by Hayley Charlesworth
On my 17th birthday, I was gifted a book by a friend that was quite unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Over the years, I have returned to that book numerous times, and each time have found something new to enjoy. As a 17 year old, it was the gore and horror, in my early 20s, it was the darkly erotic atmosphere. Now, I simply recognise it as a well-crafted, disturbing yet oddly sexy horror novel. The book is Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Brite.
Note: Poppy Z Brite now goes by the name Billy Martin and identifies as male. As such, while we will be using the name Brite in this review, we will also be using male pronouns.
On my 17th birthday, I was gifted a book by a friend that was quite unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Over the years, I have returned to that book numerous times, and each time have found something new to enjoy. As a 17 year old, it was the gore and horror, in my early 20s, it was the darkly erotic atmosphere. Now, I simply recognise it as a well-crafted, disturbing yet oddly sexy horror novel. The book is Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Brite.
Note: Poppy Z Brite now goes by the name Billy Martin and identifies as male. As such, while we will be using the name Brite in this review, we will also be using male pronouns.
Inspired by the true life murders of serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Dennis Nilsen, the story follows four characters: English killer and cannibal Andrew Compton (inspired by Nilsen), Jay Byrne (inspired by Dahmer), a fellow cannibal and necrophiliac, Vietnamese runaway Tran, and Tran’s pirate radio host lover Lucas. Escaping his UK prison for New Orleans by entering a cataleptic trance, Andrew meets and fixates himself on Byrne, becoming his lover, and the two select Tran as the perfect victim of their depravity. But Lucas, seeking to reunite with Tran, may get in the pair’s way, leading to a devastating climax.
Brite’s mastery in this novel is how he makes the reader empathise with utter monsters. Andrew and Jay’s crimes are truly sickening and vile, as is to be expected, but as the reader becomes more and more immersed in their world and their romance, you can’t help but find yourself, however unwillingly, rooting for their relationship to succeed. Nevertheless, the reader wants Tran to escape their clutches and survive, resulting in this odd experience where you side with both the villains and the heroes.
Brite succeeds in this by using the four viewpoints of Andrew, Jay, Tran and Lucas, with Andrew’s being the primary focus. Entering the mind of a serial killer is something Brite excels at writing, and his skill at capturing the dark charisma of these characters is unparalleled. Ultimately, the reader is seduced into their world just as much as their victims.
Brite does not shy away from intense and lengthy depictions of gore, sex, and where these two intersect in the novel. While his previous novels, Lost Souls and Drawing Blood, touched on these themes, Exquisite Corpse turns the dial up to eleven. Perhaps this is due to having Dahmer and Nielsen’s crimes as reference points, or perhaps it is a growing confidence with his third novel to push the boat out. As a result, Exquisite Corpse is a far more terrifying and unsettling read, but also the most erotic.
Horror and erotica have gone hand-in-hand since gothic fiction like Dracula, and this book captures that perfect balance between unsettling and sensual. Disappointingly, this was Brite’s final novel in the horror genre before moving on to his series of chef-themed romances. But if you’re going to leave horror behind, best to leave it on your most grotesque and disturbing work.
Brite’s mastery in this novel is how he makes the reader empathise with utter monsters. Andrew and Jay’s crimes are truly sickening and vile, as is to be expected, but as the reader becomes more and more immersed in their world and their romance, you can’t help but find yourself, however unwillingly, rooting for their relationship to succeed. Nevertheless, the reader wants Tran to escape their clutches and survive, resulting in this odd experience where you side with both the villains and the heroes.
Brite succeeds in this by using the four viewpoints of Andrew, Jay, Tran and Lucas, with Andrew’s being the primary focus. Entering the mind of a serial killer is something Brite excels at writing, and his skill at capturing the dark charisma of these characters is unparalleled. Ultimately, the reader is seduced into their world just as much as their victims.
Brite does not shy away from intense and lengthy depictions of gore, sex, and where these two intersect in the novel. While his previous novels, Lost Souls and Drawing Blood, touched on these themes, Exquisite Corpse turns the dial up to eleven. Perhaps this is due to having Dahmer and Nielsen’s crimes as reference points, or perhaps it is a growing confidence with his third novel to push the boat out. As a result, Exquisite Corpse is a far more terrifying and unsettling read, but also the most erotic.
Horror and erotica have gone hand-in-hand since gothic fiction like Dracula, and this book captures that perfect balance between unsettling and sensual. Disappointingly, this was Brite’s final novel in the horror genre before moving on to his series of chef-themed romances. But if you’re going to leave horror behind, best to leave it on your most grotesque and disturbing work.
RSS Feed
