I do occasionally read young adult (YA) books but not horror books; this book had such positive reviews that I felt compelled. This YA novel by prolific author Stephen Graham Jones is set in contemporary times in the remote town of Proofrock, Idaho on the shores of Indian Lake. Jade is a 17-year old half-Blackfoot daughter of an abusive father and an absent mother. She endures her miserable life by being the expert on the "slasher" subset of horror films. Here's a summation from School Library Journal: "Jade Daniels is an outcast in the quickly gentrifying Idaho lake town she's always called home. When a Dutch teenager is found dead, Jade takes morbid delight in the fact that this is surely the first victim in a horror film come to life. Everyone in town is a suspect, and beautiful new classmate Letha Mondragon is the perfect Final Girl--the genre's famous lone survivor. If Jade's obsession with slasher movies is the center of this novel, issues of class, power, and addiction are the spokes that connect the wheel. Content warnings include sexual abuse and suicide, as the protagonist lives in poverty with an abusive father and attempts to take her own life. Jade's family belongs to the Blackfeet tribe, and Jones (Blackfeet) authentically conveys feeling unwelcome in one's own home. Tropes from horror movies play a big role in the novel. The omniscient narration tracks Jade's obsession with these films, a hyper focus that frustrates the few reliable adults in her life as she struggles to communicate in any way other than through the lens of slasher movies. Readers can't help but root for her and implore other characters to heed her warnings, especially in the last third of the book, when the pace sharply quickens. VERDICT A horror novel not dissimilar to slasher movies." Booklist endorses this book by saying, "Readers will be drawn in by the effortless storytelling and Jade's unique cadence. This is a methodically paced story where every detail both entertains and matters, and the expertly rendered setting explodes with violent action. This brilliantly crafted, heartbreakingly beautiful slasher presents a new type of authentic "final girl," one that isn't "pure" and may not be totally innocent, yet can still be a vessel for hope." NPR agrees that this book is praise worthy: "Jade is a memorable character who uses horror as a shield against the world. She loves watching slasher movies and even writes about them to make up her history grades (those essays are sprinkled throughout the novel and show off her encyclopedic knowledge of the genre). Slashers have a formula Jade knows well — but real life doesn't, so she spends a lot of time forcefully applying movie logic to the mayhem around her...Jones' novels are literary cakes that lure readers with their frosting of blood and chaos and then surprise them with the smart, soulful goodness lying underneath. In My Heart is a Chainsaw, Jones does it again, and he's as brilliant as ever." Publishers Weekly offers "Horror fans won't need to have seen all of the films referenced to be blown away by this audacious extravaganza." I would agree with the Washington Post that this book actually made me want to watch the movies Jade constantly references, even though I have stayed away from the horror genre (movies & books) my entire life. Their review provides this description of Jade: "The story follows Jade Daniels, a 17-year-old misfit who dyes her hair with shoe polish and food coloring and counts overalls and combat boots as wardrobe essentials. Her parents are absent or execrable, she has no friends, and every disappointment is “one more nail” in the coffin of Jade’s dreams...Horror is Jade’s only solace. For her, slasher movies are a religion, providing a comforting vision of order: “Everybody in a slasher cycle has a role,” she explains...Jade’s awkwardness and insecurities, her intractable obstinacy, her refusal to behave in a socially acceptable manner, all make her a believable nuisance to the adults in her life, who expect “Jade to continue being the burden she already is.” Despite all that, neither they nor we can help loving her. Though their resistance to her theories leaves her “flabbergasted to the point of no return,” she tries, tries and tries again. She’s respectful and patient, with an irrepressible sense of humor to balance our her sense of horror. We’re so much on her side we find ourselves hoping for the worst." Library Journal says Jade's voice reveals " her cynicism, anger, and deep hurt, but also her hope, kindness, conviction, and bravery. The building tension is perfectly paced; listeners will journey with Jade through redemption and freeing acknowledgment of what really happened to her in the past to bring her where she is today...This is a must-have for public library collections."
