Disturbing Books

Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, murder, cannibalism, gore, rape, illness

Exquisite Corpse was my first disturbing book and is still one of my favourites, it takes place in New Orleans during the HIV epidemic and follows 2 serial killers and their unwitting victim.

Poppy Z. Brite (now known as William J. Martin) takes us through the queer community of New Orleans during the HIV epidemic through Tran, a vietnamese teenage boy who has just been kicked out by his family for being gay. You feel for and worry about Tran, he sells drugs to make money, sleeps on the streets, and is trying to get close to Jay Byrne, one of the serial killers preying on vulnerble gay men.

Jay Byrne meets Andrew Compton when both are looking for a new victim, upon learning they both share a lust for blood they begin a deadly affair with eyes set on Tran as a potential victim

I absolutely adore this book, it's so fucked up in the best way. Brite highlights the vulnerability of queer youth during the 80's and 90's, teens are doing hard drugs, sleeping in the street, and prostituting themselves to make money. All the while you're very aware there are two very dangerous and cunning serial killers on the loose that are victimizing these boys. The cops don't care, their families have abandoned them, and even the community around Tran feels transient and fragmented.

The love affair between Jay and Andrew was my favourite part of this book, I love couples that match eachothers freak and make eachother worse. Jay and Andrew feel that they've found their perfect match and they're going to make the most of it. If you're queer, love horror stories, fucked up romances, and reading about serial killers I'd strongly reccomend this book.

Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim

Trigger Warnings: CSA, sexual assault, physical assault, underage prostitution, homophobia

Mysterious Skin is about two boys who were molested ny their baseball coach in the summer of 1981, the book switches between the perspectives of Brian Lackey and Neil McCormick as they navigate life after their shared trauma.

When we meet Brian he is eight years old and hiding in the crawlspace of his house, his nose is bleeding and he has no memory of where he was or what happened to him. As Brian gets older he learns about alien abductions and concludes his fragmented memories and loss of time on that night are a result of an alien abduction. In his pursuit of the truth he begins to uncover a darker and more grounded truth that will lead him back to Neil.

Neil McCormick is a troubled young man who remembers his time with his coach clearly, he holds Coach up as his first love and remembers him fondly. Neil is gay, he despises the small town he lives in and wants to move to New York, when he's 14 he starts prostituting himself to older men. In New York he is assaulted by an older client, this event brings him back to his hometown, where he finally reunites with Brian.

This is a devastating read, both boys struggle to come to grips with what has happened to them. Heim does a great job portraying the different ways victims of abuse cope with the trauma. Brian dissociates from his trauma and searches for connection to other alien abduction victims, when he can't find it there, he begins to come to grips with what actually happened to him. Neil holds fond memories of his abuser and uses sex with older men to recreate and cope with what happened to him, the assault by the client in New York seems to break him out of this fantasy. We grow up with these boys and watch as they develop these coping mechanisms, we understand why they choose to do what they do and why they come to the conclusions they make. If you're looking for something more grounded, that's disturbing but sappy and a little nostalgic, I'd reccomend this. There's and tenderness for the troubled boys here and Heim makes you sympathize with both Neil and Brian, even when they don't make the best decisions.

Full Brutal

Trigger Warnings: cannibalism, murder, rape, bullying, suicide, self harm

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Down the Path of Torment

Trigger Warnings: CSA, drug use

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