Exquisite Corpse

Books | Fiction / Thrillers / General

3.7

(559)

Poppy Z. Brite

From the author of Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Wormwood comes a thrilling and chilling novel that bestselling author Peter Straub says serves as a “guidebook to hell.”To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the sole ambition of bringing his “art” to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his “art” to limits even Compton hadn’t previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim. Swiftly moving from the grimy streets of London’s Piccadilly Circus to the decadence of the New Orleans French Quarter, Poppy Z. Brite dissects the landscape of torture and invites us into the mind of a killer. Exquisite Corpse confirms Brite as a writer who defies categorization. It is a novel for those who dare trespass where the sacred and profane become one.

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More Details:

Author

Poppy Z. Brite

Pages

240

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

1997-08-20

ISBN

1439136408 9781439136409

Community ReviewsSee all

""Your life collided with mine...and you simply failed to survive the wreckage."<br/><br/>I don't even know what to say about this book. This is probably the grossest book I've read (maybe), and it was disturbing on all the levels, but oddly enjoyable. It's like if Jeffrey Dahmer fell in love. If that doesn't sound interesting to you, definitely don't read this book 😂. It's graphic, and gruesome as hell, but it was definitely interesting. It's even kind of campy (yet so so disgusting). This was my first Poppy Z. Brite book, and it was so over-the-top and absurd that I'll be reading another one haha. <br/><br/>The thing that irritated me about this book was that Andrew's chapters were in first person, and everyone else's were in third. Sometimes Andrew would start in the middle of Jay's chapters, and I found it to be distracting."

Emily

"This is the kind of book that haunts you for days after finishing. The way the writer seamlessly blends grotesque body horror, queer eroticism, and existential grief is nothing short of masterful. I loved this novel, and it now holds a place of equal reverence and disgust in my horror collection."

Lola

"this book is super, super twisted and crazy. it’s definitely above the stephen king level. just to caution you! "

keelin🫶🏼

"It was okay for me, I didn’t dislike it but I’ve read other books that were better in terms of gore. The overall sexual nature of the violence isn’t normally what I’d prefer. Definitely disturbing and dark but didn’t leave a lasting impression. "

Emma H

"BookTok is lying you do not need to read this book. The imagery/gore is good but every other aspect of this book is mid at best. "

K G

Kaily Gonzalez

"Undeniably excellent, especially in terms of prose / imagery. I couldn’t put it down! Although fairly sexually explicit, it wasn’t nearly as disturbing as people say. Even if you think it’d be too much for you, I’d recommend checking it out anyway."

pink carnation

"Please check your Trigger Warnings before reading this novel, this is NOT for faint of heart. This book is so beautifully and poetically written, I was sometimes in awe of how something so horrific can be written so gorgeously. I even caught myself feeling for the killers in this book because of how well written they were. Each chapter made me feel like I needed a shower and another therapy appointment, but I loved every second. I could not put this book down. "

Kimiko

"So many parts made me physically sick to my stomach. I hate it in a good way. It's just pretty gory and disturbing in general"

Johnny Reyes

"So gross, but so worth it! Visceral! I loved the inspiration to Jeffrey Dahmer, you knew it the second you read it. 2 serial killers form a relationship, what could go wrong?!"

G R

Glory Reyes Rodriguez

"Loved this book. Dark, disgusting, gory but beautifully written. Check all triggers. "