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raincorbyn's review against another edition
5.0
A difficult book to categorize or describe, but not to appreciate and enjoy.
Essays, stories, documents about voluntary amputation, dysmorphia, and body image. The tone is effectively flat and clinical, but unflinching, straddling a fictional Mary Roach mashed up with Chuck P.
I love how the narrative never really opines on its subjects. Is this horror, erotica, documentary, case study? That’s up to you. These people simply are, except of course that most of them are made up. Fascinating and fun. The narrator was perfect for the job - flat affect, pleasant but clinical, and almost unnoticeable.
I received a free copy of this book on audiobooksunleashed and have given my honest thoughts.
Essays, stories, documents about voluntary amputation, dysmorphia, and body image. The tone is effectively flat and clinical, but unflinching, straddling a fictional Mary Roach mashed up with Chuck P.
I love how the narrative never really opines on its subjects. Is this horror, erotica, documentary, case study? That’s up to you. These people simply are, except of course that most of them are made up. Fascinating and fun. The narrator was perfect for the job - flat affect, pleasant but clinical, and almost unnoticeable.
I received a free copy of this book on audiobooksunleashed and have given my honest thoughts.
alexisparade's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I would’ve loved this book when I was 17, but as an adult I mostly just rolled my eyes a lot. I saw that the author cites Chuck Palahniuk as a major influence, and it was just like…yeah…I can tell.
I also saw that the author did a 2019 interview where the host tried to bring up the fatphobia in the book - specifically the section where the author talks in first person about being disgusted by a man at her gym because he’s fat. It’s a pretty noticeably weird section in a book that’s ostensibly about amputation and challenging the desirability of different bodies etc etc. The author clearly wasn’t ready to be challenged on this point, but unfortunately the host seems nervous to actually push too hard about it, so it just ends up making for an exTREMEly uncomfortable ten minutes of podcast listening that left me pretty unimpressed with the author. It’s episode 18 of TheBodPod, time stamp ~38 minutes in if you’re interested.
I also saw that the author did a 2019 interview where the host tried to bring up the fatphobia in the book - specifically the section where the author talks in first person about being disgusted by a man at her gym because he’s fat. It’s a pretty noticeably weird section in a book that’s ostensibly about amputation and challenging the desirability of different bodies etc etc. The author clearly wasn’t ready to be challenged on this point, but unfortunately the host seems nervous to actually push too hard about it, so it just ends up making for an exTREMEly uncomfortable ten minutes of podcast listening that left me pretty unimpressed with the author. It’s episode 18 of TheBodPod, time stamp ~38 minutes in if you’re interested.
morbid's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
smurphari's review against another edition
5.0
I devoured this. Could not put it down.
As a Chuck Palahniuk fan, Headcheese scratched that itch for something grotesque somehow made more familiar and normal by the context of the world of the book. Even the format of how the story unfolds is refreshing - I've never read anything like it.
The author's research skills and dedication to doing justice to the subject matter really shine through. It also makes a unique gift for the right crowd. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
As a Chuck Palahniuk fan, Headcheese scratched that itch for something grotesque somehow made more familiar and normal by the context of the world of the book. Even the format of how the story unfolds is refreshing - I've never read anything like it.
The author's research skills and dedication to doing justice to the subject matter really shine through. It also makes a unique gift for the right crowd. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
4.0
This might sound weird, but I was 100% nodding along with a sense of, "I don't sympathize but I can at least understand these feelings" -- UNTIL about page 230, where the single mention of miscarriage and abortion happens, and it's contextualized as being part of the woman (subtext: just like a limb that all these characters want to amputate!). And, sure, sometimes that's a feeling, but it's not universal (or postpartum would be universal), and it's certainly not something all women have to "ignore" or "talk themselves out of feeling" if they choose to abort. So, I had a problem with that (especially since this is a book about people who have different ideas about their bodies than what is considered normal).
