Its not often I am really grossed out or scared by a book. The occasional flinch here and there is always a good sign, more due to my crazy imagination than the subtle prodding by the words of any given writer.
Brite on the other hand decided to forego the gentle prods to my imagination. ... Read review
Advantages: Quite a good little story Disadvantages: Left to chance a bit much
Its not often I am really grossed out or scared by a book. The occasional flinch here and there is always a good sign, more due to my crazy imagination than the subtle prodding by the words of any given writer.
Brite on the other hand decided to forego the gentle prods to my imagination. Instead she tied me to the bed (which after reaching the gory conclusion is a strangely apt metaphor) and gouged at my innards with a rusty screwdriver ... ...pronounce its name in her best Sunday dress.
I had heard a few things that interested me enough to pick this book up. Mainly due to the fact that Brite regularly likes to throw some horned up gays into her story lines - something, I must admit I am partial to. Adding to this was the reputation for blood and guts and madness she has built firmly upon. I suppose I saw it as some sort of challenge. HA! YOU WILL NOT PHASE ME!!!
... more
Its not often I am really grossed out or scared by a book. The occasional flinch here and there is always a good sign, more due to my crazy imagination than the subtle prodding by the words of any given writer.
Brite on the other hand decided to forego the gentle prods to my imagination. Instead she tied me to the bed (which after reaching the gory conclusion is a strangely apt metaphor) and gouged at my innards with a rusty screwdriver while sipping on a wine so expensive I cant even pronounce its name in her best Sunday dress.
I had heard a few things that interested me enough to pick this book up. Mainly due to the fact that Brite regularly likes to throw some horned up gays into her story lines - something, I must admit I am partial to. Adding to this was the reputation for blood and guts and madness she has built firmly upon. I suppose I saw it as some sort of challenge. HA! YOU WILL NOT PHASE ME!!!
That idea lasted…oh…a page and a half?
We start off being told a tale by Andrew Compton, gay serial killer and necrophiliac. Straight away we are indulged (in detail) about his exploits, killing young men and ravaging them in every single way possible. It is NOT for the faint hearted. Hell, I hardly have a heart and this one had my eyes pinned to the page with utter disbelief.
Its certainly interesting being told the story from the killers perspective. Especially considering the killer turns out to be a rather intelligent, otherwise boring guy. He could be your next door neighbour. The guy who served you at the checkout earlier today. Over a while (if you look past the murders and revelling in keeping a corpse in his bed so he doesn't feel alone) he actually becomes quite a likeable, crafty person.
The story its self is quite fast moving. A lot of it is left up to sheer chance and a lot of half assed attempts to make things happen in the way the writer wants. Oddly it doesn't make this depraved delicatessen of murderous frolics any less appealing. If anything I'd like to think it makes it that little bit more stomach-able. The worst parts are, quite sadly, incredibly believable. It is easy to think there are such violent, incredibly disturbed people out there. The chance of it all somehow reminds us its all a story.
Brite introduces a few different characters throughout, who are a stark look at the more hardcore side of the gay community, keeping everything fresh and alive (other than a few boys killed along the way) and looking into some of the more serious issues of being a homosexual male in the midst of an AIDS crisis.
Being gay myself this book really got me at some parts. The descriptions of some of the characters living with AIDS, the fear of testing positive for HIV and the stigma that surrounds the infected were, at times, more fearful than Compton's lust for blood. Brite presents some awe inspiring attitudes to living with the virus and effortlessly communicates just how ignorant the world was at times towards it.
More on the murderous side of things, we are introduced to Jay. Beautiful, rich, deadly. The story takes an even darker turn when Compton and Jay meet. Not only are they both murderers, they fall for each other. I even found myself hoping it would work out for them!!
This book is not only full of gore and guts, there's a healthy splattering of sex throughout. Brite seduces the reader into bed with a plethora of amazingly beautiful young men, teasing you to the point where you may just want to put the book down and make a grab for the tissues. Or whatever women grab for if you are one. Just as you think the woman should apply for a post at playboy she reminds you that you are not reading a pornographic story for your own enjoyment. You are witnessing a helpless victim take his last breath before his very insides are torn from him (you may not want to think of sex for a day or two after reading this book).
