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horrorbutch 's review for:
Freakslaw
by Jane Flett
adventurous
challenging
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley.
The average life of a small Scottish town is disrupted when a funfair rolls into town. The Freakslaw is populated by people outside of acceptable social norms, particularly in a town where everything is only acceptable in black and white. The Freakslaw wants to bring some color into their lives, some fun and danger, but they also want revenge. Soon the town’s teenagers find themselves drawn to the funfair and its inhabitants, while the adults slowly grow concerned and then angry about these disruptions to their way of life.
This story takes the lives of those forced to make a living outside of society, including disabled, fat and trans bodies, who found a refuge in the freakshow, as well as people who have chosen this life on the margins because they found closer connections there than they ever found outside. What I personally adored was that the people of the Freakslaw are not perfect, noble and yearning for acceptance from ‘normal’ people. They are humans and as such sometimes they hate, they crave revenge, they flaunt their otherness on purpose to piss off those on the straight and narrow. And then of course, they do come to the small town with the intention of revenge. It is a joyful, queer, angry story and I really loved that.
There are also a lot of different POVs explored, both from people inside the Freakslaw and people from the town, diving deep into a variety of psyches, which sometimes made it a bit hard to follow along. Despite this I really found myself enjoying the story and I kinda wish it had been longer at points, so we could explore a few of the characters more deeply.
However, all in all I really enjoyed this story (even if the horror is minimal) and even though the ending felt like it happened a bit too fast, I had a lot of fun.
This story takes the lives of those forced to make a living outside of society, including disabled, fat and trans bodies, who found a refuge in the freakshow, as well as people who have chosen this life on the margins because they found closer connections there than they ever found outside. What I personally adored was that the people of the Freakslaw are not perfect, noble and yearning for acceptance from ‘normal’ people. They are humans and as such sometimes they hate, they crave revenge, they flaunt their otherness on purpose to piss off those on the straight and narrow. And then of course, they do come to the small town with the intention of revenge. It is a joyful, queer, angry story and I really loved that.
There are also a lot of different POVs explored, both from people inside the Freakslaw and people from the town, diving deep into a variety of psyches, which sometimes made it a bit hard to follow along. Despite this I really found myself enjoying the story and I kinda wish it had been longer at points, so we could explore a few of the characters more deeply.
However, all in all I really enjoyed this story (even if the horror is minimal) and even though the ending felt like it happened a bit too fast, I had a lot of fun.
TW: ableism, abortion, burning alive, death, domestic abuse, drug trip, eating disorder (past, mention), fatphobia, injury, institutionalization (past, mention), physical assault (past), sexism, sexual assault (past), transphobia, violence