A review by starrysteph
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy shit. Hell Followed With Us was … beyond. Let’s combine righteous queer rage with a touching found family, a whole lot of body horror, and the reclamation of monstrousness placed upon queerness by religious extremists. 
 
“I have no sense of myself anymore besides the fact that I am not what I once was. I’m too tired to see my body from the eyes of others, in the terrible way transness demands – always existing both inside and outside myself, judging as an observer.” 
 
We follow Benji, a trans teenage boy who was raised within a warped Christian terrorist group. They’ve unleashed a deadly virus upon the world called The Flood, and have now turned Benji into a bioweapon, injecting him with a particularly deadly strain called Seraph. He’s slowly transforming into a monstrous being that the Angels hope will wipe out the rest of humanity. 
 
When Benji escapes the cult, he stumbles into a group of survivors, once part of the local LGBTQ+ center for teens. For the first time, he’s accepted and loved and surrounded by people who understand him. He’s got a deadly secret, but his new found family has given him something to fight for. 
 
And Benji NEVER stops fighting. He’s not always optimistic, but he is always fierce. 
 
One of the most riveting concepts of the book is Benji’s inner struggle to be “good”. He’s attempting to understand his place in the world and desperate to do the right thing. 
 
Alongside that is a theme of humanity. When do you stop being human to others? What does it mean to be monstrous? When is that line of humanity crossed? 
 
“It’s harder for someone to pin you down as a girl when they need a moment to pin you down as human.” 
 
While this is a young adult book, there is true, graphic, INTENSE horror. Andrew Joseph White has a scary imagination. :) There were so many scenes that were vivid and terrifying (one in particular that has stuck with me is the imagery of the church building as a body - limbs and arteries and blood - alongside actual depictions of body horror). It was all very well done. 
 
But in a peculiarly beautiful sort of way, beneath all this horror and death is a story of queer resilience and love. There’s a lot of focus around found family, around acceptance and joy and getting to be kids together in a world that has forced them to mature rapidly. 
 
There’s a lot of great representation in this book (as already mentioned a trans gay main character, an autistic main character, a huge range of queer characters, etc.). It ALWAYS feels thoughtful and included with care, and never forced. 
 
This book also features several abusive relationships. Again, this topic was handled with sensitivity and insight. 
 
“Funny how I’ll go back to him after he hurts me, but as soon as he hurts the people I care about, he’s dead to me. If only I had seen it from the start.” 
 
Hell Followed With Us is a rage-filled challenge to those who align queerness with monstrousness. It’s a celebration of love and acceptance and identity. It’s a blanket of warmth for queer kids hidden under an unhinged parade of horror. It’s truly excellent. 
 
CW: body horror, death, murder/mass murder, gore, arson, terrorism, transphobia (including dead-naming and misgendering), child abuse, religious abuse, religious bigotry, domestic abusive, abusive relationship, self harm, vomiting 
 
(I buddy read this with Lee @bookswithlee & it was a whole bunch of fun.)