canonicallychaotic's review
3.0
“that was what coming out felt like, euphoria coupled with angst. you were actualizing a part of yourself to the world while inviting rejection and condemnation.”
➳ thank you to the author, jared dixon, for providing a free e-copy of corrupted: the truth shall be the nail in your coffin in exchange for an honest review.
reading about religious trauma is always a little hard for me. it’s frustrating that hatred can be based on something that should be full of hope and love. it’s frustrating when queerness is described as a choice. it’s frustrating when suppression runs so deep. but i wanted to take a chance on this book since it was written by a survivor of conversion therapy, so i knew it would be written with nuance in that respect.
unfortunately, i did not enjoy this book that much. i found it confusing to read. there were many points of view, and so many characters and alternate identities that it became hard to keep them all from getting tangled. the characters themselves were all incredibly messy people. i didn’t know who to root for. i cared the most about jerry, and went in thinking this would be his story. but his story just one of several. sure they all tangle and cross, but it confused me more then anything. it could be chalked up to the fact that i read this over a week with some days i didn’t pick it up at all, but honestly i wasn’t hooked enough to want to read it quickly.
also is it weird to say i was kind of disappointed in the murder plot?? because i was disappointed in the murder plot.
content warnings: conversion therapy and other religious related homophobia, eating disorder (bulimia), familial death, sexual content, infidelity, rape (not graphic), sex trafficking, murder (not graphic), suicide attempt
cassidee_omnilegent's review
4.0
What a powerful novel! Thank you to Jared Dixon for a copy of Corrupted: the Truth Shall be the Nail in Your Coffin. This novel has a cast of characters, but most noticeably, follows Jerry. Jerry is a gay man living in New York but when circumstances land him back into small town life, he finds himself falling back into his eating disorder and dealing with the dysfunctional families surrounding him. This novel has a huge focus on the LGBTQ+ community and the conversion therapies enforced through churches and family members. It was such a heart-wrenching book. I think it excellently highlights the way people grapple with their faith, especially when that faith is at odds with who they are as a person. There’s tenderness and compassion in some of our characters and there is evil done in the name of God in some of our other characters. This emotional debut has suspense, thought provoking awareness, melancholy, and a deep look at trauma. Thank you so much for sharing this book with us, Jared! The writing was smooth and the storyline was fast faced even though it deals with tough subjects.
ryan_the_reader's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
spaceonthebookcase's review
3.0
Corrupted: The Truth Shall Be the Nail in Your Coffin by Jared Dixon
I want to first give a shout-out to author Jared Dixon for sharing a copy of your book with me.
TWs: Rape, Abuse, Conversion Therapy, Suicide & Eating Disorder
Have you ever had life start happen and you want to just turn it off because attending to the situation means putting the book down? Well that was my experience reading this book. The story of Jerry was very raw, intense and gritty and immediately captured my attention. This book has a lot of characters to keep track of but it gave you a bit of everyone…those you love, those you hate and those you liked and then hated.
The author writes a story with a lot of heaviness and intensity. The trauma of conversation therapy and the lasting impact it has is a constant. As someone who didn’t know a lot about this before I read the book, I appreciated the information.
For a debut novel I don’t expect perfection and though well written, had some errors here and there. I felt the plot was stronger in parts one and two while part three felt rushed and maybe things were done for the sake of them being done. The book also finishes with a cliff hanger and I’m not a huge fan of those. I do hope the story continues and I will definitely read it if it does.
I want to first give a shout-out to author Jared Dixon for sharing a copy of your book with me.
TWs: Rape, Abuse, Conversion Therapy, Suicide & Eating Disorder
Have you ever had life start happen and you want to just turn it off because attending to the situation means putting the book down? Well that was my experience reading this book. The story of Jerry was very raw, intense and gritty and immediately captured my attention. This book has a lot of characters to keep track of but it gave you a bit of everyone…those you love, those you hate and those you liked and then hated.
The author writes a story with a lot of heaviness and intensity. The trauma of conversation therapy and the lasting impact it has is a constant. As someone who didn’t know a lot about this before I read the book, I appreciated the information.
For a debut novel I don’t expect perfection and though well written, had some errors here and there. I felt the plot was stronger in parts one and two while part three felt rushed and maybe things were done for the sake of them being done. The book also finishes with a cliff hanger and I’m not a huge fan of those. I do hope the story continues and I will definitely read it if it does.
brandy_reads's review
3.0
@dijared13 reached out to me on instagram To review his book. In his own words “The book talks about the pervasiveness of conversion therapy in the LGBTQIA+ community, something that I as a conversion therapy survivor know about intimately. My mission is to give voice to other conversion therapy survivors and their friends and families, and educate people about the harmful effects of this therapy. My book is a work of fiction, based on my experience.”
