Customer Reviews

Exquisite Corpse

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

So you're a Poppy Z. Brite fan? Read Drawing Blood? Read Wormwood? Read Lost Souls? Consider yourself able to handle anything she could possible deal out? Think again. Do not read this book just because you loved her other work, and certainly don't read it if you've never read her other works. There are things in this book that you can never un-read; she makes you feel things you can never forget. Granted, all you hardcore fans out there won't head this warning- I certainly wouldn't have. So do go right ahead, and when you are done you will know what I'm refering to. All of which is not to say that this is not an incredible book- as always, Poppy Z. Brite is the master of descriptions so vivid that they make you feel, smell, or taste her words. And that is what makes this book so profoundly disturbing and so utterly unforgettable.

The few things I've read by this author in the past have not impressed me -- more splatterpunk than anything else. I was browsing through the mystery section at the book store and stumbled across this (obviously this book was in the wrong place). The back made is sound good, so I decided to read a few pages -- I was hooked! One of the serial killers describes a young man he picked up who had a tatoo across his neck that said "Cut Here" so the serial killer merely had to follow the directions! (this is on the 2nd page!)

The book is extremely gory -- for those of you who have a weak stomach you might want to pass on this one.

AIDS is a theme throughout the book. I found myself thinking how true some of her points were about the amount of research being done to find a cure and the extremes some people might feel like going to so that a cure could be focused on.

This is the best book I have read by this author -- and ranked in my top books I have read. This book is a must read for anyone who is into horror -- but it might spoil you for others...

It has been said that Poppy Z. Brite's regular publishers would not accept this book. It's not because of the content, its because of the quality. But before you resolve not to read "Exquisite Corpse," let me finish.

In this novel, the setting is the mid-1980's a time where fear of AIDS was riding high, and people were dying right and left. In this bare, unemotional world, we meet two serial killers. Jay and Andrew murder for the joy of it, reveling in the corpses that they construct. The murders are graphic and gory, the prose clinical and restrained. Fans of Poppy's flowing poetic prose will find a different thing all together this tome around.

"Exquisite Corpse" was written in this way because it suits the mood of the novel. A world where people are dying from a ravishing disease, and embrace death as an escape. Where we are thrust into the minds of murderers of the most sickening sort. A literal hell on earth, this novel is without love, without hope, without any semblance of normalcy.

Poppy took a chance on writing this novel, and I praise her for it. "Exquisite Corpse" is relatively short, which some will think of as a blessing. The ending is too fast and unsatisfying, as if Poppy just got tired of living in the nightmarish world of depression and depravity that she created.

Still, this novel is worth a look for hardcore Poppy fans only. I would read "Lost Souls" and "Drawing Blood" before delving into this book, though.

I cannot for the life of me understand why I love this book. Homosexual serial killers? Not really my cup of tea. However, Exquisite Corpse was fantastic! I have never read anything quite like it before. It challenged my narrow world view, consumed my mind as I read it, and afterwards it left me in a stunned stupor. The book is immensely readable, Brite has a real talent for the nuts and bolts of language. She can hold the reader in the palm of her hand, and then squeeze, leaving them gasping for breath, but begging for more. As much as I love this book, I know it isn't for everyone. After I finished it, I recommended it to all my friends and family. I found that approximately two out of three people, that I persuaded to pick it up, either liked or loved the book. The third person in general was disgusted. The beauty of Exquisite Corpse though, is that within a very short period of time, you will know if you are that third person.

I've been a huge fan of Mrs. Brite's work for quite some time now. My first book that I read of her's was Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and then Wormwood. I had picked this one up about 2 years ago but never really got into it. I sat down one day and decided to give it another attempt. The moment I started I couldn't put it down, it is a must for those that love dark literature with twists of homosexuality as well as cannibalism and murder. Truely amazing piece of work, love the descriptions of such sinful acts..her work is awesome! Soon to start on the next three of the newer "series"!

All the while I was reading EXQUISITE CORPSE, Poppy Z. Brite's most recent full-length novel, I kept asking myself what I would say if a stranger on the subway asked me what I was reading. Would I lie? Would I say, "Just the latest murder mystery"? How could I possibly describe this book to my mother without having her hide the cutlery and cry herself to sleep over the tortured state of my mental health? Would my adult siblings forever ban me from spending time alone with their children if they knew the horrors I had witnessed - and in which I had vicariously participated - while strolling between the covers of this harmless looking paperback? Is there anyone in the world to whom I could feel wholly comfortable recommending this book? Probably not, if I were honest with myself. My squeaky clean could not withstand the stress.

