Literally Dead Book Club discussion

chapters 31 through 45. (My edition is 319 pages)
FINAL THOUGHTS. DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU HAVEN'T COMPLETED THE BOOK.

Did this book go the way you expected?
What was the most interesting part of this book?
How did you feel about all of the characters by the end?
Have you ever read a book like this? What books would you recommend for someone who enjoyed this book?
What themes were present that stood out to you?

I'm a bit disappointed. I think the book had it's heart in the right place, but beyond those themes of grief and the main characters coming around to accepting their gay sons and other LGBTQIA+ characters they encounter in the book and overcoming differences of race and bias, the book was... Not good? It felt like every trope and stereotype known to books and film alike. Especially action movie anti-hero retribution rhetoric. From Ike and Buddy Lee, to the biker gang, the country trailer trash, the "twisted politician"... All of it. The only fresh thing here was the dead gay sons angle, which i think may be the reason the book gets the ratings it does. It was an OK read, but for me i saw the twists coming from Tangy, "W", and who dies and lives. I've heard this dialogue and action before. And Cosby didn't add much to it to make it his own or interesting. At least for me. In my opinion.

All that said, i'm from Virginia, and am always happy to support local authors.

I read this book for the goodreads choice awards and really enjoyed it.
I agree that it was filled with tropes and really predictable but that's not necessarily a bad thing for me. I really enjoyed the characters and how violent the plot got.

I'm just a sucker for a good revenge story :)

I loved this book. Probably because tonewise it was a lot like Billy Summers but I hated that book because of the main characters hero complex and traumatic back stories set up only so the main character can look more like a hero. This was what I hoped that book would have been. I appreciated the social commentary and although I agree it might not have been anything new, I still really loved the story. And I was truly surprised by who was behind it all.

Minttu wrote: "I loved this book. Probably because tonewise it was a lot like Billy Summers but I hated that book because of the main characters hero complex and traumatic back stories set up only so the main cha..."

completely agree,
I also hated Billy Summers hero complex and traumatic back story as well!

I really enjoyed this book. Plot wise I think it was pretty predictable, I figured out the murderer pretty early on and I feel like the plot points where easy to figure out. It was exactly what I expected.

What I liked where the characters, I thought that they were interesting, it's like, I know people like that, that hit those stereotypes and I enjoyed their journey even if I wished they had done it when their sons were alive. Tangerine was a character I likes a lot and Mya, Christine and Arianna stood out for me.

The bikers and the Politicians were kinda of uninteresting to me.

The homophobia made it hard to read at times.

I have not read a book like this before and I would recommend it to the few people I know who read thrillers or to be looking to branch out. I think it was fast paced enough that it would be an easy read for someone unfamiliar with the genre.

As for themes, personal growth and recognizing other world views, The cost of Vengeance and that sometimes the most important relationships come from the least expected people. Please note, I am not good at picking out themes.

As a side note the Audiobook was bomb.

“How many chances does a man get to make the right decision before fate decides he doesn’t deserve another bite at the Apple?”

So, I loved this book. 5 stars for me.

Yes, the mystery was predictable, but what got me far more than anything was the characters. I found Ike and Buddy Lee completely unexpected and fell in love with them both.

I honestly thought it was going to be Ike to get the final death, so Buddy Lee going down was the one piece that hit hard for me.

I just cannot get over these characters all of them. I cared so dang much - which has not been a thing for me in a long time.

Tangy. Ugh. She’s wonderful. Just everything.

It’s not a book without flaws, but honestly, I just want to curl up with the whole cast and throw back some moonshine.

The violence, meh. I could have done without all of that, but I loved these two men grappling with the loss of their sons and doing the only things they knew how to do about it.

Also, I did not see Buddy Lee being the one who destroyed the headstones and that shook me the absolute most in the entire book.

(Side note: I felt the Murdaugh Family vibes in this with Gerald Culpepper)

I’m going to have to borrow from a couple reviews I’ve heard who put my feelings more succinctly than I can.

“‘What does it take for two cishet men to grasp the basic fact that queer people are also human beings deserving of dignity and human basic decency?’ is the question this novel asks. The answer we are left with by the end is: the savage murder of their two gay sons, the subsequent defacement of their graves […], the traumatizing of a trans woman, the unnecessary death and injury of several innocent bystanders, the kidnapping of a child, and a whole ass massacre.”

