Reviews tagging 'Racism'

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

61 reviews

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The Details:
Narrated by Cara Gee
Unabridged

Unexpectedly angsty and for some reason, I didn't know what was going on. I think I was thrown off by how horror movie central it was - like there were essays as in between chapters - and I just haven't consumed enough of the classics to really appreciate it.

I also found Jade really unlikeable and because I had issues with following along with the plot, this wasn't something I could bypass over. Also the ending just seemed to appear out of no where, and made no sense.

I did manage to grasp some of the deeper tones and that's another reason I kept listening. I do think a revisit at some stage could encourage a better reading experience for me.

I am disappointed I didn't enjoy this one, I possibly could have just dnf'd this one and contemplated doing that a few times, but I enjoyed the writing. So in saying that, I would like to try The Only Good Indians, but I think I'd try that as a physical read rather than an audio. Depending on how I get on with that one, I may come back to this title to reread in a different format. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Incest, Murder, and Rape

knightressx's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

My Heart Is A Chainsaw is the evocative and captivating story of Jade Daniels, a biracial indigenous (Blackfoot) teenage outcast residing within the small town of Proofrock, Idaho. Living and breathing horror movies-slashers in particular-Jade immerses herself within the genre as a means of protection from the real world horrors that surround her: a mother who abandoned her, an abusive father who wants her gone and a town that generally ignores her presence until she sporadically reclaims its attention.

Jade is a compelling protagonist: with an angry and dark exterior that masks the depths of her hurt and yearning for an acceptance that was never given. Although she longs for what the slasher represents-the personification of vengeance wielded against the one who wronged her-despite everything she experiences, she doesn’t slide into callous nihilism. 

Brimming with meticulous details, My Heart Is A Chainsaw is a love letter to the slasher subgenre. After reading the Stephen Graham Jones’ Acknowledgments at the end of the book, I can truly appreciate the profound emotional and mental effort that lead to the book’s final creation. The writing is excellent, with a slow-burn quality that continues to build, while also leaving the reader questioning their perception as events unfold. 

The conclusion is unbridled in its gore and heart-wrenching nature and yet moments of hope still remain. After reading it for the first time, I was very happy to learn that there would be a sequel to My Heart Is A Chainsaw, as I truly wanted to see Jade’s story continue. 

Thank you very much Saga Press Books and NetGalley for this free ebook.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

bookwormbi's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Stephen Graham Jones always gives you a thousand and one things to chew on in his books. I’m still reeling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Body horror

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault

Minor: Racism and Cultural appropriation

amandadevoursbooks's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

I loved the only good indians. So I was excited to pick this book up. We follow Jade who is almost about to graduate from high school but she's one class shy. She lives with her dad her mom's not really involved in her life and she works as a janitor in the school system that she attended. It's set in a town built on secrets. It's at the edge of a national forest and there's developers in town building new houses.

Jade's narration is chaotic, and I found it difficult to track at times. She's obsessed with horror films and slashers and she is convinced that there is a slasher cycles starting in her hometown. While she does her best to communicate the danger the adults around her don't believe her and neither do the other teenagers.

This book started slow, and like a Gothic it built up speed until it was barreling down the tracks towards the end. Unlike a Gothic, the setting itself wasn't oppressive. 

It also had an interesting narrative structure. The chapters were broken up between jade narrating present day and papers that Jade had turned into her history teacher. This works to break up the tension and also to reinforce Jade's knowledge and perception of this being a slasher cycle. 

If you're a person that likes horror films and knows a lot about them this book might resonate a little bit more. I feel like as a person who only is tangentially aware of horror films and who primarily reads horror instead of watching it I think some of the illusions and the meanings were lost on me.

Like all good horror it has a lot to say about the state of the world. It tackles classism, racism, and sexism,  all while telling and entertaining slasher story.

I'm looking forward to the second book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gore, Suicide attempt, Violence, Colonisation, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

caitlyn_rehs's review

challenging dark funny slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The writing was awful. The storyline wasn't too bad but I didn't care for the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Blood, Murder, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Child abuse, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

apestforwrens's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

SGJ is an incredible writer and the way he presents Jade really lets the reader ride along with her. I literally stayed up all night to finish this book because I could NOT put it down. It is a horror book, so there is a lot of genre-typical heavy content, but it did not feel gratuitous to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, Animal death, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Medical content, Gaslighting, Racism, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Classism, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Stalking

Minor: Rape, Cultural appropriation, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts

hotscarysummer's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Incest, Child abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual assault

theoldestbennetsister's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child death, Classism, and Rape

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Colonisation, and Vomit

doomluz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Animal death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Incest, and Child abuse

Minor: Child death

ehmannky's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

So. So good. It's one of the books where I can see where it lost people and is not going to appeal to everyone, but I loved it. The first 75% of the book I was just loving being in Jade's head (it was very dense though and I did have to go back and read things a few times to make sure I got it all right). And the last 25% of the book is simply wild and unexpected and had a twist I just honestly didn't see coming (even though looking back the clues were there!). It's a horror book and it's about the ways that buried trauma left untouched and untreated will simmer until it burns and slashes through in a burst of violence. It's so good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Suicide, Gore, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Incest, Child death, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Gun violence

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Racism