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Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Outing, Dysphoria
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Outing, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Vomit
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Classism
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dysphoria
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Outing
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Deadnaming, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Outing
Andrew Joseph White’s prose is SO addicting! He really knows how to captivate his audience with scene building and character depictions and developments.
The autism representation is phenomenal, probably the best I’ve ever read. If you’re autistic/neurodivergent, TSBIT will make you feel accurately represented. So many of Silas’ internal thoughts hit close to home, but in a good way.
Please note that this is a VERY gory horror book. It is definitely hard to stomach. There are a lot of trigger warnings that should be kept in mind. Either way, it is a masterpiece that deserves all of the praise!!
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt
THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH is about a trans boy who is institutionalized for "Veil sickness", a condition which is basically a supernatural version of hysteria, itself a historical catch-all term for "that person we think is a woman isn't doing what we think she ought to do and we want it to stop". What's unique about Veil sickness as opposed to hysteria is that it specifically applies to people with violet eyes, a mark of those who can contact departed spirits. Violet-eyed British men are channeled and constrained by a strict social hierarchy and a physical mark that they are following the socially approved path of a Speaker. Silas is not a girl, he's an autistic trans boy whose interest in anything unfeminine is a threat to the Speakers' power. THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH focuses on Silas as both trans and autistic, as well as times when he meets people who are one or the other but not both. These experiences help him parse the ways that these two facets of himself are so intertwined for him but are not necessarily linked for other people. He deals with an intersection of transphobia, misogyny, and ableism, as the times when he is dismissed for not following the social path of a woman can be inseparable from dismissal of him as an autistic person or not understanding the overwhelmingly allistic social hierarchy and assumptions. Trapped at the institution with few connections to the outside, Silas must try to figure out what's happening to the girls who disappear, and who he can trust to get answers.
As a nonbinary trans person, this was a hard book to read due to some overlaps with my personal experiences (thankfully not at the level of an actual horror novel such as this). I read it in large sections, taking a few days in between each to process and prepare myself for the next part. I'm very glad I read it and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror, especially medical horror (which features heavily). If you would prefer something more apocalyptic and less medical but are otherwise interested in themes of body horror and transphobia, I suggest reading Andrew's debut novel, HELL FOLLOWED WITH US.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Outing
Minor: Miscarriage, Slavery, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Colonisation
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism