rvlgonzalez's review
Good! Interesting! Well done horror and well done book, imo. I liked the meta bits where bits where Demchuk was a character and talked about the history of queerness in horror.
chaotic_rowan's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
thomwallacern's review
5.0
GEEZUS, THIS IS BOOK IS GOOD! Creepy af, seductive, grotesque. It's made grounded and "real" by Demchuk's addition of memoir throughout each section.
This one legit gave me creepy dreams. Which I greatly appreciate.
This one legit gave me creepy dreams. Which I greatly appreciate.
kirstinreviews's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It's a nice blend of reality and fantasy offering a good horror experience. It'd be interesting to see if this would ever get a sequel or be expanded upon.
shalot's review
4.0
I tabbed, hilighted and made margin notes in my physical copy. I love a book that makes me look for patterns and figure things out. David Demchuk's writing is still so so good after enjoying Bone Mother so much.
ljvalentine's review
5.0
Beautiful. Haunting. Intimate.
I went for a bath upon finishing just to reflect on it all. I wish I had the words to adequately describe how much I enjoyed this book. A stunning queer horror story that I cannot recommend enough.
I went for a bath upon finishing just to reflect on it all. I wish I had the words to adequately describe how much I enjoyed this book. A stunning queer horror story that I cannot recommend enough.
catbooking's review
3.0
The joy of forgetting why a book is on the TBR list!!
I want to start by saying this was the wrong time in my life to have picked this book up. I also want to add that I normally do not read horror. With the disclaimers out of the way, onto the review.
The first couple of chapters were great. I had all the chills and all the worries over the floor in the house creaking that one would expect from a horror book. However, after those couple of chapters things got less great. New characters were introduced that were kinda sort of connected to the overall story and old characters resurfaced but they did not feel like they were the same characters as before (Trevor and his diagnosis??!?!?) so they may as well have been new. With more characters the story became less focused more scattered and thus less impactful.
My other issue was the monster. At first, his behavior followed an expected set of rules which made him the perfect allegory for the dangers gay men faced simply for being gay. He was the scary thing that personified a physical threat when you meet a stranger for sex. He was the insidious poison that consumes you from within as AIDS would. But then, at about the halfway point, he started going after other people for the sin of merely existing in the same space as a gay person. Arguably one could say that both physical danger and AIDS is not limited to gay men, but then why focus on gay men at the start? If no one is safe than no one was ever safe.
I do not want to end this review without mentioning the sex. Maybe I am not the target audience but I often found myself wondering why the author felt the need to tell me about on character's long term relationship starting in a tub behind a gay bar during watersports. How did I benefit from this knowledge? Was it meant to shock me? Was it meant to highlight the promiscuous nature of gay men? Was it supposed to illustrate the danger inherent in so many casual liesons? Whatever the intent, eventually I quit worrying about their fates since they never appeared to be concerned about their own safety.
TL:DR for those who don't want to read my rant. Great start but fumbled the landing.
I want to start by saying this was the wrong time in my life to have picked this book up. I also want to add that I normally do not read horror. With the disclaimers out of the way, onto the review.
The first couple of chapters were great. I had all the chills and all the worries over the floor in the house creaking that one would expect from a horror book. However, after those couple of chapters things got less great. New characters were introduced that were kinda sort of connected to the overall story and old characters resurfaced but they did not feel like they were the same characters as before (Trevor and his diagnosis??!?!?) so they may as well have been new. With more characters the story became less focused more scattered and thus less impactful.
My other issue was the monster. At first, his behavior followed an expected set of rules which made him the perfect allegory for the dangers gay men faced simply for being gay. He was the scary thing that personified a physical threat when you meet a stranger for sex. He was the insidious poison that consumes you from within as AIDS would. But then, at about the halfway point, he started going after other people for the sin of merely existing in the same space as a gay person. Arguably one could say that both physical danger and AIDS is not limited to gay men, but then why focus on gay men at the start? If no one is safe than no one was ever safe.
I do not want to end this review without mentioning the sex. Maybe I am not the target audience but I often found myself wondering why the author felt the need to tell me about on character's long term relationship starting in a tub behind a gay bar during watersports. How did I benefit from this knowledge? Was it meant to shock me? Was it meant to highlight the promiscuous nature of gay men? Was it supposed to illustrate the danger inherent in so many casual liesons? Whatever the intent, eventually I quit worrying about their fates since they never appeared to be concerned about their own safety.
TL:DR for those who don't want to read my rant. Great start but fumbled the landing.
feelsnotbrains's review
5.0
Terrifically haunting. I just finished just now, and I'm still gripped by the ichor and gore and palpable grit and dirt that was thrown at me page after page this past week, the history that plummets through Toronto's cement and foundations. The dark queerness of the centuries and the stark, florid prose into which I want to tangle my fingers. Demchuk nailed the malaise of queer nightlife and routine whilst also marrying it to gothic, Celtic, haunting history. I could read a thousand such novels, just hopefully not by accidentally happening on a red book in the middle of my day ...
grimdreadful's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
The story follows different queer men who have gone missing over the decades starting in the 1980s. Mixed in are the authors' personal stories and history that blur the line between fiction and non-fiction. Equally horrifying and heartbreaking.
A very heavy read for me, I found myself tearing up more than once. I believe this is a very unique read that will make you feel things and stay with you for a long time. 100% must read. A mix of creepy folklore, crime, history, body horror, and symbolism.
A very heavy read for me, I found myself tearing up more than once. I believe this is a very unique read that will make you feel things and stay with you for a long time. 100% must read. A mix of creepy folklore, crime, history, body horror, and symbolism.
wyabook234's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Homophobia, and Hate crime
Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, and Sexual content