My Heart Is a Chainsaw

As a major fan of horror films generally, I could not say no to this book. Although some may argue that this is not a YA novel and doesn’t belong on this list, I say hogwash.

Graduating high school senior Jade, half Native American, is obsessed with slasher movies as a way to deal with the horrors of her everyday life: small town, questionable reputation, alcoholic dad, being Other, seeing her town fall for the charms of the mucky-mucks developing waterfront land on her town’s reportedly cursed lake, etc.

This book is super voicey, with a lovely use of language… show more.

For me, this one’s all about the voice.

Horror stories are so often about outsiders, misfits, and outcasts. Sometimes, these outsiders are the victims; sometimes, they’re the monsters. Occasionally, they’re both. Jade Daniels is a social misfit, an awkward teen, and an unrepentant, slasher-obsessed horror fan. 

Jade sees the world through a horror film lens, and her love for the genre colors every word on the page. She’s a fun-house reflection of everyone who loves horror and finds interacting with normal people to be awkward and intimidating.

I became a fan of her first appearance, and her narrative voice is… show more.