Exquisite Corpse

De: Poppy Z. Brite

Narrado por: Joshua Saxon

From the author of Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Wormwood comes a thrilling and chilling novel that best-selling author Peter Straub says serves as a “guidebook to hell”.

To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the sole ambition of bringing his “art” to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his “art” to limits even Compton hadn’t previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim.

Swiftly moving from the grimy streets of London’s Piccadilly Circus to the decadence of the New Orleans French Quarter, Poppy Z. Brite dissects the landscape of torture and invites us into the mind of a killer. Exquisite Corpse confirms Brite as a writer who defies categorization. It is a novel for those who dare trespass where the sacred and profane become one.

©1996 Billy Martin (P)2020 David N. Wilson

Killers on the Road!

What can be said about EXQUISITE CORPSE that hasn't already been said? Even though this read is all the things everyone says it is, (gross, disgusting, explicit), it's much more than that.

Set in the time when HIV and AIDS were just becoming known terms, two men were destined to meet in New Orleans. Andrew, a serial killer recently escaped from prison in a way Edmond Dantes would have admired; the other a wealthy, long time New Orleans resident named Jay whose tastes mirror Andrew's. They prowl the streets of New Orleans together, searching for new prey. Will they find it? Will they ever be caught? You'll have to read this to find out!

Perhaps this would be a good point to say choose this book carefully? In this time of trigger warnings, this book has them all. Be warned. All that violence, homosexual sex, cannibalism and extreme horror are here; the warnings are true.

But for me, there was an entire backstory which consisted of a number of things: how gays were treated, labeled, and bullied at that time in American history. How when the HIV/AIDS epidemic began it made life for gays even worse. Not only were they having to watch their friends and lovers die, they had to endure humiliation and violence daily in their own lives. What kind of life is that? What makes life even worth living, knowing that you'll be taunted, laughed at, beat up, dragged through the mud, and maybe even killed, and no one would care. They'd say you got what you deserved...how long before you start thinking that maybe "they" were right?

Joshua Saxon, the narrator, delivered a fine performance, that I'm sure must have been difficult at times, considering the subject matter. Despite all of the violence and gritty sex, he, (in conjunction with the author), somehow conveyed an air of melancholy sadness that seemed to hover over the entire story.

It was that melancholy sadness that stood out the most for me. Sure, it's well written and once again, the shocking violence and homosexual sex permeated nearly every chapter of EXQUISITE CORPSE- but none of it even began to touch the despondency and grief I felt emanating from every single page. (Do you still phrase it like that when you're listening instead of reading? I say yes.)

Drawing out my empathy, even in the midst of all the nasty things happening, means that the author got to me, and most likely not in the way they intended, but then again, maybe so? Maybe I'm just crazy because I don't see many other reviews talking about these aspects of the story? Each reader takes away something different from a tale, and this is what I have chosen to take from this one.

Recommended for sure, but only for those who can handle such explicit horrors.

*Thank you to the narrator for the Audible download in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

Literally my all time favorite book

I was so happy to have found the audiobook version of this book it has always been my favorite. Since downloading it I’ve listened to it through three times this week. It’s the only book I’ve ever read that literally hurt my heart for the ending, it’s like losing my best friends every single time, absolutely devastating but I can’t stop going back.

Yikers, what a ride…

Very rarely does a book make me squirm, but boy oh boy, did Exquisite Corpse do just that. It’s a wild ride that’s gross, gory, and captivating. I love horror, and I loved this book, but this is a book I will forever be glad I listened to but will never pick up again. A must ready for horror fans!

A beautifully written disgusting story.

The way this book was written and the narrator are the best things about this book. The story was also very interesting and tackled the poor way the HIV epidemic was handled by America. The gore and sexual violence took some getting used to and is definitely not for everyone. I enjoyed this book for its creativity and will not be listening to it again.

Should be in horror/porn category

I liked the overall story and narration. I was quickly tired of all the detailed sex. I didn't like the stereotype of the crazy, deviant, amoral Gay men with HIV. It is this stereotype that fueled and still fuels fear about HIV and Gay Men. Most men and women who got HIV in the 80's were just regular people. The drug addicts were sick with addiction.

Amazing

If you don’t like gore or are homophonic then skip this book. I loved it from the start and all the way through. Great character development and story. It was both unnerving and fascinating. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in years. Highly recommend.

Gay Porn recommended to me by Audible 🤨

So this book was a suggestion by audible after I finished The Girl Next Door. I read the reviews of this book and I do love gross and disturbing and you will get that with this book. However not realizing it was written like an adult magazine feature of the month, I’m listening to it because I try to finish all books I buy.

so basically

It's like if David Attenborough made an 8 hour documentary of "1 Man 1 Jar."

A Beautiful Disgusting Book

This is a book with some bite. Literally! I was looking for disturbing literature when I stumbled on this. It did not disappoint. A very good piece of literary art. Every passage and chapter is a combination of amazing descriptions and gory horror. Not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach it, it is a wild ride.

first poppy

my first poppy and it was exquisite. the narrator only enhance the lurid story with his growling dark voice.