Jawbone
2018 • 272 pages

Ratings7

Average rating3

15

“Was desire something like being possessed by a nightmare?” Fernanda and Annelise are so close they are practically sisters: a double image, inseparable. So how does Fernanda end up bound on the floor of a deserted cabin, held hostage by one of her teachers and estranged from Annelise? When Fernanda, Annelise, and their friends from the Delta Bilingual Academy convene after school, Annelise leads them in thrilling but increasingly dangerous rituals to a rhinestoned, Dior-scented, drag-queen god of her own invention. Even more perilous is the secret Annelise and Fernanda share, rooted in a dare in which violence meets love. Meanwhile, their literature teacher Miss Clara, who is obsessed with imitating her dead mother, struggles to preserve her deteriorating sanity. Each day she edges nearer to a total break with reality. Interweaving pop culture references and horror concepts drawn from from Herman Melville, H. P. Lovecraft, and anonymous “creepypastas,” Jawbone is an ominous, multivocal novel that explores the terror inherent in the pure potentiality of adolescence and the fine line between desire and fear.

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So verbose and boring. I can't imagine I'm going to suddenly start enjoying this at any point.

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September 29, 2023

this is absolutely my favorite horror book of all time. it’s weird, gross, poetic, thoughtful, atmospheric, and complex. the writing style is completely unique and i adore it. it’s disorganized in a way that makes it more interesting to read. love love love.

November 16, 2024