As amazingly soaked in blood and sperm as this novel is, it kept me hooked to its last dying breath. I needed to know what happened to the people in this peep show. HIV, Cannibalism, sex, death, blood, guts, guts guts and guts. Did I mention guts? This is a horrifying look into the life of serial killers and their victims and it leaves you worried that you enjoyed it even a little. It is a dirty secret. Now go enjoy.
Advantages: A dreamy style that makes the violence all too attractive Disadvantages: erm... not for those with sensitives stomachs or minds
...far as the cast of Exquisite Corpse goes, misfits could well describe them. However these are not passive people manipulated by a force they don't understand. There is no magic in this novel, only the hard reality of the world. Brites killers do not excuse their actions through possession or religious compulsion. They kill because they love, and their love leads to a desire to consume what they kill. So, who are these killers and what exactly is ... ...displayed to better advantage in Exquisite Corpse. Her prose luxuriates in the deaths of the killers victims. Her descriptions are vivid, detailed pictures of the moment. They have colour, sound, smell, you cannot read this and not see the scene unfolding before you. Of course, while this makes the book wonderfully realistic it maybe too much for many readers. I've given parts of this to friends who were horrified by the detail and by the way her ...
Telute 16.04.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Exquisite Corpse - Poppy Z. Brite
Advantages: It sets out shock and does just that Disadvantages: None particularly, it's just not my cup of tea
Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I cannot remember too much detail about this book so forgive me if this is a bit patchy. I just felt that after reading an opinion on it I had to give mine.
It's set in the more seedier side to New Orleans. No foppish vampires or glamorous witches here. It centres particularly around a young and rather strange heir to a chemical fortune named Jay (I think that was his name) who had a hard time separating the act of ... ...seemed to me to be more than loosely based on Jeffery Dahmer. A vietnamese youth named ... I'm sorry I can't remember - becomes fascinated by him and gets embroiled in his sick world (briefly...). In one particularly grisly moment he comes across and consumes some rather tender sliced meat in Jay's refrdgerator - need I say more? Also involved was a strange ex con named Andy who faked his own death (?) to escape from prison.
After reading this book ...
angelwds 07.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Exquisite Corpse - Poppy Z. Brite
Advantages: Very engrossing. VERY well written. Disadvantages: Not for the faint hearted.
Having already read Lost Souls by Ms Brite I came to this book with very high hopes, and I most definitely wasn't disappointed. I think I finished this book the first time in 2 sittings. True to Brite style this book doesn't pussy foot around. Anne Rice hints, Stephen King shows you, and Poppy Brite grabs you by the back of the neck and plunges you face first in it. The story begins with British serial killer, necrophiliac and HIV positive Andrew, ... ...all the mucky details of what this man likes. Lines such as 'Yes, dead boys can get hard' are not out of place in this book. It moves on to Tran, a boy in New Orleans with a highly traditional family, who has a penchant for cross-dressing and older men. His ex Luke is also introduced, a writer who since being diagnosed with HIV got extremely into drugs and became abusive to Tran. And finally, we have Jay, another serial killer based in New Orleans. ...
surveysista1988 10.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Exquisite Corpse - Poppy Z. Brite
Advantages: This amazing. Anyway everyone should read atleast one book of this kind. Disadvantages: Poppy Z. Brite books aren't compatable with disadvantages. Unless you count that it should really go on forever :-)
This was the first Poppy Z. Brite book I read and it really openend my mind. The story might be kind of hard for some people to stomach - it's full of blood and gore and oh just the odd bit of necrophilia. However it is truly one off the best books I've ever read. The descriptions are amazingly vivid and bring the entire story to life.
I would recommend this book to any body with even only the remotest interest in gothic horror. It's wonderful. ...
artemisia 07.05.2001 (06.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Exquisite Corpse - Poppy Z. Brite
Convicted serial killer, Andrew Compton, escapes his execution by controlling his physical self so well that he appears dead, then steals his pathologist's clothes and car and escapes to London. He soon meets up with Jay, and the two embark on an orgy of violence born of love.
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A nice gripping and readable novel ; A terrific tale of survival ; Very atmospheric ; The characters thoughts and feelings are projected well to the reader
Suddenly stops flowing towards the middle ; King can be slightly over obsequious towards the main character (*)
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