Anyway, other than that very small quibble, I enjoyed this book. I wish Hagemann wouldn't be compared to Palahniuk (though how could she not be since he was first -- but in this case, it's not just that, but also "she's a female version! Women can have these thoughts!").
I read it after my boyfriend, who seemed much more disturbed than I was (though he can watch all sorts of horror movies, violently graphic, without much flinching; I end up looking off to the side of the screen) -- which probably says something about us and not so much about the book.
Anyway, other than that very small quibble, I enjoyed this book. I wish Hagemann wouldn't be compared to Palahniuk (though how could she not be since he was first -- but in this case, it's not just that, but also "she's a female version! Women can have these thoughts!").
I read it after my boyfriend, who seemed much more disturbed than I was (though he can watch all sorts of horror movies, violently graphic, without much flinching; I end up looking off to the side of the screen) -- which probably says something about us and not so much about the book.
bookcadaver's review against another edition
4.0
HeadCheese is probably going to be the hardest book I’ll ever choose to review. I don’t even have a clue where to begin. I only recently found out about the book, two sentences into the blurb and I knew I had to get this.
I love weird, bizarre, gross, fetishy books, and this book hit literally every point I was looking for. The writing is unreliable, it's got a nonsense approach to how the...book plays out, it felt like I was reading one of my fever dreams.
There’s a large cast of characters listed before you begin the book, which was incredibly helpful when reading because I probably skipped back to that list over fifty times, trying to remember who was who & who did what. There’s a few ‘main’ characters throughout the book who were easily memorable, but the whole cast brought something to the book, and connected to the story in important ways.
I found Headcheese to also be very informative. Yes, I was reading about amputee fetishists, cannibals, war veterans with PTSD, but there were chapters that were non-fiction, which also included footnotes at the bottom of the page, which I was using very frequently to research on my own. (For example, I’ve not shut up for the past day about Miracle Mike, who was a headless chicken that survived for 18 months without its head. I now know more chickens that I did yesterday)
There were also so many references to real life crimes that were committed, Horror movie references (They even used Lost River as a reference, which I barely ever see being spoken about), quotes taken from a popular fetish website that's used by thousands. They mingled in so well with that arcs of the characters, and never felt unneeded.
I have never read something so weird, fascinating and intriguing before. There is also art scattered throughout the book, which was absolutely gorgeous, and helps readers picture what Hagemann was trying to create with their writing.
Headcheese is engrossing, it’s confusing, strange...I could probably give several examples of how much this book left me in a trance from start to finish. It’s filthy, factual and was an absolute blast to read.
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I love weird, bizarre, gross, fetishy books, and this book hit literally every point I was looking for. The writing is unreliable, it's got a nonsense approach to how the...book plays out, it felt like I was reading one of my fever dreams.
There’s a large cast of characters listed before you begin the book, which was incredibly helpful when reading because I probably skipped back to that list over fifty times, trying to remember who was who & who did what. There’s a few ‘main’ characters throughout the book who were easily memorable, but the whole cast brought something to the book, and connected to the story in important ways.
I found Headcheese to also be very informative. Yes, I was reading about amputee fetishists, cannibals, war veterans with PTSD, but there were chapters that were non-fiction, which also included footnotes at the bottom of the page, which I was using very frequently to research on my own. (For example, I’ve not shut up for the past day about Miracle Mike, who was a headless chicken that survived for 18 months without its head. I now know more chickens that I did yesterday)
There were also so many references to real life crimes that were committed, Horror movie references (They even used Lost River as a reference, which I barely ever see being spoken about), quotes taken from a popular fetish website that's used by thousands. They mingled in so well with that arcs of the characters, and never felt unneeded.
I have never read something so weird, fascinating and intriguing before. There is also art scattered throughout the book, which was absolutely gorgeous, and helps readers picture what Hagemann was trying to create with their writing.
Headcheese is engrossing, it’s confusing, strange...I could probably give several examples of how much this book left me in a trance from start to finish. It’s filthy, factual and was an absolute blast to read.
TWITTER | BLOG | INSTA
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