'My Heart is a Chainsaw' by Stephen Graham Jones - Review

by Samantha Shawking

*Reposted from my Instagram.

Earlier this month, I finished reading 'My Heart is a Chainsaw' by Stephen Graham Jones. It tells the story of Jade Daniels, a 17-year-old outcast obsessed with slasher films. She is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. When multiple dead bodies turn up in her hometown, Jade is fully convinced a “slasher cycle” has begun, and she’s not sure if she wants to stop it.

This book took some revving up to get started. For the first 100 pages, readers follow Jade through her mundane day-to-day, and not much happens. The beginning is focused on Jade as a character, rather than plot progression. Truthfully, I put the book down and wasn’t sure I’d finish it, but enough positive reviews convinced me otherwise.

After the 100-page mark, the book picks up a ton of speed. The murder mystery intensifies and the climatic blood bath at the end is explosive. Some gory moments made me flinch and cringe so much, I almost dropped the book to the floor.

And underneath this slasher-whodunit is a coming-of-age story. The introverted, angry teen we meet at the beginning of the story slowly unravels, revealing devastating details of her past and how she came to be who she is. And amongst the gore and violence, Jade grows up and learns who she needs to become to survive.

My only other gripe with the story is the climax. It wasn’t what I expected, but not necessarily in a good way. It was bloody and extreme, sure, but there were WAY too many "juke-out" moments. Is this person the killer? No. Is THIS person the killer? No. But maybe the first person is? Are they dead? Yes. Just kidding, they aren't dead. Oh, but now they’re dead for real.

I appreciate twists and thrills usually, but my god, this book yanked me back and forth too much. I had to reread some pages just to grasp what was happening. And when the killer was finally revealed, I felt like it didn't make sense. It was a bit unbelievable (I can’t explain without spoilers).

While I did have some issues with the book, I ultimately decided I liked it and accepted the ending. Jones is a fantastic writer and I’m excited to see what happens in the sequel.

4.5 stars