“This book is a misanthropic fantasy of hate that uses violence against the LGBTQ+ community as a tool for straight men to play tough.”

I’m glad a lot of you enjoyed this read, but it absolutely was not for me. I gave it 1 star and would’ve DNFed at around 25% if it weren’t a book club read. I had a really tough time trying to figure out why I should care for these 2 homophobic characters over any of the others.

Beyond my discomfort with some of the subject matter, I also found the plot itself to be incredibly predictable. I caught on to “W” very quickly, and who lives and who dies seemed clear from quit early on. On the bright side, the LDBC 2022 picks can only go up from here!

I'm kind of in the middle on this one. When I first started the book, I found a lot of things I liked about Cosby's writing - the way he was able to craft strong, unique character voices for each of his characters and the way he crafted his own eloquent narrative voice. I also thought some of the ways he explored the ideas of grief, forgiveness, and mourning were interesting. But when we jumped into the mystery part of the narrative, I felt like the story became kind of basic? The way some of the big "Ah Ha!" moments were arrived at felt forced, the way certain characters were connected to the mystery was underdeveloped, and everything seemed to wrap up too......cleanly? I guess? I think this one was just ultimately not my cup of tea.

I want to say that I appreciate all the different feedback for this book so far.

I didn’t think about the book from the other perspectives - Brianna, I sought out the review you quoted and I would also love the story about 2 gay men overcoming their abusive childhoods.

We absolutely need more stories about LGBTQ+ characters living happy, fulfilling lives and I hope we keep getting them.

I saw this one as an exploration of grief and how sometimes you don’t get a second chance to make things right.

I will say the violence is a lot and it could have been less.

But I do seriously appreciate other perspectives that I didn’t even think about. 💜

Loved it

This book hit so, so hard for me. I'm queer, and trans, and lived most of my life in the rural South - not too far from where this book takes place, even. Not to get too deep into my own trauma, but my dad is a lot like Ike and Buddy Lee.

I have absolutely no hope in my heart that were I to come to the same fate as Isiah and Derek, my dad would come anywhere near learning to accept me. So for me, reading about these two very broken men learning and growing like that felt incredibly cathartic.

My heart absolutely SHATTERED for Tangerine. I just want to give her a big hug, a cup of hot tea, and a therapist recommendation.

And I'm damn glad Slice went missing at the end. I think his actions pissed me off more than any other part of the book, honestly.

I gave it a 4 because it was a good revenge story, a relatively quick read and I thought the settings were well written. I would have liked to have known Derek and Isiah in life, maybe weaving their story and perspective throughout the book, rather than just through the lenses of the people who knew them. I figured out the twist on page 125, though. No big surprises in any part of the book from that point on.

Have given the book 4 stars this is a book I wasn’t usually used to reading but was very good

Brianna wrote: "I’m going to have to borrow from a couple reviews I’ve heard who put my feelings more succinctly than I can.

“‘What does it take for two cishet men to grasp the basic fact that queer people are al..."

The review you're referencing here (and a number of others) are the reason I ended up deciding not to read this book and participate this month.

Very powerful story. The ending left me with the feeling of something to be desired. Maybe the last scene should have had more oomph to it than the usual violence. The ending did make me a little sad.

The part where we find out Buddy was the one who damaged the headstones! I didn’t see that coming at all.

I enjoyed seeing Buddy’s growth as a person throughout the story. This book helped me realize that I enjoy books with heavier topics.

Rating: 4 stars

I really liked this overall.

There were things about S. A. Cosby's writing that I loved, and some aspects that I found really clunky, so much that it almost didn't seem like the same writer.

I thought the dialogue was excellent. I could hear the distinct voices of Ike, Buddy Lee, Tangy and Mya in my head. The inner lives of Ike and Buddy Lee felt very real and I loved their evolving relationship.

There were parts when what started as truthful and personal expressions of grief would transition into more generic thoughts on homophobia - it happened a few times and pulled me right out of the story each time. Those passages had a half-baked qualify and felt clunky and out of place. They also were, to me, unnecessary, since the characters' changing attitudes throughout the story were reflected in their behaviours, actions, and dialogue. How they behave towards Tangy versus how they behaved earlier in the bar, for example.

In terms of story, I figured out who the murderer was fairly early on (although not as early as some of you!) but that didn't really bother me. I saw this more as a Butch-and-Sundance style action story than as a mystery. It was more important to me for the characters to be compelling and for the outcome to feel earned, and I was satisfied in that respect.

I think what struck me most about the ending was the strong sense of family around Ike. He's now accepted Isiah and Derek's marriage, loves his granddaughter, is bound to Buddy Lee not just as an in-law but in a deeper sense of chosen brotherhood (made literal when Buddy Lee tells his actual brother that Ike should have been his brother instead). He thinks of Jazzy and Tangy as daughters, and even has a familiar rapport with Margo in that brief scene at the end.

I found this really touching and interesting, because chosen family is often associated with the lives of LGBTQ+ people (often because of the lack of support or outright rejection from their original families). So Ike ending up at the centre of this family with elements of both chosen and biological/legal ties felt like the natural endpoint to his journey of accepting, and even celebrating, his son.

Finished! I thoroughly enjoyed it — will land on a 4.5 stars.

Overall I think Razorblade Tears is a pretty special blend of a 'manly' revenge story (with all of its tropes in place — big-gun-and-fast-car, basically a Michael Bay movie) and a conscious social commentary, and it has pulled it off convincingly without feeling inauthentic or preachy.

It takes a stereotypical, ultra-masculine setup, and confronts it it with concepts that are fundamentally in conflict with their prejudiced world view. The bonding between the two grieving fathers is definitely the highlight of the novel. There are definitely moments where it is a little sloppy in its logic (particularly its final reveal, which was extremely flimsy in retrospect), but these minor hiccups didn't overshadow the engrossing pacing, and the consistently fascinating duo for me.

I am not the type to write deep reviews on a book. I’m pretty simple. I either hate it, like it or love it. I LOVED this book. I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved that It showed people can still learn and grow at any age. I cried at the end. I saw it coming but it still stung to see Buddy Lee die. I will be passing this onto my daughter and my friend to read.

I LOVED this book! The ending was great. It was sad that someone else dies. Great story.

I hate to say that after a really gripping opening, I am quite disappointed by the rest of this book... I could have DNF'ed it and not be bothered.

What bothered me the most was how the two main characters felt like they cared more about their revenge than learning more about their sons. Also, they cared very little for the innocent people that were affected by their actions.

In the end, I am giving it 2 starts- mainly for the beginning.

This really picked up in the last 2/3 for me and I flew through it after dragging my heels during the first 1/3. The explosion at the end was fun.

I thought the ending of this book was really predictable but I still really enjoyed the characters. It was definitely just an okay book but the characters definitely made it worth the read!

To be honest, around the halfway point I didn't think I was going to enjoy the book. But it really turned around for me! I especially loved the character development and the end!

Very excited to discuss books with others, as I recently jumped back on the reading train! Unfortunately, I just hated this one. :(

At worst, it felt like a mean-spirited appropriation of LGBT struggles and stereotypes to prop up a vengeance/action novel about grief and acceptance. At best, it's a hollow redemption story about ignorant fathers who don't really change that much (but at least they get to blow some stuff up, right?). Violence against LGBT characters is a central plot point, but it feels so under-researched and misunderstood that the author could have literally used any other set up/inciting violence and the story would have essentially stayed the same.

I can get past a lot, but as a gay man reading this, the LGBTQ+ characters were so flatly written and the messages of acceptance so surface-level that I actively struggled to finish. I was tempted to DNF at about 40 pages in.

Glad others have enjoyed, but this one was really not it for me!

I found this book to be too predictable for me. I was ready for it to be over with. I liked the growth of characters and the diversity. I was so excited to read this because I heard so many great reviews, but this book was not for me. I am kind of disappointed because I liked the writing style of S. A. Cosby and that is why this book was bearable.

part way through this section I had I feeling it might be Buddy Lee's ex-wifes husband. Gerald. He really ruined that name for me.

I gave this book 4.75/5 stars. It dragged in the middle a little but. But, the friendship and bond that developed between Ike and Buddy Lee made this book.

This book is hardcore and gritty. It’s not written to be LGBTQ friendly. It’s written for the people who are like Ike and Buddy Lee, so they can see themselves in them. I don’t feel like the point is to flesh out the LGBTQ characters. The point is for them to be shallow because that’s how older Southern homophobic people see them. They’re supposed to be stereotypes because there are actual people who think like this.

