My Heart is a Chainsaw is an over-the-top, pulpy love letter to slashers and explores what it takes to be a final girl. Although at some points almost too referential, horror fans will likely enjoy the homage.

First things first, this book is insane from page one until the final two words on the last page. My Heart is a Chainsaw starts off with the single spookiest prologue I've ever read in a horror book (and I've read A LOT of horror books), and continues into a heartfelt love letter to the slasher genre with a mix of indian heritage and a cast of characters and plot so masterfully crafted. Stephen Graham Jones is fast in becoming one of my favourite horror genre authors with his ability to have moments where the hairs on your arms are standing up in fear and the next you're holding back tears at the heart break he puts you and the characters through and done with such finesse that leaves you stunned.

Now for a little about the story.

Our main girl (not the final girl as she insists) Jade is a troubled horror film fanatic 17 year old girl who has had not had the greatest life thus far but has always craved for the opportunity to be in a slasher film, but only as an observer to it. There are fundamental rules to a slasher: there's gotta be a killer and a Final Girl to defeat the killer, and Jade believe's she has found both in her town that has fallen to gentrification and lost identity of it's history. The constant theme of the final girl not being a victim, but rather a symbol of strength that overcomes the impossible is a theme that perfectly emulates what is ultimately Jade's arc throughout of the novel. When all is said and done Jade's story is at heart about survival in a world that has not cared for her like it should have and the way you cope with cards you're dealt in life and the trauma that comes from it all - the essence of a Final Girl.

This novel requires you to have patience because the pace is slow, and for a good reason in that it builds the tension of the unknown while still giving you enough information and action to keep your interest piqued. It strays from the typical slasher in that there isn't a death happening every moment and the chaos that ensues but rather it simmers and instead of it being constantly blood and guts you're treated to a story with a beating heart. After awhile you begin to meld with Jade and you, too, begin to question certain events and wonder whether or not you and Jade actually know everything you need in order to understand what is transpiring, or if what you're learning is the truth or not. I will admit, I wasn't even sure if this wasn't all in Jade's head for a fraction of time while reading. I was constantly questioning what I was comprehending and whether or not Jade was manifesting these instances and circumstances or if it was actually happening, which made reading on much more exciting because of the unknown of whats going to happen.

If you do find yourself dragging on the pace just wait until you hit the 70% mark of the novel. At that point you'll be flying through the pages in excitement and horror at the jaw dropping (wink wink) action that ensues for the final moments of the story.

As a massive fan of the horror and slasher genre this was a fantastic read for me, and being able to understand all of our main character Jade's references to her beloved films simply made my experience of reading this a hundred times more enjoyable. The references weren't over the top either, and never felt tiring because I always felt like they were slowing adding to story in some way. The Slasher 101 notes spread intermediately throughout the story in the form of school assignments and internal monologue really add so much to the overall atmosphere and served as a way to have you really connect with Jade as a character - plus it was a fun thing for slasher fans to read and go I KNOW THAT REFERENCE.

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a truly unique addition to the horror genre for it's variety of subjects folded into the main plot in a way that's not distracting or unnecessary but welcome for educating and furthering the plot and our main girl Jade. The pain of the past coming to light, pain you force yourself to forget, relevant and very real social commentary, and the will to find your place in life are all things that are masterfully woven into this one of a kind story. I HIGHLY recommend this novel as a must read for 2021 when released later this year. I can't praise this enough for the roller coaster of emotions I went through and the many times I had to stop reading, catch my breath, and stop to think about what was happening.

Special Thanks to Netgalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinion.

The Only Good Indians was one of my favorite books I read last year, so I was excited to read My Heart is a Chainsaw. I hate to admit it, but I had to stop 1/3 of the way through. There wasn't anything engaging about this story for me, and that's a bummer considering this is an ode to the slasher film genre. Where is the action and pulse racing scares?

This book is amazing. It is unlike any other horror novel I've read. It sucked me in and kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't stop thinking about this book whenever I wasn't reading it. The ending was just about as perfect of an ending as I have ever read. I never expected to be gross sobbing at the end of this but I did and I still loved it. Just an excellent book I cannot wait for everyone to read it!