As with her previous novels, Poppy Z. Brite is as uncompromising on theme as she is on imagery. Forget Anne Rice! Brite shines darkly as the unchallenged Maven of the Macabre. Her prose is virtuosic - she lures you in with a sweet scent and then devours you with a heady, but often painful bite. Yet even though the actual words printed on the pages of this book paint bloody images of torture, grisly serial murder, heinous acts of cannibalism and unbounded necrophelia, EXQUISITE CORPSE might very well be one of the most powerful statements about the consequences of hate, bigotry and loneliness to ever survive the mass-market censors. Yes, it lurid! By all means, it's WAY over the top. But it clearly gets your attention - like a pick-axe right between the eyes. Surely, EXQUISITE CORPSE is one of the most significant - and maybe the most accurate - statements about the hopeless destiny to which we relegate those "undesirables" in our society that we so casually and carelessly discard. It makes the reader confront his or her own bigotry ... come face to face with his or her own dark side ... own up to the horrific potentials that lurk in the hearts of men - and obviously, dear Poppy, of women too.

If you have the courage to face your own demons, forget everything you've read about this book and take a walk down the forbidden path. If you're afraid of what lurks behind your own shadow, maybe you should take the well-lit road and read the latest bodice ripper instead.

Andrew Compton is a London serial killer who fakes his own death to escape prison. He finds himself in New Orleans, in the backyard of his American counterpart, Jay Byrne. After a delicious courtship dance, the two set their sights on a beautiful Asian drug-dealer named Tran. Luke Ransom, Tran's misanthropic ex-lover, may be the only one capable of saving Tran from being their most exquisite corpse ever.

This story--well, this tale of interlocking love stories, with two of the principle players being serial-killers obsessed not only with death and pretty boys, but also their freshly deceased remains--has to be the most disturbing love story ever written or told. Not for the faint of heart, for sure. If you like being disturbed, like I do (though there were points where I wanted to put it down to catch my breath), then this is the book for you.

I read somewhere that Exquisite Corpse is under option for a film. Don't know if it's been made yet, I haven't heard. But I shudder to think of what the film version would do to this nihilistic tale of lust for "lissome queer boys", blood, and the slow ascension unto death, and yet I'd be there on opening night, as eager and excited as our serial-killing duo was to invite Tran over for 'dinner'. ~ Taylor Siluwé, author of Dancing With The Devil

This was one of the most eerily beautiful books I've ever read. Brite knows her strong points and she uses them well. It might not please everyone, but it certainly pleased me. The characters were wonderful (especially Tran) and of all of her novels, this would be the one I would enjoy seeing made into a film. Even if the book is always better than the movie.

Andrew Compton is a sickly twisted serial killer who seeks both solace and beauty in the slaying of young boys. However, his art cannot be perfected while in prison. Thus, Compton feigns his own death and escapes to the US. Quite unintentionally, Compton runs into a man named Jay Byrne while in New Orleans. They find they have a deep, inexplicable bond that few would understand. They both revel in the beauty that is death and torment. Thus, the two set out in search of their next victim, Tran, a disillusioned youth recently kicked out of his home and onto the streets because of his homosexuality.

Though this book contains necrophilia, extreme violence, cannibalism, and gore, in no way is this a horror novel. Rather, "Exquisite Corpse" seems to fall into a category of disturbingly erotic romance and/or twenty-first century pop-culture literature. No matter how one decides to classify this novel, it can be said that this is a novel that will not soon be forgotten.

This thought-provoking book will have you cringing in disgust, writhing in torment, and engaged with awe all at the same time. Poppy Z Brite has a way of sucking the reader in with her elegant prose and gorgeously vivid description that seems unrivalled by many other authors. There are few who can make torture and pain beautifully artistic. True, this book is not for the feint of heart, but if you can stomach the seemingly repulsive atrocities on the surface and dig for the deeper meaning, there is wisdom and insight to be found there.

Poppy Z Brite approaches homosexuality and AIDS in a straightforward, no-holds barred manner. What has been, and still is, taboo for many is not for her. She brings current issues plaguing our society to the surface and forces the reader to acknowledge them.

This is the first book I've read by Poppy Z Brite, and it most certainly will not be my last. Brite is the type of author who demands attention. If you are a fan of dark literature then give Brite a try!

The title of this review might be true, but you see i gave it five stars. I couldn't put it down once i started reading. The charcters are real, it's almost like you are there with them. But I think the worst think of the book is that don't hate the main characters, you fall in love with them. At least I did. All the while they were eating dead people. I can say this is one of the few books that really scared me. And I would let it do again and again. Hoped this helped.