Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
751 reviews
kit_kat006's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
maebemerissa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Gore, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexism, and Pedophilia
bpol's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Child abuse
j3rkin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gore and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
meganparsec's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Outing, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Rape
afterplague's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Each of the women had their own personalities and their own voice, but the novel is about disempowerment. These women are housewives, and when faced with a threat their husbands don't stand behind them and they bow to the pressures. The black characters in the story are further disempowered, and the white characters step away from the troubles the black community is facing because they are able to do so without consequence. It would be difficult to stand against their husbands and community to help those who are more disenfranchised, so they don't. They only care when their own are threatened.
I could understand some of the criticism. This is a story about white women (mostly), and the black characters are killed more and disregarded more than the white characters. I do think that this was the point and it tied into the overall theme. However, again, I am not black, so if those who are still feel like this representation was offensive I fully default to them.
I'm going to go into some spoilers below so be warned.
Patricia is our main character, and she's your typical suburban housewife. The book club she joins reads a lot of true crime and thriller books, so this is where my first disappointment comes in.
Based on the title you already know there's a vampire in this story, and Patricia is the first to encounter him in a vampiric form. However, she does not tell her book club that he's a vampire until the 85% mark. So this is not a story about a group of suburban housewives desperately trying to figure out a way to kill this vampire. It's a story about Patricia trying to convince her friends that James Harris is a drug dealer/pedophile and get him chased out of town or put in prison.
It's a little disappointing, and not what we were promised based on the title. There is eventually some vampire slaying that goes on, and I really enjoyed seeing them all come together and get him in the end. It just takes a really long time to get there.
Something else I wasn't really a fan of was a three year time skip in the middle of the book. Things have been escalating and escalating, and finally Patricia is driven to the edge. Her husband won't stand behind her, all of her friends have abandoned her, and even her kids are calling her crazy, so she makes an attempt on her life. Directly afterwards the story skips three years ahead, and Patricia has basically given in. She's friendly with James Harris and her family are very close to him etc. It just cuts a lot of the tension that the story was building. We essentially have to watch Patricia go through the same motions of convincing herself of the fact that James Harris is a vampire and getting all of her friends on board again. It's repetitive.
As far as the scares go in this novel, I think Grady Hendrix peaked WAY too early with the horror. The raccoon scene at about 15% in is the best horror in the book. I listened to it and I was scared, grossed out, and excited for more, but nothing really reached the same level of horror afterwards.
There was the cockroach scene at 70% that literally had me in tears, though I think that's just because I have a phobia of cockroaches. I think most people wouldn't have found it as frightening as I did. I had my boyfriend listen to it, and he thought it was gross, but he didn't have any reaction really and he's not a horror guy at all, so take that as you will. I just think I should've been more scared as the story went on but I wasn't.
There's another thing that makes this book contentious and I want to talk about that a little. Slick's sexual assault. A lot of people are saying that it was just done for shock value, and I don't know if I believe that. I really don't like reading about rape, and I try to avoid it when I can. Most stories that involve rape, didn't need to, in my opinion. I think the same of this book. It didn't need to happen.
I do understand it, however. Slick is a women who is extremely religious and has only ever been with her husband before. When she threatens James Harris with a photo of him forever young in the 1920s, he is insulted and wants to get back at her and intimidate her. It makes sense that the way he would do so would be to assault her and threaten her. It's a show of power as a man, and I don't think something like this is unrealistic. I think James Harris is a narcissist and he understands that this is how he can most hurt Slick. Contextually, it makes sense. If you're still upset about it, you're valid! I don't like reading about it either, but that's my opinion.
I think this book is fine. I don't think it was particularly frightening, but I have a pretty high tolerance. The writing was pretty good and the atmosphere was serviceable.
I see what the author was trying to do with the themes, and I found them relatively successful, but I would like to know what you think actually.
Graphic: Gore and Animal death
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
allisonlessard'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
meganadams2244's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Rape, Body horror, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Child death, Animal cruelty, Gore, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
erosmus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Gaslighting
laurenjade_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Feeling slightly misled aside, I did like the story and I thought it was a pretty unique take on vampires/monsters. The writing seemed a tad all over the place though, and I found myself checking I hadn't somehow missed a page as the timing seemed off in places - jumping larger periods of time in-between paragraphs, for example, especially in the earlier chapters. I assume this was a stylistic choice to portray the monotony of the main characters life as a housewife in the late 80s/early 90s in Southern America.
The horror element was great! Like I said, I found it to be unique and the horror of the actual 'monster' wasn't actually as bad as the horror you feel following Patricia's plight to be believed by anyone in her life. It was pretty horrifying to believe women were/are expected to maintain such a boring, unfulfilling life and to be so subservient without much power to do anything else! I really disliked the male characters in this, whether that was intentional or not, I don't know.
For me, the conclusion to the book happens far too quickly and all at once. I'd have loved a bit less of the earlier chapters and a bit more of a build up to the ending.
I'd be intrigued to read other books by the author to see whether they've got a certain style or not. I'm not sure I'd read this book again, but I do still recommend it to anyone into horror. It's not super gory or over the top scary, but it still hits the mark.
Overall, a good book but not what I expected.
Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse