My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
You won’t find a more hardcore eighties-slasher-film fan than high school senior Jade Daniels. And you won’t find a place less supportive of girls who wear torn T-shirts and too much eyeliner than Proofrock, nestled eight thousand feet up a mountain in Idaho, alongside Indian Lake, home to both Camp Blood – site of a massacre fifty years ago – and, as of this summer, Terra Nova, a second-home celebrity Camelot being carved out of a national forest.
That’s not the only thing that’s getting carved up, though – this, Jade knows, is the start of a slasher. But what kind? Who’s wearing the mask? Jade’s got an encyclopedic recall of every horror movie on the shelf, but… will that help her survive? Can she get a final girl trained enough to stop all this from happening? Does she even want to?
Isn’t a slasher exactly what her hometown deserves?
This new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones, called “one of our most talented living writers” by Tommy Orange, explores the changing landscape of the West through his distinct voice of sharp humor and prophetic violence.
Go up the mountain to Proofrock. See if you’ve got what it takes – see if your heart, too, might be a chainsaw.
Review:
I have had this book on my TBR forever, but I have never gotten around to it for whatever reason. When I decided to do nothing but mysteries, thrillers, and horror books this entire month, I put this on the list. I think one of the things that kept me from diving in is that several reviews stated that it was really slow to start and that it was really difficult to follow. I can confirm that it definitely starts slow, and at times, I was left wondering WTF was going on. In the end, I liked it, but I had way too many questions and WTF moments to say that I truly loved it.
In this book, readers are introduced to Jade Daniels, who I will admit is a truly intriguing and complex protagonist. Jade lives in Proofrock – a small town somewhere in Idaho where nothing exciting ever happens. (It sounds like the Idaho town that I grew up in). Jade has lived a bit of a troubled life. She is a troubled high school senior who lives with her father, and it’s clear early on that they don’t have a great relationship. Jade is pretty much an outcast in Proofrock and sees the world through the lens of a horror movie. One might say she’s obsessed with them, so much so that she feels like what her town needs is a slasher to hit the town and stir things up.
Across the lake from Proofrock are a bunch of mansions that are being built. Rich people are encroaching on the quiet little town, building these huge lake houses across the way. When new girl Letha Mondragon shows up at school, Jade sees her as the perfect final girl, and when Letha finds a body, Jade is convinced that a slasher has surfaced, and it’s up to her to ensure that Letha is up to speed on how to be the perfect final girl.
One of the standout aspects of this novel is the way it pays homage to the horror genre. It is clear that the author has an extensive knowledge of horror films, and fans of the genre will delight in recognizing these nods throughout the story. The way in which Jade predicts and comments on the unfolding plot is a clever and effective narrative device, and her “Horror 101” essays peppered throughout the book add depth to the story.
Jade is definitely the type of narrator that I love. She is broken, she’s been through some shit, and horror movies are definitely a coping mechanism for her. We start the story wanting to give Jade something to chill her out a bit and focus, but as the story progresses, we learn that Jade’s scattered and obsessive way of speaking and thinking are coping mechanisms. Eventually, her vulnerabilities are revealed, providing readers with a portrait of a traumatized little girl hiding beneath a slasher mask. Jade is a character who experiences a range of emotions, from love to fear, and who yearns for a sense of belonging. Through Jade, Jones explores themes of isolation, trauma, and the search for a place to call home – and not only a home but a safe one at that.
This is another book where the setting is also an important character. Throughout the narrative, the small town of Proofrock takes on a life of its own. As Jade delves into the history of the town, readers are exposed to its dark secrets and the heavy weight of its past. The atmosphere is palpable, with the looming presence of masked murderers, local urban legends, and other dangerous things spilling blood across the waters of Indian Lake.
That said, I did have a few issues with the book. First of all, I found the stream-of-consciousness narrative style to be challenging at times. While it allows readers to dive deeply into Jade’s mind and experience her unique first-hand perspective, there were moments when it became difficult to follow along.
I also felt a little whiplash toward the end when things really took off, and the bodies began to pile up. It seems we are headed in one direction, and it seems obvious who the killer is, but then all of a sudden, there’s something else entirely responsible for all of the deaths. This “something else” was mentioned earlier on but never really took off until all of a sudden, it resurfaced out of left field. It left me feeling a little discombobulated.
Overall, I liked the book; it just left me a little too confused to say that I loved it. I can definitely see why reviews are split. That said, if you are a tried and true horror fan, I would recommend checking this one out. Jade is definitely an interesting character that I’d love to spend a little more time with, and from what I understand, the sequel “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is supposed to be better than this book, and from what I read is a little more focused. I’ll definitely be checking it out.
