This book read like a fever dream and was the perfect book to get me pumped for spooky season!
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This is basically a love letter to slasher films. If you love Scream, Halloween, and trivia for slasher films this book is for you.
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This is a unique book and not like one I’ve read before. I don’t want to say much else but if you are looking for a spooky slasher book, here you go.
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This book is out today!

My Heart is a Chainsaw is my favorite book of 2021 so far. Stephen Graham Jones knocks it out of the park again with his new novel, which is really like a love letter to slasher films. As a horror fan from a young age there was a lot about the main character that I related to which I LOVED. The “Slasher 101” sections were so fun, helped to put readers into the slasher frame of mind, while also giving a little bit of horror movie education. Yes, it starts strong laying the groundwork for what is to come. Yes, it enters a phase of slow burn - don’t give up when you get here! But, like any good slow burn slasher it is worth it in the end. There is gore, horror, pop culture, and more. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Today (8/31) is the release date and I will be going out to buy a physical copy because I will definitely be reading this again.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw has such an amazing slasher opening prologue. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for more! The story takes a sudden stop and pivots to following Jade, a slasher film aficionado and part time janitor who finds her favorite movie genre starting to play a little too close to home. After an incident finds her in possession of evidence that a killer has started the slasher ritual, she spends her time trying to convince everyone around her that she’s not playing a senior prank. That a killer is actually on the loose, ready to slash their way through the town. But Jade knows she’ll never be the final girl, but she can help train her for the coming carnage.
The story itself is a bit of a slow build after the adrenaline rush of the opening prologue, but the ending is worth it. Twist and turns the reader doesn’t know is coming despite all of Jade’s knowledge of the genre are scattered throughout the story. Though this is a slasher, we spend a lot of time getting to know Jade and all her quirks. She is messy and strong, and many times I found myself yelling at her like I would the actors on the screen of a slasher film.
So hop in the town canoe, listen to the legend of Stacey Graves, and try not to flinch when you hear a chainsaw running in the forest.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Available Now

Reader Friends, every once in a while a book comes along and kicks you in the gut. It then follows through with an uppercut to the chin, a hook to the cheek, and a kick to the rear when you finally fall to the ground. Who am I kidding, I fell after the kick to the gut.
My Heart is a Chainsaw embodies those feelings. It sweeps you up in a story of high school angst, fueled by the misunderstood, horror-obsessed chick with a complicated homelife. It then knocks you down with the reasons for her trauma, her obsession, her need to find escape and meaning in the Final Girl phenomenon of slasher films. Just when you think you’ve had all you can take, you’re given a reason to hope. But we all know that hope is fleeting in horror films and in books.
Jade is so close to graduating high school and moving out of her tiny town and away from her drunken father. She can smell the bus ticket that will bring stress and uncertainty for her future, but it smells better than home. But then a night goes sideways and she finds herself drifting across a haunted lake with horror films on her mind and a course set for her final destination. But that course is interrupted and she ends up in a hospital only to be spit out weeks later into the same circumstances that brought her there. Now with her town being split into two castes; the rich in Terra Nova, and the workers in the small town of Proofrock who are building the new mansions, Jade finds herself face to face with an actual Final Girl. She’s everything a Final Girl should be and Jade takes it upon herself to equip the Final Girl with all the tools and knowledge necessary to save the town of Proofrock from an angry spirit that lives in the lake and is determined to kill all that comes in her path.
But it won’t be easy.
Oh, this book! I want to wrap Jade up and make everything better even though that’s the last thing she would want. My Heart is a Chainsaw is complicated, thrilling, and nightmare-inducing. The characters are fully fleshed out people with histories and futures and the horrors inflicted on them is a living, breathing entity. This is an absolutely terrifying novel that needs to be on every horror fan’s bookshelf.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy of this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Slashers. If I had to pick one subgenre of horror films as my favorite I would probably have to go with the slasher. From Halloween and Michael Myers to Scream and Ghostface. Is it nostalgia, maybe? Spending the night at a friend's house, eating cold pizza and drinking way too much Mt. Dew while staying up all hours of the night watching some masked killer stalk and murder his victims on the television. Experiencing those frightful instances of a jump scare while knowing deep down that I was safe and that the boogeyman wasn't real (or is he?) Now take that slasher film, convert it into a novel and you’ll get MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW by Stephen Graham Jones. A love letter to the slasher film.

Meet our protagonist Jade. She is obsessed, and I mean absolutely obsessed with horror movies, and slasher films in particular. Honestly, for me Jade was a bit unlikable at first. Maybe unlikable isn't quite the right word, a bit overbearing might be better? Jade is all about the slasher. Full of passion for the genre. She lives and breathes all things slasher. Twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. It got to the point where she was so hopeful with every fiber of her being that an actual killer would show up in her hometown of Proofrock and start murdering people just so that she could live and breathe the slasher experience firsthand. Jade was just too much for me up to a certain point where I thought that she was just crazy. A bit off her rocker. But then Jones' expert storytelling kicked in and his ability to craft great characters transformed Jade from being someone I wasn't sure I liked to me viewing her in a completely different light. There was a revelation of understanding as to why Jade is so absorbed and obsessed with slasher films. I won’t say why here, I’ll let you have that moment of discovery for yourself reader, but suffice it to say that it fully changed my opinion of Jade as a character.

Jade fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) gets her wish as blood spills and people around town start to be killed off one by one. Is a masked killer on the loose or is it something more sinister from the town’s dark past come back for revenge? With all her years of accumulated knowledge of the slasher Jade sets out to predict who will be the next to die a gruesome death, the killer's motives, who the man or woman behind the mask is, and who will be that final girl left standing bloodied but not beaten by the time the proverbial credits roll.

This is not a fast paced slasher with a tight hour and a half run time. After a bloody and brutal opening scene the book switches gears and we coast along in the slow lane. I am all for a slow burn of a book but this one was at times a bit too slow, even for me. Hold onto your hats though because as we approach the third and final act Jones dumps gasoline onto the fire setting up one of the most frantic and frenzied conclusions to a book I have ever read.

MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW by Stephen Graham Jones pays homage to the great films of the slasher genre while carving out a unique place of its own. It is far more than just a fun, bloody, and mindless slasher though. Jade’s story is about seeking acceptance. About how we all have an inherent need to feel loved and protected no matter how though we might act. Of finding that someone who is willing to fight for you, just as much as you’d fight for them. A slasher with a beating, revving heart, just like a chainsaw.

Thank you to Gallery Books, NetGalley, and Stephen Graham Jones for the opportunity to review an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Jade Daniels is a half-Indian, social outcast with an abusive father and absent mother. She sees the world through the mask of the slasher villains she loves so much. When people begin to turn up dead and a “Final Girl” moves in across Indian Lake, Jade uses her knowledge of the genre to try to prepare the town for what is to come. But will anyone take her seriously?

This was my first Stephen Graham Jones novel, and at first I was a little underwhelmed. The beginning of the book grabbed me straight away, but after the initial scene, it began to drag. The first 60-70% was dense and took a lot of effort to puzzle out what was actually happening. Being in Jade’s head took a lot of effort to get used to her way of thinking. She speaks her own language of slasher lingo and, unless you are a diehard horror/slasher fan, it is tough to understand at first. But as the narrative unfolds, her way of thinking and why she hides within the slasher world becomes clear. She is self aware in her own way and seeing life through her eyes is as heartbreaking as it is fascinating.

The last 30 or so percent of this book more than made up for the slow start. It is gory and intense and everything that I wanted throughout the beginning. Once the action starts, it doesn’t stop. I loved the integration of the ‘Slasher 101’ essays she wrote to her history teacher and how they further the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and loved the creativity involved in Stephen Graham Jones’ storytelling. I definitely want to reread this soon.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw - Stephen Graham Jones



Award winner Stephen Graham Jones has written a horror novel unlike any I’ve read before. It’s not straightforward like what I’m used to. It took me a good minute to get used to the writing style and for the story to pick up in pace. The main character is Jade Daniels who is a half-Indian teenage girl who goes to school in the small pristine town of Proofrock, which is set on Indian Lake. She lives with her alcoholic father, is a custodian at her school, and is overly OBSESSED with horror movies. Jade lives in her own world, and has this feeling that the town is about to turn into a horror movie, the question is.. what kind of horror movie is it going to be? If you’ve ever watched any 80’s classic horror movies, that’s what you’ll find between the pages of this book. I don’t know how to explain it, just read it. You’ll understand what I’m saying after you do. This book gives you a lot to think about. It’s not like anything I ever expected.

Thanks to Gallery Books via NetGalley for kindly providing this ARC in exchange for my review.

