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samohtj's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
1.25
I wanted very badly for this book to be good. I am aware of the vast difference of opinion regarding Eric Larocca's work, and I wanted to believe it was all overblown that it couldn't be that bad. (Also, because I got a few of his short story collections on discount, but not enough of a discount for them to suck, knowwhatimean).
Folks, this book was not good. From the first chapters, I was frustrated and disappointed with all kinds of decisions the author was making. The best way I can describe it is Cringe in an unhelpful way. So many times, I paused my audiobook to rant to no-one, or to simply exclaim "Stupid!" to my empty car. Characters constantly took out-of-pocket or ridiculous steps, accomplishing nothing but inching them towards the contrived conclusion on which the author had already decided.
It wasn't just the plot or the characters – the prose pissed me off at many points as well. Metaphors that sound nice but make no sense, bizarre internal tangents that make NO sense, and an incomprehensible confluence of themes that don't seem to have any coherent connection. Is this book about grief? Hubris? Self-hatred? Homophobia? Mommy issues? Impossible to say.
So many things are included that lead nowhere. One entire narrative string is abruptly dry-erased away in the last act, making me feel like I wasted my time, especially since that was the arc with all the graphic homophobia and SA. Add the fact the villain seemed to dress like satanic Willy Wonka while arousing absolutely zero suspicion in this small suburban town IN THE 90s, and the YouTube-anime-dub performance of the narrator, I did not enjoy one thing about this book. Poo.
Folks, this book was not good. From the first chapters, I was frustrated and disappointed with all kinds of decisions the author was making. The best way I can describe it is Cringe in an unhelpful way. So many times, I paused my audiobook to rant to no-one, or to simply exclaim "Stupid!" to my empty car. Characters constantly took out-of-pocket or ridiculous steps, accomplishing nothing but inching them towards the contrived conclusion on which the author had already decided.
It wasn't just the plot or the characters – the prose pissed me off at many points as well. Metaphors that sound nice but make no sense, bizarre internal tangents that make NO sense, and an incomprehensible confluence of themes that don't seem to have any coherent connection. Is this book about grief? Hubris? Self-hatred? Homophobia? Mommy issues? Impossible to say.
So many things are included that lead nowhere. One entire narrative string is abruptly dry-erased away in the last act, making me feel like I wasted my time, especially since that was the arc with all the graphic homophobia and SA. Add the fact the villain seemed to dress like satanic Willy Wonka while arousing absolutely zero suspicion in this small suburban town IN THE 90s, and the YouTube-anime-dub performance of the narrator, I did not enjoy one thing about this book. Poo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Excrement, and Kidnapping
nightoscphere's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
0.25
............ okay so, i get the low ratings!
im sorry but u cant put on the ryan murphy wig and be shocked when u r treated like ryan murphy! reading this book was giving me flashbacks to seeing my sister & mom watch ahs: asylum in the way that i witnessed a queer writer tortue their queer character bc of their queerness. except that character actually had a three dimensional personality and was vital to the plot. malik and his husband? are Not!
i get that (as ive gleamed from ppl who enjoyed the book/the writer) the violence isnt an endorsement, that it's kind of like a takedown of "what doesnt kill you makes a stronger" bc what doesnt kill you just.... irrevocably scars u physically and mentally for life. u arent stronger for living through the worst shit imaginable, ur just a person who now has to figure out how to keep on living. or maybe it's more about the place of god and humanity — how it's fellow humans who are the arbiters of good and evil, of devils and angels, of who gets deliverance and who gets cast to hell. but that all falls apart to me when it comes to the characterization of malik.
ive seen some ppl comment on how real the characters are, how complex both leads are allowed to be — but i object on the account of malik. i get why ghost is the way he is, i even get heart though we never read his pov, but malik? a muslim, queer, small town cop? is reduced to these factors and not even in any sort of interesting way.