I appreciate this book. It shows a lot of Southern views towards homophia. The language that was used, the stereotypes, I have heard these things when I go back home to visit in Louisiana. Ike and Buddy Lee felt extremely accurate and real. The barbershop scene was my favorite because it’s a very true depiction of that environment. It’s like SA Cosby reached into my memories and planted them in this book.

That was one hell of a book. 5 stars. And i don't care for graphically violent books, but this one was a great one.

I think I'm going to have to DNF this half way. It's so well written and I like how colorful the characters are and I enjoy the gritty tone. But unfortunately, I really dislike the plot. This read more literary fiction than thriller. Of course, it can be both but it's much more character driven than I expected going in. I just don't like that these two fathers are unlearning their biases while their two gays sons are both dead. I wish I had more of their sons perspective.

I might still finish it for the ending everyone is talking about.

If it wasn’t a book club pick, this would’ve been a very easy DNF. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

I didn't love or hate this book. I honestly found it a bit cheesy and over-the-top. I really don't think this book had anything original to say about racism and homophobia or their intersection, and other than those themes it was just a 300 page sequence of violent fight scenes glorifying revenge. Not the book for me.

I loved this book! A definite 5 star read. I agree with some of the comments that say it was predictable but the story moves along at such a fast pace I could over look it.

It’s a 3 star read for me. I wasn’t really invested in the mystery aspect, more so in the main characters and what their choices and decisions would be on their revenge quest.

The book was absolutely beautifully written.

I liked the perspective of the two hyper masculine men and their journey through grief and regret.

I wish there was more reflection on the violence, death and trauma their actions caused on their revenge mission. Was it really worth it? I felt so bad for Tangerine and the little girl, their granddaughter.

I felt like the book was trying to be some action thriller and a quiet, reflective piece of contemporary fiction at the same time, employing grief, toxic masculinity and violence against the LGBT community. But I felt the latter part should have gone deeper while also being handled in a less heavy handed way.
Some good themes in this book but it wasn’t quite what I wanted in the end.

This was a solid 3 for me. Not bad, but not that great either. I agree with those who said it was full of tropes. Buddy Lee's death was pretty much a given from the very beginning. It was just ok. Looking forward to the live show for this one.

I really enjoyed the book, easy 4.5 stars for me! I don't get the people who are so quick to DNF a book. When that happens for me I try changing the format (picking up the ebook or the audiobook, etc.). I used an audible credit for this one and the narrator was epic! I mostly loved how the book didn't take long to get rolling, action-packed from the beginning, and didn't hold back on the language and gore. For those saying they saw Buddy Lee dying...well yea, you were supposed to, because he was either going to die from his cough or die fighting. I was really glad with how this book turned out and I probably would not have picked it up on the description alone.

Jennifer wrote: "I really enjoyed the book, easy 4.5 stars for me! I don't get the people who are so quick to DNF a book. When that happens for me I try changing the format (picking up the ebook or the audiobook, e..."

Completely agree. 4 stars for me!

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself rooting for Buddy Lee & Ike - I wanted them to find the killer and I wanted them to be friends. There was just enough action to keep me interested to find out what would happen next.

I really enjoyed this book!
Most of it was pretty predictable, but I was in it more for the characters than the thrill of the twists...
It was interesting how the righteous politician actually had a few secrets of his own and no morals in the end! But what made this book for me was the journey these dads went through.
No, it shouldn't take your child to die a violent death for you to accept that they love whoever they love and that is none of your business. But I get how it doesn't come easily to everyone. The same way Buddy Lee sometimes said really racist things but he was trying his best to change the way he thought, the way he was brought up.
The homophobia, transphobia and racism are brutal in this book, making it hard to read at times.
The way they all interact with Arianna warms my heart!

With all of the rave reviews and high ratings, I thought this book was a shoo-in. In reality, it landed itself a solid one star. I switched to audio about halfway through because I really didn't want to DNF it. If this wasn't a book club pick I would have put it down days ago.

I didn't think there was anything interesting about any of the characters. Maybe it's a southern cultural thing with the homophobia but this read like it could have taken place in 1982 with the blatant homophobia and racism.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a heartwarming story about Ike and Buddy Lee working through their guilt about their parenting. I was not expecting a violent, made for tv action movie script. Overall the plot was elementary and boring. There was no mystery or intrigue.

If I can avoid the revenge violence thing going forward I definitely will because this missed the mark.