An awesome homage to slasher movies that manages to subvert the genre and bring something different! How do you survive when monsters come in many forms? Who deserves to be a Final Girl? Narrated by a troubled girl with a big heart, Jade is one of the best protagonists I’ve ever read. I think every person who has used horror movies to escape from life will relate to her. She believes the world must follow slasher rules because that’s the only way it makes sense. She seeks a Final Girl to mentor because she thinks she doesn’t fit the criteria. She’s torn between wanting to watch her town suffer and wanting to fight the monster. Yet beneath her snarky interactions with a sympathetic Sheriff and a supportive teacher, lies a layer of pain and loneliness that she hides from everyone.

The book is filled with slasher movies references in Jade’s inner monologues, interspersed with her Slasher 101 essays. I enjoyed it, especially surprises like an Agatha Christie mention and the argument for Jaws as a slasher movie. However, I can see why this would be confusing for readers who aren’t fans of slashers. I also thought the pacing lags in the middle though the last third makes up for it! It’s a chaotic, violent finale with poignant scenes of Jade reconciling her life with her fantasies. I felt sad that I had to leave her behind when the story ends. But just like her favourite movies, I hope there’s a sequel!

CW: sexual abuse, self-harm, suicide attempt, animal deaths, graphic violence

Thanks NetGalley, Gallery Books. and Stephen Graham Jones for this book to review. It started off really strong with the tourist couple but it went downhill from there. The book seem to drag a bit and I really like Stephen Graham Jones' books but this was not for me. I didn't like Jade as a POV. I just was not. happy about this one.

I had a hard time with this one. I couldn't get in to it and it just didn't work for me. I like to say reviews will be different for everyone and this is just my opinion of the book. Don't come at me with your pitchforks.

The book had my curiosity when I knew SGJ had written a new one. When I saw what the book was about I really needed it. It just didn't work out the way I wanted.

The first thing was, I didn't enjoy the main character, she was annoying. I understand trauma and growing up in a place you hate but, it was just too much; all she does is complain and talk about slashers.

The second thing was how in the middle of the story her "papers" were in-between the good parts and I couldn't stand to read them because I couldn't get into her as a character.

I felt either apathy or confusion most of the book. I'm disappointed in myself for not liking it but, here we are.

I received an ARC from netgalley. Thanks to them for letting me give it a try.

(Blog Post will go live on September 1!)

Thank you to Saga Press for providing me with an e-ARC of My Heart is a Chainsaw in exchange for an honest review!

Please don't come for me. I'm sensitive. :( If you enjoyed this book, I am very happy for you. ♥

It’s probably safe to say that I’m in the minority on this one, but My Heart is a Chainsaw just did not do it for me. Wild, seeing as I love slashers & the number of references sprinkled throughout this read should have won me over. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The pacing was so excruciatingly slow. It wasn’t until about the 70% mark that things starting really happening. I had almost DNF’ed My Heart is a Chainsaw multiple times, and although I wasn’t impressed at all in the end, I will say that I’m glad I didn’t give up before that 70% mark. The slasher-y bits & gore-y goodies were done very nicely, I just wish we would have gotten something slightly sooner.

It also took a while to feel anything for our main character, Jade. Listen, she’s rough around the edges & has every right to be. Yet, it was still so difficult to care about her until we headed towards the end & got more of a hint on what was going on with her — & when you don’t care, it just makes the book very difficult to get into. With that being said, in the end I was definitely rooting for her.

As for writing, Stephen Graham Jones has a beautiful way with prose. However, in My Heart is a Chainsaw, I felt some of the writing was very choppy & didn’t necessarily flow well. At times, I didn’t know how we even got to certain places due to this.

In the end, I think it’s the pacing that really made me dislike this book. I enjoyed the concept and SGJ was definitely going into deeper & more meaningful territory than your traditional slasher. However, it ended up feeling like a chore to read in order to get to the good bits.

."But everybody dies in those movies he says, pulling the headlights on now, blasting white out across the water.

"But they really live first," Jade says, popping her door open to fade into the night.

🔪💀🌲🩸

Happy book birthday to my favorite book of the year!

My Heart is a Chainsaw is truly a masterpiece of slasher fiction mixed with a coming-of-age horror story.

I laughed, I cried, I cringed. I almost threw my Kindle at the wall a few times because I got so invested in Jade and her wellbeing. This book is a love story to slashers and has so much heart it made my tiny dark heart grow three sizes. Some people might not be able to handle the free flowing style of being in Jade's head, but once you get used to the way the story is being told you can't turn the pages fast enough.

This book has everything I want in my novels; a strong take-no-shit female protagonist, a love for horror and it's history, creepy woods, and fucked up stuff happening to rich jerks.

Run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore and get this book!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ All the stars

Final Girls are all the rage these days and no one knows that better than Jade. The powers that be in her town of Proofrock are building a new gated community on the site of, (what townies call), Camp Blood, and only Jade seems to know how that will end up. But as is often the case, no one will believe her when she tells them. Unfortunately, Jade doesn't have the best track record, as she suffers from depression, she verbally rambles, referencing films most people have never heard of, and she has attempted suicide at least once before. Will Jade ever get anyone to believe her? Will she be able to locate the final girl, help prepare her and in so doing, save Proofrock? You'll have to read this to find out!

I'm a huge fan of Stephen Graham Jones. THE ONLY GOOD INDIAN was my favorite novel last year, and NIGHT OF THE MANNEQUINS was among my favorite novellas. I just didn't connect with this one, as I did with those. It might be my lack of love for slashers. I've loved horror movies since my parents took me to Dusk to Dawn events all throughout the 70's. I saw the original Halloween, and Friday the 13th and loved them. I did not love the sequels. At all. This here novel was made for the slasher lover. The references to films and character's names went mostly over my head, I admit it.

I did however, love the psychology of those movies-specifically the ways that Jade adopted the stories of those characters. It was like she took those film tropes and overlaid them on her reality and as a result, she had a loose idea of how things were going to go.

As it stands, I am blaming this rating on my lack of love or knowledge of most slasher films, (other than the original 70's versions of most of them), and on the fact that I felt no connection to the characters. Mild spoiler: (view spoiler) The thing, the character, that kept me reading was Jade. Her humanity-I felt it in my soul like a physical thing. Her circumstances, her loneliness, her love and passion for film were all almost tangible. I wanted to hug her and one of those good long hugs, too.

Lastly, I felt like this narrative went on too long. Maybe that's another reason that I didn't connect with this tale? Maybe I read it wrong, I don't know, but this is honestly how I feel about it.

After thinking it over for a day or two, I'm going with 3.5/5 stars, which pains me. I did enjoy this book, I just didn't love it and I was hoping I would.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

**Trigger Warnings: (view spoiler)**

Stephen Graham Jones really knows how to write a horror novel! I didn't think he could possibly top "The Only Good Indians," which I devoured in a day, but he has proved me wrong. "My Heart is a Chainsaw" is the inventive story of Jade Daniels, a young woman obsessed with slasher films. When a body is found in Indian Lake, Jade begins to believe that a real-life slasher has come to her sleepy little town and that only her knowledge of horror films will save them. As the death count rises, a reader can't help but wonder if Jade is really as crazy as she seems or if she just might be right after all.

Jade is a beautifully written, multidimensional character. She is intelligent and tough-as-nails. However, she is also vulnerable and longs for a place to fit in and call home. I found myself really routing for her...and desperately hoping that she wasn't out of her mind for believing she was in a real life slasher movie.

This book, like Jones' others, is definitely not for everyone. It is gory and challenging to read. However, readers who appreciate both exquisite writing and true horror will love this book. I loved this book! Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this fabulous book in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book. I think I may just have to give up on Stephen Graham Jones. It started out well but I just couldn't understand Jade, the main character. She's really messed up and totally has a reason to be that way but actually wanting a murderous rampaging slasher to come to your town because you're super into horror movies? Um, nope.
Three stars because it's very well-written and the story is well-crafted. I just could not get into it. At all.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early e-galley of this novel.*

This book was a slow burn in the best of ways, and Jade was one of the most complicated, endearing, and well developed characters I've read in a long time. For all the gore and the scares, Jade is what will stay with me the longest.

I have only read one other book by Stephen Graham Jones( The Only Good Indians), but it was enough to know that he has his own very unique writing style. Getting a chance to read an early copy was like Christmas in July, though I am sure if he wrote a book about the holiday, it would have nothing to do with sugarplums and sweet dreams.
Seventeen-year-old Jade is half-Indian and 100% outsider in her hometown of Proofrock, Indiana. There is one thing that no one can take away from her, her encyclopedic knowledge of all the slasher movies ever made that live inside her head. When two tourists die, Jade is convinced that this nothing good ever happens here town is about to become infamous. There is a slasher here and now all she needs is a final girl.
Another person might have written the script making herself the final girl, but Jade knows she doesn't have what it takes. A new housing development being built across the lake provides what she needs. Letha, the new girl at school checks all Jade's boxes. As every slasher-loving movie fan knows, the final girl always emerges scarred but alive. The question though is real-life anything like a movie? Jade is about to find out.
I am not a walking talking horror movie addict like Jade, and I might have been lost at all the references if the author didn't provide a clever way to share some much-needed knowledge. Jade writes extra credit essays for her history teacher and this allowed me to not have to constantly Google parts of this book. From the moment that Jade was introduced, her unique voice and outlook made her a favorite fictional character. I would classify this as a slow burn until everything comes together for the final confrontation. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen.

My grateful thanks as always to NetGalley for the chance at an advance read of a book that's bound to grab plenty of attention.
Even with the tantalizing subject matter of slasher movies and "final" girls, nobody should approach this book thinking it's going to be a fun, breezy, lightning fast, hot buttered popcorn treat to read.
On the contrary, it bears the heavy density (and sometimes obtuseness and pretension ) of literary fiction, a slow, tortuous journey through the troubled mind of its lead character.
And unless readers come to this novel pre-equipped with an encyclopedic knowledge of the last 60 years of slasher/splatter films along with their casts and director credits, they might consider keeping IMDB cued up on a separate device for instant references as they read..
If you're willing to take the plunge (and as a lifelong hardcore movie buff I couldn't possibly resist), you're in a for a deeply thought out, deeply disturbing 10 course meal not only in slasher lore but in ALL the American ills - the mistreatment of Native Americans, the toxic economic disparity in today's society, systemic racism and horrific, hidden sexual abuse of children.
Half Indian 17 year old Jade lives an internally solitary life as her lakeside community's oddball outcast resident juvenile delinquent. As an escape from all of those who abuse, mock, torment and chastise her, she lives in her own private world governed by the tropes of all the slasher movies she knows by heart (such as the "Halloween", "Friday The 13th" and "Nightmare On Elm Street" series.)......films that she worships as practically Holy Scripture.
With proof of the mysterious deaths of two young tourists, Jade's convinced herself that her town now plays host to a genuine slasher with a revenge-fueled agenda and that a blood-soaked body count is imminent - most likely during the town's big annual 4th of July celebration on the lake.
She's even picked out and anointed the girl she's designated as the Final Girl - the traditional Last Girl Standing in every slasher movie. In this case it's the stunningly perfect Letha Mondragon, daughter of one of the ultra wealthy newcomers to the town who are building their own mini-kingdom of McMansions along the lake shoreline.
Along the way to the expected spectacular slaughter bloodbath (which really has more in common with the 2010 remake of "Piranha" than a slasher flick), Jade tries to desperately orchestrate events according to her slasher precepts - including grooming and preparing Letha to assume her role of the Final Girl who steps up to do battle with the monstrous killer.
But as in real life and horror films alike, things go awry for Jade, leading her to confront amidst literally a sea of carnage, all of the horrors in her life, especially the very worst of her inner torments.
As I already mentioned in this review, this is no easy-peasy, walk-in-the-park to read, even though it will no doubt make you smile and nod at the hundreds upon hundreds of slasher-splatter film reference (some going all the way back to the genre's roots in the 1960's Italian gorefests like Mario Bava's '"Bay Of Blood")
"My Heart Is A Chainsaw" is a quite the staggering, ambitious effort, equal to any of Stephen King's 600 page door-stoppers. True, it does sometimes bear the labored overwriting that afflicts uppercrust literary fiction, but as a lifelong consumer of horror novels and films, I still found it a 4 star feast to behold.

TL;DR

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones is a horror novel that I really wanted. It educated me; it thrilled me; and it made me care about Jade. Highly recommended.

Review: My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Horror is a genre in which I’ve not read deeply. I’ve read some Stephen King, some Joe Hill, and a Grady Hendrix book. But really that’s about it. This is an area my speculative fiction reading lacks. I do try to keep tabs on interesting books in that genre, and I’ve noticed one name continually draws my attention with interesting back cover summaries. Stephen Graham Jones is an author that continues to write books that interest me. However, during his releases, I’m always packed with books to review. I don’t like requesting books unless I know I’m going to read them. So, when I saw that he had a new novel coming out, I requested a review copy, and I blocked out time for it. I was going to see why everyone keeps saying great things about Stephen Graham Jones. Luckily for me, the publisher granted my request, and I had a copy of My Heart is a Chainsaw. I loved everything about this book from the minimalist cover to the main character to the essays she writes for her history teacher. My Heart is a Chainsaw hit every beat necessary for an enjoyable novel. Now, I see why he’s getting the acclaim he deserves. I’m a fan, and that sound you hear in the background is just me adding his other books to my TBR pile.