Oh, man. I, uhhh...eurp...I’m gonna need a minute to recover from this bloodbath of a book. It opens with a gruesome bang in its first scene and then it ebbs into a slow burn in order to introduce the reader to Jade and her background...and to reacquaint the audience with some famous slasher film lore. Then the last 40% of the book happens and you’re plunked down in the middle of the movie ‘Friday the 13th’. I’ve mentioned before that my terrible attention span hates a slow-burn, but I’ve learned that every Stephen Graham Jones book is a ‘trust the process’ type of book: if you commit to it and commit to paying attention, even through the slow, meandering parts, the payout is huge.

The premise of this story is good but the execution of it, in my opinion, is terrible. At the end of the story I had so many questions. I was left hanging and so unsatisfied. I just don’t feel there is any rhyme or reason here. I do appreciate the author’s attempt and his love of slasher movies but this did absolutely nothing for me.

If no one scoops up the movie rights for this, I will be so disappointed. It was a great, twisty slasher/thriller, but I really loved the sense of community he built in Proofrock. Jade has some people in her corner even though her family is trash and she's a loner. I was worried that Jade's past would be exploited just as another plot point but I feel it was handled with care. I can't wait to discuss the ending with someone!

Book Review for My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Full review for this title will be posted at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

My Heart is a Chainsaw starts off with a bang. I was sucked in right away, but then the following chapters just dragged and it was a struggle to finish. I love horror novels and I love horror movies. But this book was a fail for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of the book.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. However, it just wasn’t for me. I love horror novel and movies as well as slasher films so this sounded like something I would really enjoy. I just couldn’t get into the story and the writing style was hard for me. I kept losing interest so I found myself skimming just to get to the end. I wish I had liked it more. I will say if you’re into slasher movies to give it a try, a lot of people love it. I think it may have just been a right book, wrong time situation for me.

Horror fans have all had that feeling. A change in light comes through the window. A stranger rounds the corner. One moment life is business as usual, and the next you can’t shake the surreal feeling that you’ve stepped inside a horror movie. Or perhaps stepped inside isn’t quite right. Rather, you’ve been enveloped. Taken in. Absorbed. In the blink of an eye, you’ve left the world of free will. Now, moments are preordained, the ending already penned.

Of course, in the real world, the moment passes. The flare of red sunset in the window fades to night without incident. The man on the corner crosses the street and disappears. Yet the thrill of possibility sticks with you. What if, you wonder, puzzling over what could have been. If the moment had been the start of a horror movie, what type would it have been? And which role were you destined to play?

In Stephen Graham Jones new novel, My Heart is a Chainsaw (Gallery / Saga Press), Jade Daniels finds herself in just such a moment when a series of deaths begin to pile up in her rapidly gentrifying rural town.

For Jade, life is a constant struggle. Her home is a war zone, thanks to her abusive, alcoholic father and absent mother. School is nearly as bad, surrounded as she is by a sea of peers who would prefer to remain strangers. Even her job as a custodian at the local school is made worse by the presence of a lecherous older coworker. But, for all the awful around her, Jade finds solace in horror movies—slashers, to be exact. From Halloween to Dead and Buried, there isn’t a slasher film Jade doesn’t know by heart, and that encyclopedic knowledge makes her the perfect person to see through what’s happening in her hometown of Proofrock. For everyone else, the recent string of strange deaths is just bad luck, but Jade knows better: a slasher cycle has begun.

It’s too easy to call My Heart is a Chainsaw a “love letter to slashers.” This book is an immersion, a story told in the language of sub genre. Horror fans will revel in Jones’s references to everything from My Bloody Valentine to Scream. But make no mistake, no matter the many nods to classic slasher films, this book is singular. Even as Jones carefully lays out his plot and movies his character’s into place, readers will be hard-pressed to predict the exciting conclusion. Jones’s story twists and flips like a fish in a net. This tale is alive, and living creatures all have one thing in common: they’re unpredictable.

What sets Jones apart from his contemporaries is that his stories feel dangerous. While other authors obfuscate their terrors with metaphor, Jones meets the horrors at the center of his story head-on. The result is a tale that feels simultaneously familiar and fresh, modern and timeless. As you read, you won’t be able to shake the feeling that something terrible is lurking just out of reach, waiting for you behind every page.

My Heart is a Chainsaw publishes August 31, 2021, from Gallery / Saga Press.

The synopsis of this book had me give Stephen Graham Jones another chance after trying to read the Only Good Indians. Read about 1/4 of the book and had to skim. Thanks for giving me a chance to review. I just do not like his writing style.

