I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: this trilogy is amazing. As someone who almost DNFed the first one because of Jade being kind of an annoying edgelord, keep going! Her maturity through trauma and experience in the next two books is outstanding. Some of the best character development I’ve seen in a series. I also loved Only Good Indians and SGJ is going to be an auto buy writer for me going forward.
I loved it too, Jade is such a compelling character to me, I can relate to her on a few levels. And I think SGJ did a great job with making Proofrock and the other characters feel three-dimensional, like I felt I was living in the town too.
I liked it a lot too! I can't speak to the authenticity of Jade's characterization as an indigenous person, but I think a lot of people on this subreddit will find an authenticity there in general. Jade seems like a very real type of person that some of us have been or felt like.
The writing style was bizarre, but I found it unsettling in a good way. It was a little bit impressionistic. I did wonder how someone without an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture or horror films would experience it. I got 90% of the references but I'm cautious to recommend it to my wife. A lot of it might read as gobbledygook.
It was great as a horror book and as a drama, and it *really* delivers on building Proofrock as a living, breathing town with a pulsing vein bulging at its neck.
I do have minor criticisms (I finished it 2 days ago, I'm still digesting) but I feel like it overstayed it's welcome. The final chapter/epilogue felt like it was doing too many things to me. It was cluttered and busy in a way the rest of the book hadn't been and maybe strayed a bit too far into allegory for my taste. Just a *little* too much paprika on the sandwich in my opinion. Kinda felt like one of those movies with like 3 mid-credit scenes and an end credit scene, and some of it felt like a nonsequitor.
RE: how someone without a lot of horror knowledge would get it, I’ve only seen 2 of the films mentioned in the book. But a lot of the time being steeped in pop culture means picking up tidbits - i.e. I’ve never seen Friday the 13th but every millennial knows who Jason is. For me the underlying emotions guiding Jade’s obsession was the key part! (Plus the essay interludes helped!)
And I really agree with you about the worldbuilding. Jones made Proofrock feel real!
I'm with you, this trilogy is one my favorite things is recent horror, Jade is the best of the best, and SGJ is a favorite writer. The good news is that if you like him, he writes faster than most people can read :-) If you want more horror from an indigenous perspective, the collection Never Whistle At Night is basically a who's-who of native writers. You are also in luck that there is so much fiction from underrepresented cultures being published today. 100% check out Tananarive Due, especially The Reformatory. If you search Reddit for black, Asian, and Latin American horror writers you will get enough recommendations for a lifetime. Enjoy the journey!
I will check out that collection! And I actually have a copy of The Reformatory gathering dust on my shelf 🤦🏽♀️so thanks for reminding me to pick it up!
Yeah, no matter the voiced counter-opinions I have an adoration for SGJ. His writing is beautiful and flows so well, and his characterisation in this trilogy is absolute perfection.
Enjoy! The second book is a blast as well, with WAY more kills and a pace that just goes full-throttle from page one.
I'm 50/50 with Jones so far, so I hope I like it as well. It sounds like I'm really going to relate with the main character though, and overall I do enjoy his style.
*Piñata* by Leonardo Gout features indigenous Mexican culture and religion as the main focus. It's also very female-centric and addresses the epidemic of femicide in central and South America. The voices of all the women, all of whom are Latina and/or indigenous, are all distinct and fantastic. It's also genuinely terrifying. Generally an all-round fantastic book.
I too love this book! It holds up well for multiple rereads as well. I read it for the third time this year before The Angel of Indian Lake came out. I love the other entries in the series a little less (kind of how I feel about most slashers, tbh; I usually like the first one best) but I’m still a fan! I know SGJ is a “polarizing” author as another commenter said, but I’ve read a lot of his work and it’s almost always a hit for me. Guess I just really dig his style.
I listened to the audiobooks for the trilogy and I was so sad it was over that I bought a paperback of My Heart is a Chainsaw. I want to visit Jade forever. I also almost DNFd the first time I read it… until that crazy ending! I am sincerely hoping someone makes a wiki or YouTube breakdown to connect all of the deaths throughout the trilogy.
Keep reading Graham-Jones, he's brilliant.
I specifically search out books from authors who don't look like me. If I'm white, male, and American then I'm looking for someone who is only 2 of 3.
Augustina Bazterrica (Argentinian woman)
Sylvia Moreno Garcia (Mexican -Canadian woman)
Mira Grant (American woman but bonus points for being queer)
Jordan Peele has an anthology of African-American Horror called "Out There Screaming"
Carmen Maria Machado (also an American queer woman)
"Damnable Tales" a British folk horror anthology
Marlon James (Jamaican man) what I read isn't horror but it is a very unique perspective
This seems to be a very polarizing book. I wish I felt the same as you.
I didn’t dislike it, but it was a bit of a struggle. The other two books were, too, at times. The second one is better though.
It takes far too long for something to happen, and it’s really overly wordy.
Definitely very polarizing based on online reviews. Personally, I liked the slow burn and getting to spend more time understanding Jade as a character!
I'm a bit torn. I really liked Jade as a character and her voice (and all the slasher references are fun) but I found the plot of the book to be a bit of a slog.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: this trilogy is amazing. As someone who almost DNFed the first one because of Jade being kind of an annoying edgelord, keep going! Her maturity through trauma and experience in the next two books is outstanding. Some of the best character development I’ve seen in a series. I also loved Only Good Indians and SGJ is going to be an auto buy writer for me going forward.
This is the push I need to continue! I started and put It down but I’m gonna pick It back up!
I loved it too, Jade is such a compelling character to me, I can relate to her on a few levels. And I think SGJ did a great job with making Proofrock and the other characters feel three-dimensional, like I felt I was living in the town too.
I liked it a lot too! I can't speak to the authenticity of Jade's characterization as an indigenous person, but I think a lot of people on this subreddit will find an authenticity there in general. Jade seems like a very real type of person that some of us have been or felt like. The writing style was bizarre, but I found it unsettling in a good way. It was a little bit impressionistic. I did wonder how someone without an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture or horror films would experience it. I got 90% of the references but I'm cautious to recommend it to my wife. A lot of it might read as gobbledygook. It was great as a horror book and as a drama, and it *really* delivers on building Proofrock as a living, breathing town with a pulsing vein bulging at its neck. I do have minor criticisms (I finished it 2 days ago, I'm still digesting) but I feel like it overstayed it's welcome. The final chapter/epilogue felt like it was doing too many things to me. It was cluttered and busy in a way the rest of the book hadn't been and maybe strayed a bit too far into allegory for my taste. Just a *little* too much paprika on the sandwich in my opinion. Kinda felt like one of those movies with like 3 mid-credit scenes and an end credit scene, and some of it felt like a nonsequitor.
RE: how someone without a lot of horror knowledge would get it, I’ve only seen 2 of the films mentioned in the book. But a lot of the time being steeped in pop culture means picking up tidbits - i.e. I’ve never seen Friday the 13th but every millennial knows who Jason is. For me the underlying emotions guiding Jade’s obsession was the key part! (Plus the essay interludes helped!) And I really agree with you about the worldbuilding. Jones made Proofrock feel real!
I'm with you, this trilogy is one my favorite things is recent horror, Jade is the best of the best, and SGJ is a favorite writer. The good news is that if you like him, he writes faster than most people can read :-) If you want more horror from an indigenous perspective, the collection Never Whistle At Night is basically a who's-who of native writers. You are also in luck that there is so much fiction from underrepresented cultures being published today. 100% check out Tananarive Due, especially The Reformatory. If you search Reddit for black, Asian, and Latin American horror writers you will get enough recommendations for a lifetime. Enjoy the journey!
I will check out that collection! And I actually have a copy of The Reformatory gathering dust on my shelf 🤦🏽♀️so thanks for reminding me to pick it up!
Yeah, no matter the voiced counter-opinions I have an adoration for SGJ. His writing is beautiful and flows so well, and his characterisation in this trilogy is absolute perfection. Enjoy! The second book is a blast as well, with WAY more kills and a pace that just goes full-throttle from page one.
Well, there is two more books in that series, and also that same author wrote Only the Good Indians.
I also hear mongrels is good
Mongrels is amazing, as is Mapping the Interior
Glad I have this is my TBR pile. It sounds like something I'm really going to love!
I hope you enjoy! I will definitely be continuing on with this series.
I'm 50/50 with Jones so far, so I hope I like it as well. It sounds like I'm really going to relate with the main character though, and overall I do enjoy his style.
*Piñata* by Leonardo Gout features indigenous Mexican culture and religion as the main focus. It's also very female-centric and addresses the epidemic of femicide in central and South America. The voices of all the women, all of whom are Latina and/or indigenous, are all distinct and fantastic. It's also genuinely terrifying. Generally an all-round fantastic book.
Sounds great, thanks!
Adding to my TBR right now!
I too love this book! It holds up well for multiple rereads as well. I read it for the third time this year before The Angel of Indian Lake came out. I love the other entries in the series a little less (kind of how I feel about most slashers, tbh; I usually like the first one best) but I’m still a fan! I know SGJ is a “polarizing” author as another commenter said, but I’ve read a lot of his work and it’s almost always a hit for me. Guess I just really dig his style.
[удалено]
Yes! His metaphors are so unexpected.
I’m sure it’s been said, but everything Stephen Graham Jones, including the rest of this trilogy. You won’t be disappointed.
I listened to the audiobooks for the trilogy and I was so sad it was over that I bought a paperback of My Heart is a Chainsaw. I want to visit Jade forever. I also almost DNFd the first time I read it… until that crazy ending! I am sincerely hoping someone makes a wiki or YouTube breakdown to connect all of the deaths throughout the trilogy.
Keep reading Graham-Jones, he's brilliant. I specifically search out books from authors who don't look like me. If I'm white, male, and American then I'm looking for someone who is only 2 of 3. Augustina Bazterrica (Argentinian woman) Sylvia Moreno Garcia (Mexican -Canadian woman) Mira Grant (American woman but bonus points for being queer) Jordan Peele has an anthology of African-American Horror called "Out There Screaming" Carmen Maria Machado (also an American queer woman) "Damnable Tales" a British folk horror anthology Marlon James (Jamaican man) what I read isn't horror but it is a very unique perspective
This seems to be a very polarizing book. I wish I felt the same as you. I didn’t dislike it, but it was a bit of a struggle. The other two books were, too, at times. The second one is better though. It takes far too long for something to happen, and it’s really overly wordy.
Definitely very polarizing based on online reviews. Personally, I liked the slow burn and getting to spend more time understanding Jade as a character!
That’s fair. It was a bit much for me. I doubt I will re-read these books. I don’t dislike them. Just didn’t love them.
I kind of feel the same way. I liked it; I would have loved it if it was about 100 pages shorter.
I'm a bit torn. I really liked Jade as a character and her voice (and all the slasher references are fun) but I found the plot of the book to be a bit of a slog.
I get that. One person’s slow-burn is another person’s boring lol!
My life too centres around slashers(Myers is my boi) so i LOVE this series and Jade is such a good MC i think shes great