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qua nimium placui, mutando perde figuram!
Father, bring help. O rivers, if you have divinity, destroy my shape by changing it.
Fuck the Speakers.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy
Moderate: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Rape
Graphic: Ableism, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide attempt
“When the dead men come, we are waiting. We have been waiting so long.
They must have convinced themselves they would never rot in the same dirt we do.”
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth was recommend to me after I read another YA horror called Don’t Let The Forest In (another amazing book, which I strongly recommend) and after reading the summary and learning that the book was a supernatural, historical, queer and neurodivergent featuring, horror, I just knew that I had to read it.
This book is horrific, I just need to get that out of the way. Please, please read into the TW’s as there is hardly anything that White didn’t cover in here. If you tend to be a squeamish or queasy person then there’s a good chance that this book isn’t for you and that’s completely fine! This is a book that covers all aspects of horror, showcasing it in all of its many various forms and styles. While having an incredibly strong supernatural element to it, the horror comes primarily from the ever-existing horrors of humans and their multifaceted existence. This grim truth of humanity mostly lies under layers of darkness, fueled by misogyny, ignorance, apatheticness, and the need for conformity. Anyone who dares to defy these societal expectations is either brainwashed into belief or are simply in need of “healing”; this is certainly the case for the women who disobey. They are apparently victims of a supernatural sickness that drives women with the ability to enter and interact with the spiritual realm mad. This sickness, that is labelled in the book as “Veil sickness”, effects the violet-eyed women driving them to either defy the order and rules of the cult-like Royal Speaker Society or their connected families. These women, who we are told are increasing in number, are sent to a specialist Sanitorium meant to correct and “treat” these ladies who step out of line, molding them into perfect wives and mother’s who will eagerly raise the next generation of Speakers. If the already well-established existence of potent misogyny isn’t enough to make you uncomfortable, I can assure you that there is plenty more to this story.
Other subjects heavily explored in this novel are the trans, queer, and neurodiverse experiences. The main character, Silas, is a transgender, pansexual, autistic man and my heart ached and bled for him. Reading his story was just heart-wrenching and I really do relate to him on a great many things: his neurodiversity, his fear, his anxiety, and his constant self-doubt that is forever bundled within his chest, mentally pictured and mentioned as the “the rabbit” who insistently whispers sceptical, dismal words into Silas’ ear. His life and his strugggles are vividly described to us and it’s one of the deepest explorations of otherness that I’ve ever read. Silas had me hooked from the start and I was behind him all the way. Furthermore, the novel features other examples of queer and neurodivergent characters and the representation was genuinely immaculate. Plus, as someone who isn’t trans, I found delving into Silas’ and AJW’s mind to experience the bleeding, raw, gaping wound of not belonging in the body that you were born into, so informative and powerful.
As I’ve already stated before, big trigger warnings for this book! The themes explored in this book are probably the most I’ve ever had listed for a book. AJW didn’t shy away from a number of taboo, difficult to stomach subjects, but the articulation of these horrific themes was incredible. This book is laced with violence, injustice, rage, and mania... there wasn’t a single second where I felt that White had held back. He unapologetically and ruthlessly writes about the darkness of this world, a world which was heavily inspired by the painful realities of Victorian England, leading you to everything from illegal experimentation, sexual assault, vivisections, abortions, and pedophilia. The gore in this novel is not only suggested, it is described in detail, and you have no choice but to read and understand and mourn for the awful grievances against these people who are seen as broken and delusional. This book will tear and claw at you with its potency, but the strength and power of these survivors with stitch you back together.
It’s an incredible book of horror, but also of love and understanding. The connection and “found-family” aspect of the final characters is so heartwarming in the most bittersweet way. United through their difference and their insistence to survive a world that has decided that they are wrong and sick and offensive. My heart will stay with these characters for a very long time.
In conclusion, I will 100% be reading AJW’s works again. He is an incredible writer and this story was beyond amazing, filled with lines and scenes that were disturbing and emotive. I most definitely won’t be forgetting this book, it’s just too memorable and haunting. I still can’t believe that this is labelled a YA novel though…
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Slavery
Graphic: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Abortion
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Blood
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Vomit, Death of parent, Colonisation
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, War
Graphic: Gore, Transphobia, Medical trauma
Moderate: Rape, Abortion
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Torture, Pregnancy
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Lesbophobia
This is ultimately a story of triumph, of self-acceptance, and of finding your family. While being an incredible story with so much richness, and true horror, both real and paranormal, it is extremely heavy when it comes to LGBTQIA+ and women's rights and how they were treated in this era. This isn't a book for the faint of heart, even though it does have a happy ending.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Dysphoria
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy