Name: Survivor
ISBN: 9780843955675

J. F. Gonzalez

A young mother is kidnapped and taken to an isolated cabin to star in an underground snuff film--a film where someone actually dies on tape.

Survivor

Vin 

‘Eros and Thanatos, sex and death.’

Survivor is a book that’s harsh to read, but for being recommended as a classic for how brutal it was, I was actually partly underwhelmed . 

The book starts like a very simple horror movie/book narrative, a couple going on a romantic weekend away, but some problems on the drive there leave them separated and what ensues is a terrifying collection of events that Lisa and Brad, our main protagonist, both have to go through, although very different from each other. 

Although I was underwhelmed with how sickening and brutal it was portrayed to be, I can still say it was definitely brutal, parts nauseating and horrifying, especially if you go into this novel with no knowledge of what the content will be. The prologue to the story is a mic drop, it really sets the wheel in motion for how…intense the novel is going to be, and it doesn’t let up. 

The snuff film aspect really intrigued me and it was actually interesting hearing from the antagonists points of view, learning more about their characters, and why they do this type of hardcore…movies. Animal, one of the main antagonists, was actually one of my favourite characters, which feels odd to say for the atrocities he committed, but anytime he was on page, I couldn’t stop reading. 

The decisions, twists and turns of the book really kept this book going and the ending really took me by surprise, it was one of those “oh fuck-“ moments because I really wasn’t expecting the outcome & I think it actually worked really well. 

Overall, I think Survivor was a good horror book that really portrayed what lengths we can go to, to save ourselves. 


Trigger Warnings:
abduction, kidnapping, rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, animal abuse, child abuse, pedophilia, beastiality, mutilation, bodily harm, gore, violence