In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.“Some girls just don’t know how to die…” Shirley Jackson meets
Friday the 13th in
My Heart Is a Chainsaw, written by the author of
The Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones, called “a literary master” by National Book Award winner Tananarive Due and “one of our most talented living writers” by Tommy Orange. Alma Katsu calls
My Heart Is a Chainsaw “a homage to slasher films that also manages to defy and transcend genre.” On the surface is a story of murder in small-town America. But beneath is its beating heart: a biting critique of American colonialism, Indigenous displacement, and gentrification, and a heartbreaking portrait of a broken young girl who uses horror movies to cope with the horror of her own life. Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies…
especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood
actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold. Yet, even as Jade drags us into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges…a portrait of the scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask: angry, yes, but also a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves, and desperately wants a home. A girl whose feelings are too big for her body.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw is her story, her homage to horror and revenge and triumph.
In the small town of Proofrock, Idaho, lives Jade Daniels, a horror movie-obsessed young woman with a knack for investigation. When her town is suddenly plagued by a series of gruesome murders, Jade sees the opportunity to live out her passion and solve the mystery.
As Jade delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a dark and sinister secret lurking beneath the surface of her seemingly quiet town. The murders appear to be linked to a series of unsolved disappearances that have plagued Proofrock for decades. Jade suspects that the town's dark history is catching up to it, and she sets out to uncover the truth before it's too late.
With the help of her friends, Amelia and Nick, Jade embarks on a dangerous journey to unmask the killer. They soon find themselves in the crosshairs of a powerful and malevolent force that threatens to consume them all. As the body count rises, Jade must confront her own fears and insecurities to protect her town and the people she loves.
"My Heart Is a Chainsaw" is a thrilling and suspenseful horror novel that explores the dark side of obsession and the power of stories to shape our lives. Stephen Graham Jones delivers a gripping narrative that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.
