I’m hesitating between 2,5 and 3 starts, because holy fuck I have a lot of issues with this book. only the epilogue saved this from being a two-star read. 

Interesting, and more explicit, retelling of Wilde's work. Liked the strange and innovative use of language to shrowd the violent/sexual acts, but unsure how accruate Self's representation of a community he is/was not a part of. 

Self’s novel contains a cast of well written yet truly terrible characters with Wooten and Gray being even more vicious than in Wilde’s original, and yet there are some annoyingly likeable characters that you will find having unavoidable sympathy and empathy for. There’s plenty of wit and humour, as well as a mix of low and high brow references and allusions, to make the scenes of unpleasant overindulgence more palatable. A much darker, grittier, and unapologetically vulgar rewrite of a classic and timeless text.

There are a number of content/trigger warnings with this text which are important to consider before picking this one up that include: graphic sexual content, gore, drug use, cheating/infidelity, narcissism, and violence. I’m not typically a sensitive reader but this is one of a handful of books I’ve read that was quite possibly too graphic for me and therefore impacted my rating. While not a note of criticism at all but rather a consideration depending on reader preference, it’s definitely not a light read and one that’s best to digest over some time. It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t a book you read for plot or for characters, it’s more about the language and the social commentary and if you like in your novels then this is a good one to pick up.

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