lyleb's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chadh878's review
4.0
Super happy that there is a queer coming of age horror story! At points I felt like I could relate to Heath in how he felt! Will def be reading more by Dries!
ljvalentine's review
4.0
A queer coming-of-age story nestled in a grizzly tale of cosmic horror. My heart feels so heavy after reading this. The writing style was so gorgeous and poetic, this one is going to stick with me for a while.
wenzy's review
4.0
Okay, so I really try not to judge a book by its cover but when I saw this I knew I had to have it and read it! And boy was I right! Read this in a couple of hours while riding in a car, this story follows a young adult, Heath, recounting his life from a teenager up until the present showcasing a troubled family life involving the disappearance of his father, school bullying, and discovering one’s sexual identity. On top of all that, he feels an inexplicable connection to the disappearance of his father and things get really…strange. The chapters are numbered in reverse order as a countdown that we know where it leads but is still all the more dread inducing. There’s some nice 90s nostalgia and sweet moments but it’s a terribly sad coming-of-age story. There’s a moment in here where Heath is praying desperately to God asking him to not make him gay and you really just want to grab him and tell him it’s okay. It’s short and tragic, cosmic and disorienting, and never quite explains how truly everything started. It doesn’t have to though and I won’t say too much either. Go and read it for yourself!
anxietyprime's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
cordelia03's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
zea_d_writing's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this novella!
The writing is crisp and visual. The Y2K setting gives the story an apocalyptic sense of nostalgia while the chapter count down does an amazing job of building tension and dread.
But I think what really makes this story is how cosmic horror is used to tell it. There are two stories being told in this novella: the reality that is happening around the main character and the cosmic horror story that the main character’s point of view is telling us.
The reality of what is happening is told through secondary character dialogue, actions, and interactions with the main character, along with context clues given to us by the main character’s story.
The main character’s story of realizing he’s gay and how the fear and shame of that realization births a monster lurking in the shadows of his life. And much like how kids blame themselves for their parents divorcing, that monster grows in presence and strength as the family struggles and the main character insists it’s all his fault. And as events unfold we see the main character shouldering the guilt and blame for this monster despite the realization that the monster is not of his making, something that becomes obvious as it destroys the entire family.
The cosmic horror is a way for the main character to view his trauma through a lens he can understand and control.
It’s a brilliantly written story. I’m definitely reading more from this author soon!
The writing is crisp and visual. The Y2K setting gives the story an apocalyptic sense of nostalgia while the chapter count down does an amazing job of building tension and dread.
But I think what really makes this story is how cosmic horror is used to tell it. There are two stories being told in this novella: the reality that is happening around the main character and the cosmic horror story that the main character’s point of view is telling us.
The reality of what is happening is told through secondary character dialogue, actions, and interactions with the main character, along with context clues given to us by the main character’s story.
The main character’s story of realizing he’s gay and how the fear and shame of that realization births a monster lurking in the shadows of his life. And much like how kids blame themselves for their parents divorcing, that monster grows in presence and strength as the family struggles and the main character insists it’s all his fault. And as events unfold we see the main character shouldering the guilt and blame for this monster despite the realization that the monster is not of his making, something that becomes obvious as it destroys the entire family.
The cosmic horror is a way for the main character to view his trauma through a lens he can understand and control.
It’s a brilliantly written story. I’m definitely reading more from this author soon!
rocio_voncina's review
2.0
Titulo: Dirty Heads
Autor: Aaron Dries
Año publicado: 2021
Motivo de lectura: -
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Ingles
Puntuacion: 2/5
Veamos..por donde empezar?
Este libro es por de mas extraño, a medida que se avanza en la lectura no queda claro de que va, y eso se mantiene hasta por lo menos el 70% de la lectura.
Senti que era algo similar a cuando una persona te cuenta una situacion complicada que vivio, y si no fuiste testigo de eso..puede ser dificil entender ciertas situaciones..
La historia per se es confusa, no hay realmente indicios de que esta ocurriendo, como lector no sabes si esto es terror, terror psicologico, body horror, una maldita metafora o simplemente algo que Heath (el protagonista) simplemente imagino.
La construccion de personajes es casi nula, el desarrollo de los personajes queda practicamente eclipsado por una trama estancada en un gran porcentaje del libro. Desearia que los autores entendieran que poner accion en las ultimas paginas de un libro no alcanza para compensar una trama lenta, ya que la unica sensacion como lector es que todo se siente abrupto.
Las dos estrellas es porque la prosa de Dries es muy buena, de verdad puede escribir, pero en esta primera experiencia con este autor senti que no manejo bien el ritmo de la trama.
Al final del libro, en la parte de agradecimientos/notas alguien llama al autor "Aaron Dries, el Edgar Allen Poe australiano"...
Autor: Aaron Dries
Año publicado: 2021
Motivo de lectura: -
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Ingles
Puntuacion: 2/5
Veamos..por donde empezar?
Este libro es por de mas extraño, a medida que se avanza en la lectura no queda claro de que va, y eso se mantiene hasta por lo menos el 70% de la lectura.
Senti que era algo similar a cuando una persona te cuenta una situacion complicada que vivio, y si no fuiste testigo de eso..puede ser dificil entender ciertas situaciones..
La historia per se es confusa, no hay realmente indicios de que esta ocurriendo, como lector no sabes si esto es terror, terror psicologico, body horror, una maldita metafora o simplemente algo que Heath (el protagonista) simplemente imagino.
La construccion de personajes es casi nula, el desarrollo de los personajes queda practicamente eclipsado por una trama estancada en un gran porcentaje del libro. Desearia que los autores entendieran que poner accion en las ultimas paginas de un libro no alcanza para compensar una trama lenta, ya que la unica sensacion como lector es que todo se siente abrupto.
Las dos estrellas es porque la prosa de Dries es muy buena, de verdad puede escribir, pero en esta primera experiencia con este autor senti que no manejo bien el ritmo de la trama.
Al final del libro, en la parte de agradecimientos/notas alguien llama al autor "Aaron Dries, el Edgar Allen Poe australiano"...
millawi's review against another edition
4.5
This would have been a 5 star read if it weren't for the monster's perspective. Those passages became repetitive and pretentious. To some extent I get that's kind of point, but it was a bit overdone. They still added to the story and overall setting, but they could have been better.
As for the rest of the book: amazing! Just the right amount of gore to get the point across, effective imagery and beautiful language. Things in the story make sense even when the events themselves are absurd.
"It's infuriating how people can read the hurt in me at a distance, tracing the rise and fall of my scars with eyes that won't meet my own."
As for the rest of the book: amazing! Just the right amount of gore to get the point across, effective imagery and beautiful language. Things in the story make sense even when the events themselves are absurd.
"It's infuriating how people can read the hurt in me at a distance, tracing the rise and fall of my scars with eyes that won't meet my own."