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Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
412 reviews
hygge77's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
tiudragonfly's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Classism, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Toxic relationship, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
editorsansserif's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
General overview: A book that is, actually, about a vampire, though not in the way you might expect - pitted against a community and a group of women (the 'book club') who are deeply flawed and fail several times, at a great cost, before finding the courage to do what is right. Strong themes of racism, sexism/misogyny, and child predation.
Emotional impact: I loved this book, despite not being able to love its characters. The main cast, and protagonist, are flawed, sometimes very deeply. They do show growth over time, while many of the side cast do not (or deteriorate), and it works - but they never truly become heroes. I spent a lot of reading time being angry and incensed, not toward the villain, but toward the main characters of the book, and the families that surrounded them. I feel like that's part of "the point."
Visceral impact: The body horror, and gore, did make my skin crawl, but never felt explicit enough to make me want to stop reading. The author sometimes went a little 'over the top' with the terrible events that happened in the novel, to the point of unbelievability and disgust. Spoilers/CW for child death:
Counter thoughts to some criticism:
- On the 'Stepford wife' nature of these wives and mothers in the 1990s: I found this not only believable, but incredibly realistic. I grew up in the 90s with a southern-trained mother and a southern grandmother, and around many families who had the same 'sensibilities' drilled into them. The way that these women acted in the book felt like a genuine flashback to what it felt like growing up around women who played pleasantries and kowtowed to men and never wanted to disturb the status quo. While I can see why they might not come off as believable to those who haven't experienced what I have, I felt it was authentic. CW (suicide/minor spoilers):
My mother didn't protect me from the predator in my own family, and she dismissed my earnest pleas for help when I was battling depression and suicide as a teenager. My father always knew what was best to the point he'd become threatening if he was questioned. They wouldn't have protected me from a vampire. - On the misogyny: See above - this felt very real to me thanks to my own lived experiences. Of course there are good men. It's just that none of these husbands were good men. It would have been nice to have a good man join the women to counter the culture around them - one husband who really did believe his wife and didn't fall for the trap - and that does feel like a disservice. I can also see that the author was trying to really lean in to the power of women and their shared bonds, so it could be a tricky balance to find while keeping the message the same.
- On the racism and racist stereotypes: As a white person, I can't and won't speak to representation of the POC in the novel. I do feel, however, that the quiet racism that was expressed by the white women in the book was genuine and called into question several times. These white women do not ever go through a full anti-racist transformation, but they are confronted and, I believe, do make some steps of growth. We're never shown anything more than a reckoning with their unspoken attitudes and the result of those actions, though.
- On animal death: I thought that the final animal death scene was touching, actually, and made both sense rationally and plot-wise. That's not for everyone though: if you don't like pets dying, you're going to hate that portion of the book.
Additional criticism: Addressed in my content warnings, but there is a side plot during which the main character's son is becoming increasingly obsessed with Hitler + Nazis. This isn't treated seriously at all by the characters in the novel and is not resolved by the end of the book. This should have either been dropped or handled with more severity, and that's a major lack of sensitivity to the implications the author adds with this plot element.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Classism, Racism, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Addiction, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Antisemitism
Re: Antisemitism:krholin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Misogyny, Gore, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Pedophilia, Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Sexual violence
kimbaudelaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Miss Greene was my favorite character.
Graphic: Body horror, Gaslighting, Child death, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit, Gore, Sexual violence, Dementia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Sexism, and Infidelity
capmorrow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Violence
justmys's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
troublesometrios's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Dementia and Domestic abuse
Minor: Classism, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Mental illness, Child death, Stalking, and Animal death
lilybarna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual content
justgraceanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
My favorite part of the book? The author's note.
Hendrix mentions how he wanted to pit Dracula against his mom and how it wasn't "a fair fight."
That got me HOOKED.
I enjoyed the first half of this book well enough, but it takes a TURN in the second half.
One important thing I have to emphasize is this:
CW: gore, violence against women, lynching, rape, murder, gaslighting, sexual violence, domestic abuse, child molesting, and probably more things that I'm forgetting
If you have experienced any of these things or are sensitive to any of the above topics for ANY reason at all, avoid this book. Some of the scenes can be very triggering (you don't have to read the rest of my review if that resonates with you).
Let's address another issue for would-be readers -- are all of these other reviews:
Kai Spellmeier says, "I guess what's helpful to know is that the book is set in America's Deep South in the 80's and 90's. But the author took that as an excuse to push Black characters to the sidelines," and "Of course he had to make unnecessary comments about their breasts and pubes, of course horror wouldn't be horror if female characters didn't experience physical violation of their bodies in the form of rape and abuse. No, your book is not feminist just because your female characters say 'That's sexist,' once. I'm really tired of horror authors relying on tropes like the violation of women's bodies . . . to create discomfort. It's like comedians that can only be "funny" when they ridicule women and marginalized people."
And I have to be honest, I agree with him.
I wanted to see Black characters actually fleshed out and fighting vampires alongside the women (who took far too long to actually take action).
Also, the book that I had hoped would be a dark comedy that was simply about a bunch of housewives killing vampires turned VERY dark VERY fast.
This isn't to say that the book is horrendously bad, if you're wanting horror, you get horror! But there are so many other books that do the women-killing plot better.
Fiona had this to say: "Maybe if there had been one decent man in the bunch, or if the terrible men hadn't been so universally terrible (seriously, barring one man who was concerned when his wife was sick, there wasn't a decent moment given to ANY of them), then they wouldn't have felt so unrealistic. There's a reason people stay with bad partners, and it's not because they're cartoon villains who have zero dimension."
I wished we'd had a decent man, too, Fiona. That part was rough.
All in all, I can't give this book any stars. I suppose I could give it 1 star, but there were moments I felt like it was a 5 star book.
Hope this review helps! You aren't a bad person if you liked this book or a better person if you hated it. Just remember that that you should read what you love and love what you read. You deserve no less than that!
Alternative Reading Recs For:
Actual Monster-Slaying Black Women: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Women Who Kill: Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen & An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
Vampire Myth That Follows Native American Family: Manmade Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Rape, Gaslighting, and Racism