2 Book Lovers Reviews

My Heart Is a Chainsaw

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By Stephen Graham Jones

​My Heart is a Chainsaw comes from the be careful what you wish for file.

First and foremost, this story is an homage to the slasher film genre. And Jade, our protagonist, is a walking, talking slasher encyclopedia. Jones puts on full display his knowledge of the genre through Jade, spelling out the pattern à-la Scream, highlighting the glorious staples of the genre and informing his audience of the lesser-known hidden gems. However, he puts a fantastic twist on one of the most cardinal elements of the slasher: the final girl.

Secondly, Jones really makes us take a long hard look at ourselves, the things we do, say, and think about people who look different from us. The things that have happened over the generations and the impact those events still have today. My Heart is a Chainsaw is a challenge to do better.

My only complaint was Jade’s overcharged imagination. Sometimes it felt a little difficult to tell reality from Jade’s superimposed unreality; perhaps this was what Jones was going for, it just left me feeling a bit distracted from time to time.

Jones did all of this within a supercharged horror story. Filled with captivating characters and one of the best action-filled climaxes that I’ve read in years, every element helped to build the story right to the bloody end!

*4.5 Stars

See more of Greg's Vampires, Demons and Ghosts...Oh my!

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