The main subject of this book was tough to read. As a mother reading about children not being accepted by their parents was heartbreaking. There are many storylines in this book that all intersect. Other than conversion therapy, this book also includes suicide, eating disorders and prostitution.
More importantly than my review, however, is the work that Jared is involved with to help conversion therapy survivors @ctsurvivors
https://ctsurvivors.org/
https://anchor.fm/jared-dixon0
The main subject of this book was tough to read. As a mother reading about children not being accepted by their parents was heartbreaking. There are many storylines in this book that all intersect. Other than conversion therapy, this book also includes suicide, eating disorders and prostitution.
More importantly than my review, however, is the work that Jared is involved with to help conversion therapy survivors @ctsurvivors
https://ctsurvivors.org/
https://anchor.fm/jared-dixon0
magical_booklush's review
4.0
This book was really educative and helpful to me. I don't read many books on the LGBTQ community so when I picked this up, I was a little hesitant but this book proved me wrong. The storyline is written perfectly. So many different lives and how they are related to each other is smoothly carved together to form this book. This book shows so much about how a Gay man suffers in society because of the society's backward mindset. I really enjoyed reading about Conversion Therapy, I didn't know about it so I was intrigued. I did feel like the book was a bit too much for me but I loved the book. Overall, it's a nicely written book that describes the troubles and joy that a Gay man has in his life.
lithika_shranuu's review
3.0
CORRUPTED
AUTHOR: Jared Dixon
RATING: ***/5
GENRE: Adult Fiction
The story begins with Jerry, who is gay and is happy with his life. Then we see Heather and Percy and Greg and Leo and so many more characters. Their stories are very different but at some point, all the stories start coming together and all of their lives get intertwined.
Carl, a preacher's kid, is also homosexual. Life is especially hard for him because his parents were homophobic and they believed in conversion therapy.
"your same-sex attractions are not about some primal urges you're born with. They're about all the hurt and pain and lack of affection you've experienced."
This really angered me. This is what they preach in conversion therapy?! Damn.
There is so much happening in the story. I think it was a good thing and the energy of the book was very high. But, at some points it all felt a little too much for me.
The book is about friendship. About love. About LGBTQ rights. About their struggles.
AUTHOR: Jared Dixon
RATING: ***/5
GENRE: Adult Fiction
The story begins with Jerry, who is gay and is happy with his life. Then we see Heather and Percy and Greg and Leo and so many more characters. Their stories are very different but at some point, all the stories start coming together and all of their lives get intertwined.
Carl, a preacher's kid, is also homosexual. Life is especially hard for him because his parents were homophobic and they believed in conversion therapy.
"your same-sex attractions are not about some primal urges you're born with. They're about all the hurt and pain and lack of affection you've experienced."
This really angered me. This is what they preach in conversion therapy?! Damn.
There is so much happening in the story. I think it was a good thing and the energy of the book was very high. But, at some points it all felt a little too much for me.
The book is about friendship. About love. About LGBTQ rights. About their struggles.
andrewannotates's review
4.0
I was very kindly gifted this book by the author.
I really enjoyed this! This book has very adult themes and was very intriguing, I really liked the exploration of the topic of gay conversation therapy and how the author portrayed each perspective with depth. Would recommend if you’re interested in the topic.
I really enjoyed this! This book has very adult themes and was very intriguing, I really liked the exploration of the topic of gay conversation therapy and how the author portrayed each perspective with depth. Would recommend if you’re interested in the topic.
myfictionaloasis's review
4.0
This was a fast-paced, intriguing, and complex read. I do recommend this book, but keep in mind that there are several topics that could be triggering to people, including homophobia, eating disorders, conversion therapy, and racism.
Jared's writing was amazing. He portrayed the characters in such a realistic way, and with so much detail that it felt like I personally knew them. The only problem with the characters was that there were several of them, and it was difficult to keep track of them all at times.
If you're in the LGBTQ+ community or even an ally, this is a must read. It was educational, emotional, and raw.
Disclaimer: I received a gifted copy of this book from the author. This did not influence my opinion in any way.
Jared's writing was amazing. He portrayed the characters in such a realistic way, and with so much detail that it felt like I personally knew them. The only problem with the characters was that there were several of them, and it was difficult to keep track of them all at times.
If you're in the LGBTQ+ community or even an ally, this is a must read. It was educational, emotional, and raw.
Disclaimer: I received a gifted copy of this book from the author. This did not influence my opinion in any way.