Jennifer “Jade” Daniels has been studying slasher films her whole life. She has an encyclopedic knowledge, but she’s more than just a walking wikipedia of slasher films. She analyzes. She puts the films in conversation with her life, and for extra credit in her history class, she’s been educating her teacher about slashers. High school graduation is approaching. Her home life is terrible, filled with harassment. So, Jade, unsuccessfully, decides to take her own life. After a brief stay in a psychological ward, she returns to school to find all the attention is not for the near-suicide but for a new student in the senior class. This new student is part of an out-of-town family that moves across the lake from Proofrock, Idaho. These across-the-lake families are rich people creeping in on National Park land bordering Proofrock. In addition to the national park, these new homes are being constructed near the abandoned summer camp with a ghastly history. Upon seeing the new student, Jade believes that she is a final girl. With the final girl comes the slasher, and Jade is here for it. Her wishes have come true. But as the body count begins to climb, will she be able to prepare the final girl in time to stop the slasher?

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a close third-person POV following Jade through the whole book. It’s written in a stream-of-consciousness way that relies heavily on the voice of Jade. It works. This is the type of book that looks easy to write because it flows so smoothly. But, even without reading the acknowledgements, I can tell that Jones put a lot of effort into getting it to read effortlessly. Like any good mystery, Jones kept me guessing throughout as to who the killer was. The story walked that perfect line of giving enough information to flood the zone while still giving the right information that the reveal felt earned. By about 50% of the way through the novel, I suspected everyone and no one at the same time. Jones kept me guessing to the very end.

Writing

Stephen Graham Jones does a hell of a job writing this. I’d love to learn how he kept it all straight because looking back, it seems like a difficult balancing act. Maybe that’s just because I’m not as good a writer as he is. Everything happens when it needs to happen but still feels surprising and fresh. And I don’t mean that just about the plot. Jade is the outsider, not just at her school, but in her town also. She is a damaged, young woman, but she’s also peppy, energetic, and sharp as the edge of a boxcutter. Her voice carries the novel. She’s interesting, and she’s funny. I almost wished there was a slasher in the town just to make her happy.

In fact, the book delights because Jade is the main character. She’s the voice of My Heart is a Chainsaw, and her narration propels the story. She feels young and hopeful in a dark way. Like she knows that people will die, but she also has faith that the final girl will win in the end. Jade drives this novel, and her viewpoint makes it memorable. For anyone interested in learning how to write a strong, voice-driven narrative, this is a book that should be studied closely.

Slasher 101

In between chapters, Jones gives us Jade’s extra credit essays as part of a Slasher 101 lecture series. These essays are directed to Mr. Holmes, her history teacher, but I learned a lot from them. These essays are exactly what the title says, a crash-course in field of slasher horror. Well, horror films anyways. Jade educates Mr. Holmes and the reader as to the necessary parts of the slasher genre. I loved these essays. It’s a different look at Jade. Her enthusiasm is a bit contagious. I don’t watch much horror films, but these essays made me want to watch a few. I don’t know much about the slasher genre; so, these essays helped me understand Jade. They also provide a way for Jones to frame the story in the way he wants. It’s another device to dish out information necessary to the story while educating readers about the parts of his own story. I loved these sections.

Throughout the story, we see many reasons why Mr. Holmes is her favorite teacher, but these essays convey that sentiment in a different way. Jade, like all of us, wants to be noticed for who she is. She wants someone to care about her, and she knows she found that in Mr. Holmes. These essays are another way for the reader to see that student-teacher relationship but in a different light. These essays show Jade wanting to impress Mr. Holmes with her knowledge because he takes her expertise seriously. He may not be as interested in the subject as she is, but he lets her conduct her lectures anyways. Because sometimes teachers reach us and inspire us to be more of ourselves. Through these essays, we learn that Mr. Holmes took Jade seriously, and that she thrived under this attention.

Hazy Action

A few times, I had trouble following the action. Things got chaotic, and I had to re-read a little to clarify things. This wasn’t always true, but it happened in a couple key spots.

Conclusion

Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart is a Chainsaw won me over quickly with Jade. Her voice, her dedication to the slasher genre, and her need to prepare the final girl had me turning the pages as quickly as I could. This is a horror book that will keep you up at night because you won’t want to put it down.

I tried several times to get into this and I think I am just not the right audience. I do not watch horror movies so that may be it but I think it os difficult to follow the main characters inner dialogue. I am going to give this another try on audiobook, Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the preview of this book before release.