Scan barcode
A review by saccharinewoe
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
"i have to keep my boyhood safe. i have to keep it hidden, deep in my chest where nobody else can have it."
as someone that is afab and struggles with their identity/presentation, this book was deeply painful at times because of how real it is but that's exactly why it's so so important and so needed. to see i'm not alone in how i feel is so comforting yet so terribly sad to think about. to think i still live in a country that perpetuates the archaic norms that are rife in this and that i, too, have to find ways to survive like silas did. the way misogyny is targetted towards anyone with even a proximity to womanhood... god it's the most horrifying thing in this book. i can't speak for the autistic experience that is laid out with so much heart in this but i know that this, too, was so so needed. but also on a less serious note, i fuck so heavily with the medical horror, murder mystery and historical and paranormal aspects of this lol. the writing was so gripping that i found it physically difficult to put down... there were so many elements lovingly crafted into this and they worked so well together. this was really fantastic and i'll be thinking about it for a long time. i'm really glad this exists and comes from a voice that understands.
as someone that is afab and struggles with their identity/presentation, this book was deeply painful at times because of how real it is but that's exactly why it's so so important and so needed. to see i'm not alone in how i feel is so comforting yet so terribly sad to think about. to think i still live in a country that perpetuates the archaic norms that are rife in this and that i, too, have to find ways to survive like silas did. the way misogyny is targetted towards anyone with even a proximity to womanhood... god it's the most horrifying thing in this book. i can't speak for the autistic experience that is laid out with so much heart in this but i know that this, too, was so so needed. but also on a less serious note, i fuck so heavily with the medical horror, murder mystery and historical and paranormal aspects of this lol. the writing was so gripping that i found it physically difficult to put down... there were so many elements lovingly crafted into this and they worked so well together. this was really fantastic and i'll be thinking about it for a long time. i'm really glad this exists and comes from a voice that understands.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Abortion, Ableism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia and Sexual harassment