Scan barcode
alma_g's review
2.0
Um. This was terribly disappointing. Did I hate it, no. Did I like it? Also no. There’s nothing worse than a book that leaves you ambivalent. Whatever I was hoping for, this just wasn’t it. I’ve read many disturbing books over the years, so it wasn’t the content, it was the execution. Just messy and incomplete. You can’t have a ghost story which is what Lina becomes, disembodied, and then what? Just leave the section on her in mid air, with her just floating around for all of eternity?
emillyrw's review
Could not stand to read part 2 from the perspective of the doctor. It gave me an icky feeling to read the first few chapters of this perspective.
jade_smith's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book was disgusting. Sick to your stomach, edge of your seat kinds of disgusting. "Exquisite Corpse" follows a young woman, Lena, who dies of tuberculosis and a doctor who, driven by obsession over her beauty, attempts to preserve and resurrect her corpse.
Thematically, this book was an incredibly powerful exploration of bodily autonomy, consent, and the entitlement men feel toward women and their bodies. The four sections (each with a different POV) were of varying strength, with the best being Part III, from the voice of Lena's ghost. It was visceral, skin-deep, body horror, grounded perfectly in the reality. Part II from the POV of Dr Dance was at times perhaps a bit cartoonishly villainous, but also... I one-hundred percent bought it. I didn't struggle to believe in this man's deluded and single minded obsession with this young woman, and Peričić never strayed so far as to break the suspension of disbelief.
And that's the thing. There's no part of this book that I had trouble believing. Loosely based on a real life case, "Exquisite Corpse" feels like the kind of story that would be told in a true crime podcast, and indeed -- a core theme of this novel is how the exploitation of victim's bodies is interpreted, reinterpreted, and narrativised by the public. The romanticisation of male violence and entitlement, and the tendency of spectators to reinvent the victim as a "lover" is something that's prolific both in fiction and real life.
Uncomfortable. Disgusting. Thought-provoking. This is worth a read.
Thematically, this book was an incredibly powerful exploration of bodily autonomy, consent, and the entitlement men feel toward women and their bodies. The four sections (each with a different POV) were of varying strength, with the best being Part III, from the voice of Lena's ghost. It was visceral, skin-deep, body horror, grounded perfectly in the reality. Part II from the POV of Dr Dance was at times perhaps a bit cartoonishly villainous, but also... I one-hundred percent bought it. I didn't struggle to believe in this man's deluded and single minded obsession with this young woman, and Peričić never strayed so far as to break the suspension of disbelief.
And that's the thing. There's no part of this book that I had trouble believing. Loosely based on a real life case, "Exquisite Corpse" feels like the kind of story that would be told in a true crime podcast, and indeed -- a core theme of this novel is how the exploitation of victim's bodies is interpreted, reinterpreted, and narrativised by the public. The romanticisation of male violence and entitlement, and the tendency of spectators to reinvent the victim as a "lover" is something that's prolific both in fiction and real life.
Uncomfortable. Disgusting. Thought-provoking. This is worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Vomit
littlelostlamb's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
pearlbambi's review
4.5
Loved it! Felt so sick when I found out that this was inspired by a true story. It is uncomfortable but so captivating especially with the 4 POVs.
cornsyrup's review
3.5
I didn't know what to expect going into this book, was delightfully surprised by how creepy and grotesque things got! I loved the different PoVs as well to see things from all angles, and get inside the heads of everyone involved.
Points are deducted because it ended so suddenly (I actually turned the page expecting an epilogue or something, it seemed to cut off right in the middle of a thought) and because it stuck so rigidly to the real life events inspiring the story. If you're going to keep the actual events the same without changing anything of importance, why not just make the characters the same as well?
Points are deducted because it ended so suddenly (I actually turned the page expecting an epilogue or something, it seemed to cut off right in the middle of a thought) and because it stuck so rigidly to the real life events inspiring the story. If you're going to keep the actual events the same without changing anything of importance, why not just make the characters the same as well?
aced_pages's review
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
4.0
el_36's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
tcmriddles's review
5.0
Horrifying and hauntingly sad (especially because it’s based on a true story) but also incredibly well written and I loved how each of the four characters got their own section in the book.