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
My Heart is a Chainsaw
I do occasionally read young adult (YA) books but not horror books; this book had such positive reviews that I felt compelled. This YA novel by prolific author Stephen Graham Jones is set in contemporary times in the remote town of Proofrock, Idaho on the shores of Indian Lake. Jade is a 17-year old half-Blackfoot daughter of an abusive father and an absent mother. She endures her miserable life by being the expert on the "slasher" subset of horror films. Here's a summation from School Library Journal: "Jade Daniels is an outcast in the quickly gentrifying Idaho lake town she's always called home. When a Dutch teenager is found dead, Jade takes morbid delight in the fact that this is surely the first victim in a horror film come to life. Everyone in town is a suspect, and beautiful new classmate Letha Mondragon is the perfect Final Girl--the genre's famous lone survivor. If Jade's obsession with slasher movies is the center of this novel, issues of class, power, and addiction are the spokes that connect the wheel. Content warnings include sexual abuse and suicide, as the protagonist lives in poverty with an abusive father and attempts to take her own life. Jade's family belongs to the Blackfeet tribe, and Jones (Blackfeet) authentically conveys feeling unwelcome in one's own home. Tropes from horror movies play a big role in the novel. The omniscient narration tracks Jade's obsession with these films, a hyper focus that frustrates the few reliable adults in her life as she struggles to communicate in any way other than through the lens of slasher movies. Readers can't help but root for her and implore other characters to heed her warnings, especially in the last third of the book, when the pace sharply quickens. VERDICT A horror novel not dissimilar to slasher movies." Booklist endorses this book by saying, "Readers will be drawn in by the effortless storytelling and Jade's unique cadence. This is a methodically paced story where every detail both entertains and matters, and the expertly rendered setting explodes with violent action. This brilliantly crafted, heartbreakingly beautiful slasher presents a new type of authentic "final girl," one that isn't "pure" and may not be totally innocent, yet can still be a vessel for hope." NPR agrees that this book is praise worthy: "Jade is a memorable character who uses horror as a shield against the world. She loves watching slasher movies and even writes about them to make up her history grades (those essays are sprinkled throughout the novel and show off her encyclopedic knowledge of the genre). Slashers have a formula Jade knows well — but real life doesn't, so she spends a lot of time forcefully applying movie logic to the mayhem around her...Jones' novels are literary cakes that lure readers with their frosting of blood and chaos and then surprise them with the smart, soulful goodness lying underneath. In My Heart is a Chainsaw, Jones does it again, and he's as brilliant as ever." Publishers Weekly offers "Horror fans won't need to have seen all of the films referenced to be blown away by this audacious extravaganza." I would agree with the Washington Post that this book actually made me want to watch the movies Jade constantly references, even though I have stayed away from the horror genre (movies & books) my entire life. Their review provides this description of Jade: "The story follows Jade Daniels, a 17-year-old misfit who dyes her hair with shoe polish and food coloring and counts overalls and combat boots as wardrobe essentials. Her parents are absent or execrable, she has no friends, and every disappointment is “one more nail” in the coffin of Jade’s dreams...Horror is Jade’s only solace. For her, slasher movies are a religion, providing a comforting vision of order: “Everybody in a slasher cycle has a role,” she explains...Jade’s awkwardness and insecurities, her intractable obstinacy, her refusal to behave in a socially acceptable manner, all make her a believable nuisance to the adults in her life, who expect “Jade to continue being the burden she already is.” Despite all that, neither they nor we can help loving her. Though their resistance to her theories leaves her “flabbergasted to the point of no return,” she tries, tries and tries again. She’s respectful and patient, with an irrepressible sense of humor to balance our her sense of horror. We’re so much on her side we find ourselves hoping for the worst." Library Journal says Jade's voice reveals " her cynicism, anger, and deep hurt, but also her hope, kindness, conviction, and bravery. The building tension is perfectly paced; listeners will journey with Jade through redemption and freeing acknowledgment of what really happened to her in the past to bring her where she is today...This is a must-have for public library collections."
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