Reviews with content warning for Rape - Exquisite Corpse

Is it weird to say that this book was...beautiful? Terribly deranged, and so sick and twisted, but the writing was *chef's kiss*. Brite has such a way with language that even the most horrific descriptions read like poetry. If you are a logophile like myself, this book is a must-read. That being said, expect all of the triggers (except those about women--to be honest, there are few to no women characters in this book). Brite somehow makes you fall in love with all of the characters--flaws, sins, and all--in a way that keeps the story devastating and strong. While this book is about serial killers, it's also about the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s and how brutally it affected the queer community, and about the intimate lives and fears of the queer community of the time. This book will live on my shelf forever and will forever on be one of my favorites.

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myopicmars's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense

3.0

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shutupsylvia's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sincerelynkechi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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readerofdafuk's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Really solid book. Very disturbing and grotesque imagery that I was looking for in a horror novel.

The author just thought "what if Jeffrey Daumer and Dennis Nilson met up during the AIDS Epidemic"

A lot of themes of poisonous, tainted love with how the serial killers express love over dead bodies, how the gay community is viewed, and how gay lovers can literally be infected with AIDS.

A lot of commentary about AIDS and the impact it has, along with a bitter hollow ending that, well, matches the outlook a lot of gay men had back then.

This was a wonderful read, it ticked all the rights boxes for me

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pinkfloydtwisted's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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legere_libros's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In its gore, this book finds beauty. In its vulgarity, this book finds honesty. In its rawness, this book finds meaning. There is something so blossomingly beautiful about "Exquisite Corpse" and the way it makes all its characters infinitely detestable and reluctantly enjoyable to read about. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, and my heart ached for Tran (only actually likeable character I fear) but there is definitely something profound here. I do think the beginning was maybe stronger than the end, which is largely tension and shock whereas I feel the beginning has more substance, and there are certain moments where the writing feels a bit clunky - I may have cringed a little when i saw "orbs" used fully unironically in a published work - but this is definitely a sure add to the "disturbing social commentaries" book iceberg.

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