The Only Good Indians was one of my favorite books of 2020 so I was thrilled to receive a copy of My Heart Is A Chainsaw. This book was actually published in 2012 but is being released in 2021. Stephan Graham Jones has a very unique writing style. He leaves a lot of sentences up to the reader to infer what is happening without saying what is going on. I believe it worked for The Only Good Indians but I struggled with it while reading My Heart Is A Chainsaw. The book has a very slow building start, I had to push myself to keep reading. Then all of a sudden, BAM! Every bit of action happens at once.

I honestly didn't really care for the main character Jade. She had a lot of traits that just we're not likeable and the rest of the characters were not very memorable. Overall I felt the book was disappointing. Maybe my expectations were a little too high since I loved The Only Good Indians a great deal but this book just didn't work for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a slow burn in the best way. At first I had a little trouble getting into the book as it centers on a senior high school girl switching between her narrative and her extra credit essays for her history teacher that are all focused on slashers. However, as the book picks up speed you start to see all the threads come together into a beautiful gory masterpiece. I kind of hope there is a sequel, maybe even a 10 years from now reunion of the main characters.

SLIGHT SPOILERS BELOW

We follow our main character Jade, as she sees her town being changed by the new rich folks building McMansions across Indian Lake from the main town. Jade is convinced that these changes and the dead body that washes up means that a slasher is playing out before her very eyes. She sets out to warn the final girl and help her reach her destiny. But all is not what it seems as Jade's extra credit essays show not only how slashers work, but also the gory history of the town she grew up in. With more than a few jump scares in store, this book will keep you guessing until the final pages.

Wow, Stephen Graham Jones is such a fantastic writer. He manages to top last years The Only Good Indians with My Heart is a Chainsaw.

Jade Daniels is an outcast who lives in her own world with slasher films as her guidance in life. When dead bodies starts to pile up, she drags everyone into her world of blood and masked murderers and the question is if it's real or just in her dark twisted dreams of horror.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a tribute to slasher and horror films and if you like me love this genre you will love this book. There are references to all great slasher films like like Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Halloween and A Bay of Blood. Stephen Graham Jones is a literary master and I highly recommend all his books and this book in particular.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Gallery/Saga Press for the opportunity to read this book and to share my honest review.

I’m having a hard time putting words together to make a sentence because this was everything I wanted and more!

Jade Daniels is your average town nerd. Horror nerd that is. Stephen Graham Jones transports you into every step and thought that passes through Jades mind as she tries to figure out what the hell is going on. People start dying one by one after some wealthy families start constructing their luxury homes across the lake.

This book is terror, mystery, and a hell of a ride. It’s as if all our classic slasher movies came together to make one devious baby. All I have to say is be prepared.

Five out of five stars.

I agree that this book is an homage to slasher films, which will definitely turn off a lot of readers but I found it intriguing and interesting. Jones is a fantastic Native writer doing surprising things with the horror genre. This book reinvents a lot of the field and truly blew me away. Highly recommend.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones #twentiethbookof2021 #arc Thank you to #NetGalley and @sagasff for the advance reader copy. (Pub date 8/31/21)

CW: murder, violence/gore, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse

This was my first book from this author but won’t be my last. I’ve been wanting to read The Only Good Indians for a while and it has now jumped to the top of my list based on this review copy of My Heart is a Chainsaw. This book is chock full of slasher references and is a must read for fans of that movie genre. I went back and forth on whether I thought narrator Jade was reliable or not, but in the end it didn’t matter because I knew her, trusted her, rooted for her. This is a good story. It manages to balance horror movie cliches, gentrification and class, town and Native lore, and even bears. My heart was in my throat for the last three chapters. I think this one will stay with me for a while. And his acknowledgments at the end, the part to his wife? Tears.
#myheartisachainsaw #stephengrahamjones

I will likely still recommend this for purchase for my library because it is a unique story and Stephen Graham Jones is a popular horror author and to boost up our horror collection, but personally, this book was not for me. Though the story was interesting and different, I could not connect with the writing style. I found the way Jones structured sentences to be very odd and felt he always chose the most roundabout way to say what he wanted to say. I had to keep reading over the same sentence to absorb all the information many times throughout this book. I'm disappointed because people praised his last book so much, but his writing style is not for me.

Stephen Graham Jones is the typical overnight success author who took decades to break big. If THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS was his debutant ball, then MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW is a party where his parents took off on vacation, and he's invited everyone to his house, and there's pizza and a keg. This book is the result of years of work, and the blood and bones of this book is filled with love for everything that scares us. You'll love it too.