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moz_art's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
technically not the best book ever written, very disjointed at times, but I can’t deny the dread it filled me with as soon as I picked it up and will linger for a long time after I finished. Absolutely horrific. Total respect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Cannibalism, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, and Drug abuse
wyabook234's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Homophobia, and Hate crime
Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, and Sexual content
revolverreads's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This month at Revolver Reads, we found ourselves biting a surprise bullet in the chamber with David Demchuk, Red X. We had mistakenly thought that this would be an interesting piece shining some light onto the victims and atrocities of Bruce McArthur, a man that spanned years haunting the gay village of Toronto. But alas, we were wrong.
The stories of Red X span across generations, where a cursed red book dooms select members of the gay community around Toronto. It centers around less than a handful of consistent characters, but each chapter is almost as repetitive as the previous. There is a new character introduced, we get their first and last name, a sprinkle of why they are in the city and how they are struggling, and finally the red notebook makes an appearance.
Bonus points if the chapter describes a mysterious boy with black hair lingering in the fringes. That’s our baddie, the resident fairy that is killing the characters we are introduced to. If you’re confused about him being a fairy, join the club.
The most frustrating part isn’t the subsections where the author inserts himself as a character, but rather the fact that you CAN see the potential that this narrative could have had. The LGBTQ+ community, the blind eye that is turned when they go missing, the way their found families try to come together for answers and justice, these are all things he ALMOST manages to incorporate and make interesting, but the effort falls flat.
We do have to hand it to Demchuk, because he was able to keep us interested with descriptions of the LGBTQ+ history of Toronto, winding us through the familiar streets and locations we’ve walked past ourselves. It gave us a new perspective for the city we love. Another part that caught our interest for a hot second, was the author's own insight into his personal history. For a moment you see the potential this author has for horror. But that is unfortunately all this book does, it constantly edges you, lets you think it’s going to get interesting, and then puts you to sleep faster than that Amazon white noise machine you’ve purchased.
This might be our first one star, but come join our meltdown at Revolver Reads: A Book Club Russain Roulette on your podcast platform of choice, or @revolverreads on instagram, and let us know what you think! We are also ALWAYS keeping our eyes peeled for new reads to add to our list, so feel free to message us on instagram with your suggestions, or email us at [email protected]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
markedwithanm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Murder, Terminal illness, and Animal cruelty
blood's review
really unique one but i am kind of surprised i haven't heard more about it given what it is. gay horror that breaks and blurs the fourth wall, fiction interspersed with essay and memoir, ensemble cast of characters, spanning the 80s to 2016. truly creeped me out like my arm hair was standing up. someone i know read this so we can talk about it please.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Rape, and Torture
danidamico's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
En el año 2018, la policía canadiense detuvo a un sujeto sospechado de haber asesinado a ocho personas, en su mayoría hombres gay, en Toronto entre 2010 y 2017. Uno de esos hombres, Andrew Kinsman, era un activista importante en la comunidad LGBTQ+ de la zona y amigo del escritor David Demchuk. Eventualmente, se comprobó que el detenido era culpable de los crímenes y fue condenado a veinticinco años de prisión. A partir de este suceso, Demchuk empezó a construir lo que más tarde sería Red X, un mosaico basado en datos históricos, experiencias propias, folklore escocés y ficción.
A lo largo de cinco capítulos, vamos siguiendo las desapariciones de un grupo de hombres y el sufrimiento de sus amigos y seres queridos, sumidos en la incertidumbre. Es muy difícil sintetizar todo lo que sucede en esta novela y mis sentimientos al respecto. Me gustó muchísimo, es un libro que parece estar en un estado constante de desborde: voces desesperadas que buscan sobrevivir, que buscan compañía, amor, no quedarse solos ni ser olvidados. Esa urgencia atraviesa todo el texto.
Si bien es un libro en el que predomina el miedo, entre todo ese sufrimiento aparecen destellos de comunidad, de amor, de aquellos que no olvidan a los que ya no están en este mundo. Red X es terrorífico, pero en su centro hay un corazón humano que late y persiste.
A lo largo de cinco capítulos, vamos siguiendo las desapariciones de un grupo de hombres y el sufrimiento de sus amigos y seres queridos, sumidos en la incertidumbre. Es muy difícil sintetizar todo lo que sucede en esta novela y mis sentimientos al respecto. Me gustó muchísimo, es un libro que parece estar en un estado constante de desborde: voces desesperadas que buscan sobrevivir, que buscan compañía, amor, no quedarse solos ni ser olvidados. Esa urgencia atraviesa todo el texto.
Si bien es un libro en el que predomina el miedo, entre todo ese sufrimiento aparecen destellos de comunidad, de amor, de aquellos que no olvidan a los que ya no están en este mundo. Red X es terrorífico, pero en su centro hay un corazón humano que late y persiste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Body horror, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
skeletonsinmysleeves's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Transphobia and Homophobia
aahona's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Sexual violence, Murder, Homophobia, and Hate crime
kyletells's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is the perfect book of hauntings. It's devastating and perfectly devastating. Centered around queer communities and the AIDS crisis in Toronto across multiple timelines, Demchuk somehow weaves every type of haunting in one novel. Time slips by, and it feels real (new relationships; changing city landscapes; deaths—everything moves by with so little comment but with major impact); meanwhile, people slip into the maws of a monster. Every man who goes missing in this book is deeply characterized in the smallest amount of space. That's not a spoiler—you're informed in chapter 1 that a man goes missing. And while the monster is horrifying, what's really scary is forgetting these incredibly depicted people you knew so well because there's another very deep character, another year, and another man missing within a few chapters. This book has a large cast but with very identifiable, rich characters. The language is perfect, the pacing amazing, the dialogue and commentary sometimes so biting I cackled, and while it's a hard-to-stomach read at times, it's a novel I'll likely re-read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Suicide attempt
The graphic horror is shown mostly after the event or described at a time after it occurs, though it is still graphic. Example: police violence is not depicted in the scene but by the police cleanup, which still is quite graphic through suggestion.deandra_lalonde's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
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