This book will forever hold this chapter of my life between its pages. The grief, the pain, the misplaced laughter. All of it belongs to this book, whThis book will forever hold this chapter of my life between its pages. The grief, the pain, the misplaced laughter. All of it belongs to this book, which carried me so gently through this new reality. Tears were shed. This was beautiful. I’m grateful to have found this book when I did ...more
That was one of the most harrowing books I’ve read in a long time. One of my favourites of the year. I feel empty inside, that was perfectly devastatiThat was one of the most harrowing books I’ve read in a long time. One of my favourites of the year. I feel empty inside, that was perfectly devastating. ...more
(Stream of consciousness review that probably makes no sense)
This book was just stunning. It is the perfectly twisted portrayal of a modern horror, se(Stream of consciousness review that probably makes no sense)
This book was just stunning. It is the perfectly twisted portrayal of a modern horror, seamlessly borrowing known genre icons and slotting them into a modern backdrop of Gen Z youth culture in a way I’ve never come across before. The prose is enticing, sucking you in and making you feel as though you are a part of this insane and unpredictable world with it’s unreliable narrators working their way into your psyche. The constant and mysterious paranormal being at the heart of this town feels very real. Unlike most ghost stories, I believed in this. The ominous online forum glorifying the macabre just added to the realism, the true crime culture we live in is one step away from this if we’re not there already. The absolute desensitisation the teens felt to the most horrifying incidents was eerily accurate. Tyler’s descent into his pseudo-spiritual dark religious drug-fuelled mess was terrifying and again very accurate. The sexuality bleeding into violence and gore until they were interchangeable isn’t a new trope but it felt brand new with the way this author went about it. The fact that we never got an answer as to what exactly this force was other than that WHORL opened peoples eyes to it left me with an uneasy feeling as I turned the final pages. As many before me have said- this is the future of horror. I’m shocked more people haven’t read this book....more
This is probably the most disgusting book I have literally ever read. The graphic descriptions are never ending and get worse and worse, more graphic This is probably the most disgusting book I have literally ever read. The graphic descriptions are never ending and get worse and worse, more graphic than my beloved Saw films. This is a gory, pornographic horror of the highest degree and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. However, the book has a much deeper layer surrounding its discussions of Asian American culture, gay culture and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This is a harrowing story in more ways than one, and although you can’t really look past the shockingly vile brutality, this really is a beautiful, layered novel with some of the best writing I have ever encountered. Solid five stars. ...more
God damn this was a fever dream. For so much of the book it felt like the author was just showing off her beautiful writing style as opposed to tellinGod damn this was a fever dream. For so much of the book it felt like the author was just showing off her beautiful writing style as opposed to telling a cohesive story, but then all of a sudden I found myself sucked into this whirlwind tale of loss and love and prejudice and I closed the final page feeling profoundly moved. ...more
Read this in one sitting in like 3 hours. Could not put it down. Absolutely unhinged. Sick, twisted, left me feeling genuinely disturbed and for anyonRead this in one sitting in like 3 hours. Could not put it down. Absolutely unhinged. Sick, twisted, left me feeling genuinely disturbed and for anyone who knows me that says A LOT. 1984 meets cannibalism with a whole lot of added fucked up. I loved it. ...more
This remains my favourite book of all time. The way the author manages to link the plot together, sneaking the biggest twists within the earliest chapThis remains my favourite book of all time. The way the author manages to link the plot together, sneaking the biggest twists within the earliest chapters of the novel using Shakespeare as a mouthpiece, it’s genius. Shakespeare becomes less a distant author and more a key player in the characters lives, serving as a role model and friend (for better or for worse) and not a page goes by where we don’t feel his presence. The echo chamber created at Dellecher is both magical and dangerous in equal parts, leaving the characters—and us—wondering how much can be justified under the guise of a convincing performance. According to Oliver? Anything. As long as you do it poetically enough. ...more
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