Kadomi@buecher.pnpde.social reviewed Broken monsters by Lauren Beukes
Fascinating body horror
5 stars
Lauren Beukes is another author I have yet to be disappointed by. When I started reading it, it read a bit like your average serial killer story, set in Detroit. But it leaned more towards body horror and lovecraftian touches towards the end.
We're never really guessing who the murderer is, because we get to live his descent into madness, driven on by a Lovecraftian dream, committing ever more gruesome art. The real star of the novel is probably Detroit, with a vibrant art scene, and descriptions of all its industrial ruins. But we also different PoVs. We get Gabi, single mom, leading investigator of the case, too busy with work to pay much attention to her 15-year old daughter, who is struggling with the divorce, catfishing online to trick pedophiles. There's Jonno, who decides to become a YouTuber about Detroit, who shows the ugly side of social media.
…Lauren Beukes is another author I have yet to be disappointed by. When I started reading it, it read a bit like your average serial killer story, set in Detroit. But it leaned more towards body horror and lovecraftian touches towards the end.
We're never really guessing who the murderer is, because we get to live his descent into madness, driven on by a Lovecraftian dream, committing ever more gruesome art. The real star of the novel is probably Detroit, with a vibrant art scene, and descriptions of all its industrial ruins. But we also different PoVs. We get Gabi, single mom, leading investigator of the case, too busy with work to pay much attention to her 15-year old daughter, who is struggling with the divorce, catfishing online to trick pedophiles. There's Jonno, who decides to become a YouTuber about Detroit, who shows the ugly side of social media.
I was super-hooked by this story, and the writing. If you liked The Shining Girls and might want more of the kind, Broken Monsters is pretty great.