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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Extreme graphic violence including murder, mutilation, and cannibalism depicted in detail
Language
A lot
Pervasive strong language throughout
Sexual Content
Very heavy
Explicit sexual content combined with violence; the novel deliberately merges sexuality and death
Substance Use
A lot
Significant drug use throughout in the New Orleans gothic setting
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The novel is designed to be deeply disturbing; the perpetrators' psychology is explored without redemption
What this book is about
Poppy Z. Brite's 1996 novel is one of the most disturbing works in the literary horror genre. Two serial killers — one British, one American — meet in New Orleans and begin killing together. The novel depicts murder, sexual violence, and cannibalism in graphic detail. Brite (now Billy Martin) writes with genuine literary ambition, and the novel has a queer perspective that was groundbreaking for its time, but the content is extreme. Strictly for adult readers with a high tolerance for transgressive horror.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Extreme graphic violence, murder, cannibalism
Explicit sexual content combined with violence
Extremely transgressive content
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