Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsCurveball of a Read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2020
Body Art by Kristopher Triana was my first venture into the world and mind of Triana. I must say this book took me a moment to process! What an insane, bizarre, and a fun wild ride! The cover really caught my eye, and by no means is it misleading, but it definitely had a different depth to it than I was expecting!
Body Art encompasses the lives of several people seemingly on different paths in life. However, their lives will converge in a series of unlikely events. There is the young lovers on a weekend getaway Jessica and Toby, The mortician Harold with unsavory tastes, Kandi an aging but well known porn star, Billy a heck of a porn stud, Rutger a top notch porn film director, and Javier Rutger’s right hand man. With some minor characters thrown in the mix.
Toby is about to leave for college, and Jessica fears that they will not last. She seems to not have high hopes for their relationship, but nonetheless she wants to enjoy every minute of their getaway. Things become very interesting for the adventurous young couple when across the lake Toby spots a porn star he recognizes, Kandi. Jessica is all in trying to get into the huge estate to catch a glimpse of some porn action being filmed. Toby is reluctant, but eventually caves and they head out into unknown territory!
Harold is an aging mortician. He seems to dislike people in general, and basically a bitter man. He is very unlike able person, a homophobic man, and racist. Oddly, Harold begins receiving cadavers of many past flames. He sees this as a sign, and some very unethical urges begin to take hold of Harold.
Kandi is getting older, and age is seeming to take its toll. She still has it where it counts, but she doesn’t lie to herself pertaining to her age even as an icon in the porn industry. When she is offered a break to work with her old friend Rutger she is excited! The money is amazing, it is better than the schlock she has been dishing out for on demand, and Rutger treats his work as an art form. She doesn’t have any reservations… yet.
Rutger seems to be a very stand up pornography director, but the films he has been delving into lately cater to specific demographics. Fetishes is the name of the game. He may not be new to the game, but he definitely rolls with the changes.
Billy is basically a piece of meat. Eye candy. He may be a minor character in many aspects, but when called on he shines. He also has some secrets that he keeps, but all secrets eventually leak out. Billy may be well endowed, fit, and a hunk, but he may not be what he seems.
Lastly, Javier is an enigmatic character. He seems to be a bodyguard for Rutger, and his right hand man. However, he is very intimidating with a bulk of muscle mass and tattoos. Sometimes groundbreaking ideas come from the most unlikely places in the industry, and possibly Javier has some ideas he might like to share.
Body Art was an insane ride! This book did have me guessing and questioning what was going on almost the whole way through. I had no idea how Kristopher was somehow going to tie all of these characters together. Nonetheless, he pulled it off in a very cleaver manner!
My first assumption from the book cover alone, and the brief synopsis I drew my own ideas as to what this novel was going to revolve around. I felt that it was strikingly clear. I was extremely incorrect! This is a complex story compressed into a novel under 300 pages! I feel that this is amazing! All I can say is at the end of the day it boils down to a battle of good vs. evil, moral vs. immoral, and normal vs. bizarre.
Body Art is not short on grotesque subject matter, extreme sexual situations, very gory segments, and also a head scratching somewhat supernatural dusting. I interpreted many things in my own way, and possibly that was Triana’s intentions. However, I have a few questions I still cannot pin down. I admire that in a book!
Overall, I give Body Art by Kristopher Triana four stars out of five stars. I absolutely loved Triana’s writing style! He shows intellect, poise, and still retains the disgusting gruesomeness that I love in Splatterpunk and Erotic Horror! His story telling is very engrossing, and definitely sucked me in. However, I do feel it may not be for everyone. He does leave a lot up to reader interpretation, at least in Body Art, I felt anyways. If this is something you do not enjoy in a novel it may not be for you. Personally, I love scratching my head at certain aspects at the end of a read. Most of all, I deducted a star simply because I wanted more! I didn’t want the story to end! It left me not wanting to turn the last page! It was a bit frustrating, but I will say I will be reading more of Kristopher’s works.