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars. I think what made me like this book was the emotional pull of the characters rather than the actual mystery, though I didn't hate that aspect of it either.

3.5 stars maybe. I'm going back and forth. I loved the relationship between Ike and Buddy Lee. They really grew together and tested each other in ways that were rich. That was absolutely the strongest part.

The plot left a little to be desired. The twist of who was behind it all didn't leave me feeling much because we never saw Derek and his stepfather interact. It's despicable that he would have his wife's son killed over a secret, but I didn't feel that much of an emotional reaction to it because it felt so far afield.

I also found it a little unbelievable that two men who wouldn't speak to their own sons because of their sexuality so readily accepted Tangerine. There was some awkwardness but then they were just like "okay, cool." In general I felt that she was more of a plot point than a character.

This would make a great movie. It read very cinematic, especially the explosion.

I ended up enjoying the book despite its predictability and being out of my normal genres. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it was an easy and quick read. I wish I could’ve felt closer to the characters to have enjoyed the book on a more deeper level.

The only line that really impacted me in the book was this one:
‘It don’t fucking matter who he wanted to wake up next to as long as he was waking up’

This one wasn't for me. I DNF'd around page 50 maybe? I honestly don't know if I made it that far. I could see what was happening and it just isn't my thing. I can't do the revenge stories like this. Hopefully it goes up from here!

Dani wrote: "I hate to say that after a really gripping opening, I am quite disappointed by the rest of this book... I could have DNF'ed it and not be bothered.

What bothered me the most was how the two main ..."

I totally agree. At the beginning of the book I remember thinking about how it was going to be so nice watching these two ex-cons start a revenge plot to then simply connect with the people who knew their sons & heal from that experience. In retrospect, I should have known better than to expect something as wholesome as that since this is a thriller book club... But I think I would have preferred that kind of a story over what this was.

Brianna wrote: "I’m going to have to borrow from a couple reviews I’ve heard who put my feelings more succinctly than I can.

“‘What does it take for two cishet men to grasp the basic fact that queer people are al..."

I really appreciate you bringing in these reviews to support your feelings about this book. I found myself enjoying the action enough of in this book to give it a higher rating, but I think it is great to be shown the flaws in something even if you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. Definitely gives me something to think about as I ruminate on this book & continue reading about different peoples experiences.

Elisabeth wrote: "It’s a 3 star read for me. I wasn’t really invested in the mystery aspect, more so in the main characters and what their choices and decisions would be on their revenge quest.

The book was absolu..."

I completely agree, I wish there was more time spent on Ike & Buddy Lee reflecting on their actions. Whether or not it was worth it to kill so many people for revenge. I think it would have made for a more compelling character arc.

3.5 star (rounded up to a 4): As I mentioned above, when I first started this book I was expecting a more murder mystery driven story where the two father set out on a revenge mission to then meet all the people in their sons' lives who could teach them about who their sons really were. But instead there was violence... lots & lots of violence.

I still ended up enjoying the book overall for the action movie nature of it. Maybe it's just because I have not consumed much "action" media, but I did not find it to be very predictable. If I hadn't read peoples predictions in the previous part about big bad "W" being Derek's step dad, that would have been a HUGE reveal for me. The only thing I felt like I predicted was how as soon as Ike & Buddy Lee laid eyes on Tangerine they wouldn't stop commenting on how "feminine" & "pretty" she is. I thought to myself, "Wooow, so, she's trans & they are going to be sooo blown away that a 'boy' can be pretty so it will help them accept her more easily".

I did ball my eyes out during the last couple chapters. I am easily emotionally sucked into found family relationships & when hearts are broken in those relationships, the tears come rushing out.

I think it is really important to listen to the people who feel hurt by the way themes around LGBTQ+ violence are portrayed in this story. Even though I found the action entertaining, it makes sense that it would be hurtful to many & should be taken into account when recommending this book to others.

Sierra, you bring up really a good point. The more I have sat with this book, the more I’m not sure about it.

I still love the characters, flaws and all, but I definitely hesitate in recommending this one to any person to read. Especially to the fellow LGBTQ+ community.

It’s definitely something not to forget.

I wasn't able to connect with the characters at all, so it was a very heavy read for me :(

BTW most of the book Buddy Lee was almost dying with his cough and after chapter 30 something, the cough dissapeared haha