#there's an essay on queerness and horror that knocked my sock of genuinely | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

libraryleopard · 22 hours ago

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Adult horror novel

Set in Toronto's gay village of over the course of several decades (1980s to 2010s) against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, police brutality, and inaction from the law, those left behind begin to realize the culprit is a sinister being that's more than human

Includes segments weaving in the author's own personal history

Draws on real history and Toronto's queer community to create a story of dark folklore that exposes real-world horrors

Large cast of largely queer characters, including a recurring character of a Black lesbian and her trans girlfriend, and focuses on the way murdered and missing gay men of color are especially failed by systems of justice

#very harrowing but really captivating and well-written imo #like VERY dark and draws on the history of a real serial killer who targeted gay men in toronto #the first half did feel a little repetitive at a certain point #since it bounces around following various missing people and those searching for them #but for me it really came together in the second half #the way it mixed horror and folklore and queer history and community just felt very well-done #and i thought the personal interjections from the author were cool #there's an essay on queerness and horror that knocked my sock of genuinely #this is kind of a hard book to explain #because of how it ties together fiction and nonfiction #but it was really interesting #and it would recommend it to those with a tolerance for horror and violence #just. oof. gonna think about this for a while i think!#red x #david demchuk #books #lulu speaks #lulu reads red x #lulu reads #2025 reads

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