A Feminist John Wick - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (Review)

 

A/N: This review contains mild spoilers for Razorblade Tears by S.A Cosby. This is your spoiler warning.

As a person who has never watched John Wick, I imagine this book would be the closest thing to an intersectional feminist version of the movie.

Spoiler alert: No puppies die.

Razorblade tears is the story of two fathers walking the path of nemesis and seeking justice for their murdered sons. Two fathers who are ex-convicts, set in their own ways and out for blood of the perpetrators who shot their offsprings. If you’re wondering why a revenge thriller would be my pick for a ‘feminist book club’, well it’s very simple. You see, these sons that we’re looking to seek justice for happened to be happily married. To each other. And the fathers, these ex-gangsters who lived and thrived on hyper masculinity and homophobia all their lives, go on a journey of self-discovery and growth as they go John Wick on people’s butts.

The story starts with Ike Randolph finding out that his beloved son- Isiah, who he treated terribly for being gay and marrying a man, was murdered in cold blood along with his partner Derek Jenkins. Ike and his wife Mya attend the funeral and that’s where they meet, for the first time (because Ike didn’t attend his own son’s wedding) Buddy Lee Jenkins- Derek’s father. Derek’s father isn’t winning any awards as ‘father of the year’ as a homophobe and barely having been present in Derek’s life from the start. But the grief of losing one’s child is a powerful thing that trumps every other prejudice these men have ever had throughout their lives.

With a shared past of violence and criminal activities that eventually caught up to them as jail time, Ike and Buddy Lee are distrustful of the police but reluctant to return to their former selves for vengeance. The selves they left behind after getting out of jail as they tried to earn a honest living in whatever way they could, the selves they regretted being in the past- having learned how their contempt for their sons’ sexuality had only driven a wedge through what could’ve been a loving relationship in the limited time they had. But when the case goes cold with the police having no further leads, Buddy Lee convinces Ike to help him investigate. Together they go on a journey of discovering the killers under the pretense of two harmless old men seeking closure. The act lasts two pages when they break a kid's finger but we can focus on the gratuitous violence later. 

Their search for clues leads them to the house where their sons’ lived and that’s where they discover the existence of a girl called Tangerine who has gone missing and who also holds the key to the truth of what happened to Isiah and Derek where they run into people from the nefarious biker gang called Rare Breed who are also looking for Tangerine. And that’s when shit goes down and I absolutely loved it. While I do not support or advocate for using violence as a solution in real life, fiction where harmless old men can beat the crap out of biker gangsters and throw around gruesome threats is something I live for.

At every turn, the president of Rare Breed- Grayson, underestimates Ike and Buddy Lee as wannabe criminals who are too old to do anything, he’s proven wrong in the most humiliating ways possible. Ike and Buddy Lee have no sense of self-preservation as they’re consumed by the guilt of being absent fathers and losing the opportunity of ever repairing their relationship with their children. It’s a heart wrenching story of how prejudices destroy relationships to the point of no return and all we’re left with is regrets and bitter memories that cannot be built into a better future because not everyone gets a second-chance at life.

Ike and Buddy Lee go around town, finding new leads (harassing them out of people) and having important conversations about racism and fatherhood (mostly Ike threatening Buddy Lee for being racist). They share childhood memories and regrets and their dark pasts. They whack people with shovels and use machine guns with zero hesitation. It’s heartwarming and violent in equal measure with a dash of unexpected humor that made me laugh out loud. Multiple times.

S. A Cosby is an excellent writer who makes you root for Ike and Buddy Lee for all the good in them while making important points about racism, homophobia and toxic masculinity embedded in our society. He talks of the American south, known for its conservative attitude, of small towns and of love. Romantic and fatherly love. There’s no doubt that Ike and Buddy Lee were terrible fathers when they had a chance but they loved their children selflessly. And it’s lovely to see them grow as humans and into unlikely friends. 

While the ending was heartbreaking, it was satisfying and I appreciated it. I absolutely adored the blazing intersectional feminism and representation done without compromising the essence of an action thriller. And as a person who does not support firearms in fiction and otherwise, I have to make an exception for how the climax went down. Never thought I’d enjoy a gun fight, not gonna lie.

This book is a perfect read if you like thrillers and action and wanna read something feminist without having to wade through the deep- waters of social commentary in literary fiction or non-fiction books. And also if you just want a light and satisfying read that doesn’t send you through an existential rabbit hole about how messed up our society is.

Here are some quotes from the book that I feel represent the vibe of the story.

“You say ‘your kind’ again and I’m gonna throw you out this truck”, Ike said.

