Book Review: Spirit Bares its Teeth
What’s it About?
Silas is no ordinary boy. First of all, everyone thinks he’s a girl because he looks like on and is forced to present like one. Then there’s the fact that he’s
neurotypical. While in Victorian England, both of these factors may very well leave Silas labeled a worthless cause, the color of his eyes negates it all. Having violet eyes and with all of the necessary girl organs, Silas’s parents have been preparing for Silas (otherwise known as Gloria)the perfect wife to another member of their medium community where violet eyes are the most coveted of eyes. So when Silas makes a move to run before his parents arrange his marriage to a male stranger so that he can birth violet eyed babies and is found out, he is sent to a school whose sole purpose is to make perfect wives out of violet eyed girls suffering from what they call “vail sickness” after being paired with a boy about his age, things are bound to get worse.
My favorites:
My favorite Character: Edward. I had a feeling about him the first time we meet him but when I fell in love with him as a character was when he comes to see Silas for the first time at the school. That was only solidified through out the book after that moment. Though there was one part that I had a little bit of a hard time swallowing. While no matter what he did in that moment could have been considered out of character, I think he committed and complied a too quickly. Other then that, I loved him so much as a character.
My Least favorite Character: There’s a lot of people vying for this title, trust me! There are many people I dislike here. Most of the adults, as a matter of fact. But the title goes to *drum roll please* George. He makes a lot of choices that I just can’t forgive. Especially when compared with other choices he makes, there’s just no going back.
Favorite part: When Edward comes to see Silas at the school for the first time. That was it. I was devoted to this book.I knew then that, even though I’d gotten the copy I was reading from the library, that I was going to need my own physical copy.
I also really loved the ending. Not becuase it was all sunshine and rainbows because it’s not that kind of book. There’s just this part that made me want to cry because of how much I appreciated the way something was done.
Least Favorite Part: There’s a bathroom scene that was hard to read. I’m not sure if it was the sadness of the situation or the gore of it all. But it was the most difficult part to read for me.
Other Thoughts:
When I started this book, I found that the letter from the author intrigued me more then I think any other letter from the author ever has. I’m not sure exactly what it was that drew me in but,
honestly, I think it was the combination of it all. Well that, and the writing style. It all added up to equal “Oh, I’ve gotta read this!”. Just like that, I was committed.
I did absolutely have a hard time with the ignorance and hatefulness that many of the characters in this book exude. I know, times are different today then they were even ten years ago. I know that we know so much more today then we did twenty years ago and that the medical field, much like the
technology field, age quickly. It’s almost impossible to keep up on it from one year to the next, let alone a hundred years but I wanted to rage anyways.
Throughout this story, gender roles are fierce. Women have their place in the house, there to “simply” provide for the man and raise the kids. They’re to be dainty, seen and not heard, caring and domestic. That is to be their personality; their entire identity. It’s like actions, jobs, dreams, inadament objects, they all have genders connected to them. Even intelligence seems to be gender specific. It’s sexest (obviously) demeaning, insulting and almost laughable.
But what hit me even harder, was the talk about how Silas was “unloveable” for his “odd behavior”. While it’s never specifically stated as, in victorian England such information was not had or understood yet, Silas has Autism. He’s awkward, fidgit, struggles with non-verbal communication and see the world as black and white. The internal monologue in Silas’s head, telling him to not flap or repeating words over and over in his head becuase he’s not supposed to do such acts where anyone else can see or hear, kills me.Some of my favorite people in the world are neuro-divergent, many of them on the spectrum or suspected to be. The idea of making them ashamed of who they are and what they need, breaks my heart. The idea of forcing them to mask kills me. I hurt for Silas.
There was something so innocent, so beautiful about the way Andrew Joseph White rights about the experience of being transexual and of being Autistic. It’s genuine and real. It’s poetic and vulnerable. It’s among the best representation I’ve ever seen and it may have changed me forever. I attribute that to the fact that not only is Mr. White phenomenal at what he does, he’s also a trans man with autism. His books, his writing, is the quintessential proof that we need more minority representation created by minorities. It can’t get any more real and truthful than an author like Andrew Joseph White sharing experiences that are true to them and putting us in their shoes.
While I can talk all day about how much I love this book, the parts of it that stood out to me and the parts that made me want to slap someone, I think it’s important to address the blood and violence, because it’s there in spades. Within the pages are surgical scenes, extensive information of anatomy used in fantasies and imaginings. There’s blood in buckets, complimenting the hate in perfect harmony. Not all wounds can be seen, but when it comes to Mr. White, there will be no lack of invisible and visible wounds and a lot of salt to pour into them. It will be too much for some so tread carefully.
I went into this book knowing that it sounded good, but a little apprehensive. I knew it would be dark and even considered a “gothic horror” and I wasn’t sure if it was for me. I didn’t expect to find so much heart and a perfect balance of hate, humanity, death and life. And I certainly didn’t expect it present in so many ways, levels, literal and metaphorical. But what ever magic Mr. White preforms, I am all here for it!
My Ratings:
I give this book a
7
out of
10 Violet Eyes
But that’s just what I thought. What did you think? Did you love it? Was it a little too intense or bloody for you? Let us know in the comments.
