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A review by gretaslittlelibrary
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“Horror’s not a symptom, it’s a love affair”
“‘But the eighties…they’re when the slasher was at its purest. Which is to say its dirtiest, its cheapest. Low production values, throwaway dialogue, nobody actors, recycled premises…but that’s what makes it the golden age, when Jason was born, Freddy was born…”
This book right here is a love letter to the slasher genre and an amazing slasher in itself. I see a lot of reviews saying that the slasher fact ramblings was too much and took away from the plot and that you have to be a horror nerd to understand any of it… and to that I say yes, that’s the point. It’s quite literally in the blurb multiple times that Jade is a “hardcore eighties horror fan… [and] has encyclopediac recall if every horror movie on the shelf but…Will it help her survive?” So if that’s not what you’re wanting, don’t read this book! This book was written for the “weird” hardcore slasher fans, of which SGJ is. It has everything a good slasher franchise has; gore, tragic back stories, supernatural abilities in the slasher, throwaway dialogue (that isn’t really throwaway and ends up being part of the plot), and a wide open ending to make room for an unnecessary, but wanted, sequel.
Though I loved the rambling slasher facts interwoven into the plot lines and dialogue, it was a bit confusing at times to understand whether or not what was happening was actually happening or was in Jade’s mind. Though it feels like that may have been intentional, as that’s how Jade’s mind was working in real time as she tries to piece this slasher together. The story being a tad confusing at times seems to be the overarching complaint I have in all SGJ books I’ve read so far. I’ve come to expect, and accept, a little confusion in his books since he rambles sometimes.
Overall I really enjoyed this and found myself in Jade. I will be eating up the rest of the trilogy to see where this goes.
“‘But the eighties…they’re when the slasher was at its purest. Which is to say its dirtiest, its cheapest. Low production values, throwaway dialogue, nobody actors, recycled premises…but that’s what makes it the golden age, when Jason was born, Freddy was born…”
This book right here is a love letter to the slasher genre and an amazing slasher in itself. I see a lot of reviews saying that the slasher fact ramblings was too much and took away from the plot and that you have to be a horror nerd to understand any of it… and to that I say yes, that’s the point. It’s quite literally in the blurb multiple times that Jade is a “hardcore eighties horror fan… [and] has encyclopediac recall if every horror movie on the shelf but…Will it help her survive?” So if that’s not what you’re wanting, don’t read this book! This book was written for the “weird” hardcore slasher fans, of which SGJ is. It has everything a good slasher franchise has; gore, tragic back stories, supernatural abilities in the slasher, throwaway dialogue (that isn’t really throwaway and ends up being part of the plot), and a wide open ending to make room for an unnecessary, but wanted, sequel.
Though I loved the rambling slasher facts interwoven into the plot lines and dialogue, it was a bit confusing at times to understand whether or not what was happening was actually happening or was in Jade’s mind. Though it feels like that may have been intentional, as that’s how Jade’s mind was working in real time as she tries to piece this slasher together. The story being a tad confusing at times seems to be the overarching complaint I have in all SGJ books I’ve read so far. I’ve come to expect, and accept, a little confusion in his books since he rambles sometimes.
Overall I really enjoyed this and found myself in Jade. I will be eating up the rest of the trilogy to see where this goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual assault