i assume that malik is a person of colour, but that's solely bc of his name and background. bc race is not mentioned directly or inadvertently *at all* in this gook. and im not expecting a white author to unpack the nuances of racism, but to ham over the head how disability, faith, and queerness colour these leads lives.... but race is just? a nonfactor? to have a muslim character with a name like naseem malik that acknowledges his queerness, acknowledges his upbringing, (kind of) acknowledges his relationship to islam, but not race? ESPECIALLY in a small town? as a COP!!? in BIG TWENTY TWENTY THREE?!? like... even if he IS white, would he not have some sort of story about the preconceived notions his name holds?!? like?!? NOT EVEN ONCE?!!! im sorry but I CALL BULLSHIT'
it would be one thing if malik and his husband had gone through these horrors and we had been let into their interiority... but we dont. ghost is given so much. even HEART is given a layered backstory. but what do we know about malik beyond his identity? his parents died young? he was raised by his loving grandparents? hes... angry? okay... what else?
i can say heart had his suits, his way with words, his musings on creator vs creation. ghost had tangible grief, had a spiritual embodiment of his worst thoughts, had an unwanted solitude that coloured his every move. but malik? was just a gay, muslim, cop, who was a victim of the absolute worse of bigotry. and so was his husband. and then they just.... get a magic memory wipe from GOD (YES ACTUAL GOD) and live happily ever after?!?!
which yes, was granted SOLELY bc GHOST asked for it but. that's it. thats all. malik doesnt have a role in the mysterious disappearances, or connects with any of the named characters or has anything to do at all with the magic of the story beyond being a worthy but random benefactor of a miracle! which may have been the point but it's a stupid point!
i tried this out bc i like certain cosmic horror stories (im a nope (2022) and archive81 audio drama supremacist after all), but not in this fashion. especially not when meaningless violence is at the heart of it. even if the meaning in the meaningless violence is that this shit IS meaningless/overkill, that simply bores me. anyone can torture some gays!! but a the very LEAST explore the interiority of ALL your leads, ESPECIALLY your (assumed) leads of colour! dont reduce them to plot devices and get shocked when ppl r mad they're reduced to plot devices! esp when treated so violently like.... ur gonna have haters! embrace the girls n gays who got it and if u want a wider readership, then learn from the girls n gays who didnt!
bc again..... ur a muslim cop in a small city and that niche experience doesnt come up in his thoughts ONCE?!?! or, they bring up malik not wanting to be a father — okay then DEVELOP THAT HELLO?!? it wouldve been an interesting link with heart's whole creator/creation obsession!! and malik + his husband werent able to be useful in this plot beyond being saved by god?!? like they couldnt have been like... idk... really into solving the mystery? being like "no one cares to solve our case so the least we can do is solve theirs??" like im fine with never understanding god or what tf the wraith is/why its there or how heart even got his power — but to give malik so little?!?!? despite being the second pov?!? just sickens me like...... yeah okay whatever! whatever! im moving on!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, and Abandonment
nightwideopen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
schuster_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"Just because you create something doesn't mean you have to take care of it."
This book has been clawing at me for a while now. I have read a few of Eric LaRocca's works and have been impressed by what he can do with ghastly body horror in a way that is still enticing but not weak. Although this book still made me uncomfortable, it wasn't pointless. The dread I felt every time the perspective shifted to Heart Crowley made my stomach churn. The heartbreak for Malik and Brett.
This book takes place in New England, in a quiet town when lonely people have started to go missing. A widower named Ghost mourns the recent death of his wife and is fighting back debt collectors. A gay couple move into a house, only to be met with hostility by the neighborhood. This horrific novel brings to light the nastiness of the world and the desires of the heart.
I burned through this book partially because of its length, partially because I bought it on vacation and have other books to get through. But also, I really wanted to get to the end. In a way, the ending felt weird, like LaRocca did a quick wrap up after a messy third quarter. Overall, I think there were a lot of literary devices used, and the metaphors and similes were /almost/ a bit too much. I liked the disturbing tale and am always happy to find someone who can make me feel the dread and horror without being too disgusting.
I will be reading more LaRocca in the future.
