A review by ellieeeeeee
The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

"His father preferred to kill his son rather than to accept that his nakedness was not a sin; that caresses offered in the dark, in the glow of the senses, did not indelibly stain him."

first half was very horny but so valid I'd be horny too if I had to live my whole life in secrecy while being surrounded by people I'm attracted to but can't have. maybe a little too horny at times...... but his thirst, his desire, his desperation, his need to hide, the neck kiss..... the vampire/dracula allegory is so good. second half was a masterpiece. the way gay people were treated and killed like vampires, the internalized homophobia, the descent into madness, the eventual acceptance. definitely want to reread this.