Exquisite Corpse on January 1, 1996
Genres: horror
Pages: 240
Goodreads

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...

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, and punctuated by rants from radio talk show host Lush Rimbaud, a.k.a. Luke Ransom, Tran's ex-lover, who is dying of AIDS and who intends to wreak ultimate havoc before leaving this world, Exquisite Corpse unfolds into a labyrinth of murder and love. Ultimately all four characters converge on a singular bloody night after which their lives will be irrevocably changed — or terminated.

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This was an interesting read. It’s not something I’d recommend for everyone, really I’m not entirely sure who in my real life (if anyone) I would say should read this book. But I enjoyed it just the same.

I felt like we were being held hostage by Compton, like a little angel strapped to his shoulder who’s soul purpose is to watch things unfold. Which, I guess is what reading is all about, but it felt very real. I felt at one intimately close to the characters but also held at a distance. I think because there’s a lot of, ahem, death happening that you feel it more. The contrast is stark, and I did feel like I was going to be somehow held accountable for the things taking place in the book. Like Compton would turn around and frame me for everything he’s done.

Even though I was pretty sure I knew where the story was going, it was still fascinating to watch it unfold. The details, obviously, I could not predict. And I really wanted to see how everything ended up.

It was interesting, and fucked up, and I will be picking up more from Brite.

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