I Was a Teenage Slasher: Characters, book review & triggers
I was a Teenage Slasher synopsis/summary:
From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix.
1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge.
Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, the unfairness of being on the outside, through the slasher horror he lives but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography. Find yourself rooting for a killer in this summer teen movie of a novel gone full blood-curdling tragic.
I was a Teenage Slasher characters.
Stephen Graham Jones’ I was a Teenage Slasher is narrated by MMC, Tolly Driver. Here is the full list of I Was a Teenage Slasher characters.
Tolly Driver
Amber Big Plume Dennison
Stace Goodkin
Sheriff Burke
Deek Masterton
Lance O’Bryan
Kim Jones
Mandy Lonegan
Trey Meeks
Grandlin Chalmers
Abel Martinez
Ezzy Martinez
Justin Joss
Mr. & Mrs. Joss
Janice Dickerson
Mel Boanerges
Lesley Cantor
Shannon Larkweather
Wes Stripling
Jenna Gonzales
Brenda Driver (Tolly’s mother)
Miss Filmore
Trace
Zaney
Franklin
Timmy
Rodrigo
S Dog
Dana
Glenn
Get I Was a Teenage Slasher here.
I Was a Teenage Slasher book review.
My rating: ★★★★★
5 stars.
Norman Bates. Michael Myers. Ghostface. Hannibal. Jigsaw Killer. Freddy Krueger. Jason. Leatherface. Aren’t slasher movies and villains such fun? If you’ve revelled in the antics of these icons over the decades, you’ll recognise all the tropes: from the Final Girl (shoutout to my girls Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Biel, Courteney Cox etc.) to oblivious parents and cars in perfectly great condition which don't start at the most needed moment.
While I enjoy horror and gravitate towards the psychological variety, I hadn’t immersed myself in a slasher-horror book before, even though I love the movies. So I thought I’d see if my enjoyment of the films would translate into books, and it does! This was my first attempt at Stephen Graham Jones and I loved it.
“I was a teenage slasher, yeah, okay. I said it.”
The premise of this book is a coming-of-age teenage slasher memoir, told in stream-of-consciousness style from Tolly Driver on how he became a slasher and the recap of events in which he went on a reluctant murderous rampage. Look, I’m no slasher sympathiser, but I always think it’s clever when an author can make you feel empathy towards the villain, and not only did SGJ achieve that for me, but I even got a little teary at the end for our main man, Tolly.
Furthermore, I holidayed in Texas earlier this year—and this book is set in Lamesa, Texas, which really enriched the location and setting of this story for me, from the flat landscape to the small-town atmosphere itself.
Approaching the book with little prior knowledge was the way to go. It’s packed with slasher Easter eggs and nostalgia, and while written with heart exploring themes of friendship, love and family, it is extremely meta and isn’t afraid to poke fun at your standard classic slasher tropes.
Trigger warnings abound—Extreme gore, blood, murder, bullying, suicide contemplation, animal deaths and more—so be aware and mind your triggers.
Ultimately, this book is a humorous, heartfelt, and surprisingly poignant love letter to the slasher genre. I really think it deserves 5 stars for how creative, original and brilliant it is and I’m looking forward to getting way more familiar with more of SGJ’s stories.
If you’ve enjoyed slasher films and books in the past, there is a decent chance you’d enjoy this too. Highly recommend. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. It was a bloody good ride. (Sccchhhhting!)
View my I Was a Teenage Slasher book review on GoodReads here.
FAQs.
🚨 Please be mindful that continuing reading may mildly spoil some of I Was a Teenage Slasher book for you. Continue at your own risk! 🚨
What are the trigger warnings for I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones?
Extreme gore
Blood
Murder
Multiple animal deaths (different species)
Suicide ideation/contemplation
Graphic violence
Death of a parent (mentioned)
What are some of the horror tropes in I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones?
Final girl
Red herrings
Villain super speed while only walking
Big house parties
Adults and police are useless
Cool mask
Death by sex
Implacable man
Car doesn’t start