This book has been clawing at me for a while now. I have read a few of Eric LaRocca's works and have been impressed by what he can do with ghastly body horror in a way that is still enticing but not weak. Although this book still made me uncomfortable, it wasn't pointless. The dread I felt every time the perspective shifted to Heart Crowley made my stomach churn. The heartbreak for Malik and Brett.
This book takes place in New England, in a quiet town when lonely people have started to go missing. A widower named Ghost mourns the recent death of his wife and is fighting back debt collectors. A gay couple move into a house, only to be met with hostility by the neighborhood. This horrific novel brings to light the nastiness of the world and the desires of the heart.
I burned through this book partially because of its length, partially because I bought it on vacation and have other books to get through. But also, I really wanted to get to the end. In a way, the ending felt weird, like LaRocca did a quick wrap up after a messy third quarter. Overall, I think there were a lot of literary devices used, and the metaphors and similes were /almost/ a bit too much. I liked the disturbing tale and am always happy to find someone who can make me feel the dread and horror without being too disgusting.
I will be reading more LaRocca in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Torture, Excrement, and Islamophobia
aftersuns_'s review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I had a lot of hope for this book but it was incredibly disappointing, not to mention overly graphic.
His writing style is incredibly disjointed and there are plot holes everywhere. I had to go back and read certain parts because one scene would be completely different than how it was supposedly set up with no explanation of how things moved along.
Mostly, I truly hated how unnecessarily graphic it was with specific scenes. ***Trigger Warning*** but there was absolutely no need for a rape scene to be thrown in and then completely disregarded by basically retconning it in the last 10 pages.
The MC's are just... pathetic and make the most ridiculous, poorly thought out choices. There is no good plot development whatsoever. It's two storylines running parallel that seem to crash into one another with no rhyme or reason.
Overall, it feels cheap, poorly thoughtout, poorly executed, rushed, and an excuse to live out the experience of being hate crimed.
His writing style is incredibly disjointed and there are plot holes everywhere. I had to go back and read certain parts because one scene would be completely different than how it was supposedly set up with no explanation of how things moved along.
Mostly, I truly hated how unnecessarily graphic it was with specific scenes. ***Trigger Warning*** but there was absolutely no need for a rape scene to be thrown in and then completely disregarded by basically retconning it in the last 10 pages.
The MC's are just... pathetic and make the most ridiculous, poorly thought out choices. There is no good plot development whatsoever. It's two storylines running parallel that seem to crash into one another with no rhyme or reason.
Overall, it feels cheap, poorly thoughtout, poorly executed, rushed, and an excuse to live out the experience of being hate crimed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Drug use, and Excrement
whatwasmissing's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
was not expecting this to run the full gamut of content warnings but there you go.
i quite liked the slow build of the mystery in the first half, particularly the missing townsfolk and the charming devil.
the last 30% or so was so incredibly graphic that it was hard to get through. the resolution after that did feel pretty rushed.
i quite liked the slow build of the mystery in the first half, particularly the missing townsfolk and the charming devil.
the last 30% or so was so incredibly graphic that it was hard to get through. the resolution after that did feel pretty rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Excrement
There is an extended and extremely graphic homophobia-motivated gang rape scene that lasts through multiple chapters. This is revealed to be partly motivated bylibrarymouse's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book didn't make much sense. So much of it was left unexplained and there was a lot of deeply confused religious piety paired with the desire to kill God. Poor execution in the storytelling conflated queerness and disability with monstrosity. At least I'm hoping it's poor execution of content and not intentional. Giving the bad guy AIDS was ... a choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism and Kidnapping
Minor: Excrement, Police brutality, and Islamophobia
emmonsannae's review against another edition
This started as a normal badly written book and turned into something genuinely vile. I normally hate to leave even a bad book unfinished, but I felt a real urge to get this one physically far away from me. I need a shower for my brain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Excrement, and Religious bigotry
owlseyebooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.25
Most difficult to read SA I've ever seen.... I'm still trying to find words and get my mind right...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Excrement
jerusha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Grief