I'm continuing my spooky season reviews with one of the most realistic books I've read. Truly horrifying because it draws on real-life evil.
EXQUISITE CORPSE by Poppy Z. Brite
1. Holy cow…it’s about time. I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for a couple of years and even though I’ve heard time and time again how brutal and disgusting it was it never really called to me until now. I’m a little disappointed in myself that it took me this long to experience the work of Brite.
2. I’m a Wisconsin girl whose introduction to the world of true crime as a child (probably far too young, to be honest) was Jeffrey Dahmer; this storyline was so familiar in an almost comforting way. Sounds really disturbed, right? Let me explain: while this book doesn’t top the list of goriest books, it’s incredibly real, seemingly pulled from the actual horrors many experienced at the hands of Dahmer. I came in with quite a bit of knowledge about Dahmer, having grown up just outside of West Allis, so that took away some of the shock value I’d have experienced if I wasn’t already familiar. Instead of being shaken at how evil the 2 main characters are I was able to read and think about the victims and how utterly terrifying it would be to be in their shoes. Focusing on that perspective made my reading experience more psychologically terrifying which appeals to me more than extreme for extreme’s sake.
3. The storyline focuses on 2 serial killers and what happens when the worst of the worst team up, but there’s a 3rd killer throughout the book that ends far more lives than the sociopathic duo put together – AIDS. I really appreciated the setting of the gay community of New Orleans during the onset of the AIDS epidemic. First, because it’s freaking important to remember and not something that’s talked about much in the media. Second, because it heightened my emotions and then BAM – Brite swoops in with the 1, 2 punch that is the dastardly duo of Andrew and Jay.
4. Brite has an elegant writing style that I very much enjoyed and I plan to read more of his work. There’s something I cannot resist about the most horrific subjects being presented in beautiful prose.
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