A review by imaginary_space
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you read it, read the author's notes at the end! (After reading the book, because spoilers.) He talks about his process of writing My Heart is a Chainsaw and it's very informative.

This book hit me harder the second time around. Probably because, as is often the case, the first time I was too busy trying to keep up with the story. This time I could appreciate all the little nuances, the hints and the little moments of foreshadowing so much more. And for me, it's all those layers that make this book so good.

When I first read My Heart is a Chainsaw, the revelation about Jade in the middle of the book took me completely by surprise, I had not seen it coming at all. I found it shocking and it made me take a long, hard look at my privilege.
The second time, I suddenly realised why I hadn't seen it coming. Because in many ways I was Jade at that age, so her inner monologue and her behaviour seemed completely normal to me. Which is amazing because my circumstances growing up were very different from Jade's, and our experiences weren't even the same, just similar enough that we reacted in very similar ways.
So, yeah, it fucked me up. Thank you, SGJ. (I don't mean that ironically. I try to read diverse stories, not only because I find it a more interesting experience, but also to actively learn about lived realities different from my own, and to be a better educated citizen of Earth. Which is why I like my horror mixed with a good dose of real world horror).

The fact that Stephen Graham Jones wrote a character that I, a person from a very different background on the other side of the world, could identify with so much that I didn't see the obvious proves two things:

  1. He is a really good writer.
  2. Adult men can write believable teenage girls if they just write them as people and not try to write them as "teenage girls(TM)". Thanks for that too. Yes, I too am sad that the bar is so low.

My teenage feelings aside, there's more I like about this book:

  • The story is multi-dimensional, there's a whole mythology around Proofrock and Indian Lake that feels very much alive - an abandoned camp, a creepy local legend, real past tragedies, things that happened in the past that people don't want to talk about... it feels like a real place and it gives the story so many layers.
  • Also, I just love a
    creepy little girl
    , I'm biased like that.
  • I like an unreliable narrator, so it's refreshing and interesting for me to see the story through Jade's eyes and only her eyes.
  • SGJ is a fan of "show, don't tell" and I really appreciate that. In general, his writing style is right up my alley, which is extremely important in horror. 
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