Exquisite Corpse

What if queer American cannibal killer Jeffery Dahmer met his British equivalent, Dennis Nilsen?

This novel is a fictionalized answer to that question, pairing serial murderers Jay and Andrew in a psychosexual tear through lush New Orleans.

However, my favorites are the other central characters: Luke and Tran, two ex-lovers who are living with HIV, homelessness, and the emotional scars of their bad romance. There is subtle, skillful storytelling showcased in the relationship you only get in retrospect between these two.

It’s so unique that I once taught it to a Master’s degree writing class as an example of rule-breaking… show more.

I read this book three years ago in my dingy apartment in Denton, TX, and it took me several attempts to finish it.

The grotesque elements of the prose were beyond overwhelming to the point of shocked hilarity. Through all its garishness, I gained an understanding that one can get away with literary murder.

You can write the most depraved thing you can think of if you want to. No one is stopping you.

The alternate title really says it all. Necrophiliacs: A Love Story.

Full of splatterpunk angst and memorably depraved characters, the tale of two serial killers meeting in 90s New Orleans and the couple they crash into swings for the fences from the very jump, and I have to admit that on my first read I wasn’t prepared for it. Stylistically strong, with memorable characters and a South so real you can taste it on every page, the author never lets you look away from the depraved side of obsession and the dark symbiosis relationships can foster. As things began… show more.