Exquisite Corpse

Inhoud

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, and punctuated by rants from radio talk show host Lush Rimbaud, a.k.a. Luke Ransom, Tran's ex-lover, who is dying of AIDS and who intends to wreak ultimate havoc before leaving this world, Exquisite Corpse unfolds into a labyrinth of murder and love. Ultimately all four characters converge on a singular bloody night after which their lives will be irrevocably changed -- or terminated.
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.

Bespreking

Gruesome love story about two serial killers

Andrew Compton, a Londoner imprisoned for murdering of 23 young men, escapes from prison by faking his own death. After killing his coroners he flies to Louisiana, where he meets Jay Byrne, a killer with an even greater obsession for the flesh of his victims. Together they bring their 'art' of killing to an absolute high when they set sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, their perfect victim.

With Exquisite Corpse Poppy Z. Brite explores the boundaries of the grotesque by mixing elements of a love story with a gruesome slasher story. Weird as it may sound, the end result is remarkable in its ability to get the reader emotionally involved. Although the main characters are stuck low on the stairs of morality, they are depicted in such a rich and magnificent style that in an eerie way you start to comprehend their sick and distorted motivations. It is exactly this that makes reading this book such a roller coaster ride, where the reader is in constant conflict with his own morality. This is not only caused by the covered subject, but also by the colorful and richly detailed prose. Certain vivid descriptions did indeed make me physically queasy, a reaction I never suffered before while reading a book. Naturally this book is not advisable for people with a weak stomach.

On the other side, this story addresses the subject of AIDS with an unseen vengeance. Whereas the depicted violence is far over the top, this subject is dealt with in a very human and mature way. Brite shows the real face of the decease without trying to hide its desperation and hopelessness.

Reread 2020-06-20
Reread 2023-12-24