“When you or some other white boy says ‘you’re kind’ it’s like I’m some fucking animal that you trying to put in a cage. I don’t like that shit so that’s your one.” Ike said.

(I love how threats are Ike’s love language.)

“It wasn’t Isiah being gay that caused problems between the two of you. It was how you dealt with it that caused the problems”, Amelia said.

(Word.)

Ike came out of the shadows like the spirit of nemesis in the flesh.

(Peak zaddy behavior.)

“I told you you should’ve fucking killed me,” Buddy Lee said.

“Did you really say that?” Ike asked.

Buddy Lee nodded. “I meant it too.”

(It’s so badass and sad at the same time.)

“You ain’t gonna shoot nobody. A pretty little thing like you ain’t got it-” Dome started to say, but then Jazzy fired into the ceiling and he closed his mouth with an audible plop.

Ike tried to hire a lot of ex-cons for his crews. He knew the value of a second chance, and he also knew how hard it was to get a job when your employment history had ten-to-fifteen year gaps. But for once he was glad one of his employees wasn’t a convicted felon. Jazzy was the only person in the entire building who could legally own a gun.

(Jazzy is the best.)

“We ain’t sensitive. Back in the day nobody could say shit or one of your uncles would’ve tried to hang ‘em from a tree. Now I can tell you to kiss my entire ass,” Ike said. Buddy Lee scratched at his chin as he considered Ike’s abbreviated history lesson.

“Alright, I’ll give you that. But let me ask you this: You extending that courtesy to people like Isiah and Derek too? Could they have told you to kiss their ass?” Buddy Lee said. Ike shifted in his chair and crossed his arms. He didn’t answer Buddy Lee’s question.

“Be careful you don’t hurt yourself falling off that high horse there, Ike,” Buddy Lee said.

(Not Buddy Lee dropping truth bombs.)

“I tell you what, you go somewhere don’t nobody have to know you gay unless you tell them. I am Black everywhere. I can’t hide that shit,” Ike said.

“Yeah you can’t hide that you’re Black. But the fact that you think I should hide who I am proves my point. Like Dr King said: an injustice, anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Tex said.

(Word.)

Had he really called Buddy Lee his friend? He didn’t know if it was an accurate description of what they were. They’d killed a man together, so they were more than acquaintances, but he didn’t think they were quite friends.

(Buddy Lee and Ike are an unexpected, yet lovable comic duo.)

I guess the next time they come by you can throw a pitch fork at them.

(Just Buddy Lee being funny in the most random situations.)

“It belonged to my daddy,” Buddy Lee said. He didn’t offer any other explanation than those five words. Ike didn’t need one. The knife had belonged to Buddy Lee’s father . That explained it all.

He reached into the cupholder and retrieved his knife. He held it out towards Ike.

“What I’m supposed to do with that?”

“Stick people with the sharp end.”

(Buddy Lee being funny. Exhibit 100.)

The knife would be protection. The gun would be an act of aggression.

The agile banter, the casual camaraderie, the give-and-take of friendly insults and jabs- it was all a part of the character and culture of the barbershop. Many times he thought of it as the last place you didn’t have to apologize for being a Black man.

(This is such an interesting observation.)

“It’s easier to keep your head in the sand than it is to try and see things from somebody else’s point of view. There’s a reason why they say ignorance is bliss,” Ike said.

“Get that what is normal ain’t up to me. That it don’t fucking matter who he wanted to wake up next to as long as he was waking up,” Buddy Lee said.

(Ike and Buddy Lee finally understanding shit.)

“I ain’t never pretended to be anything, but a hell-raising, whiskey-drinking, hard-loving redneck son of a bitch.”

(I love Buddy Lee and I will not deny it.)

“Goddamn, son. They must clank when you walk,” Buddy Lee said.

“What?”

“Your brass balls. But I gotta admit, I like it. They wouldn’t be expecting it,” Buddy Lee said.

(Buddy Lee being funny. Exhibit 105.)

“We need to go by the shop. I got an idea,” Ike said.

“What, we going to challenge them to a duel with shovels?” Buddy Lee asked.

(I ROFL. IRL.)

“The only thing I don’t want to say to Isaiah is that I’m sorry. And I couldn’t say it enough, even if I had forever to say it. I couldn’t say it enough,” Ike said.

“I could kill them all a thousand times and it wouldn’t even come close to being enough. But it would always be worth it,” Ike said.

A/N: This was a fun book to read and review despite all the heavy topics it discussed. I finally understood the hype and it was definitely worth it. 

Thank you for reading the sixth installment in my ‘Women of Words’ series where I read feminist literature by a new feminist author each month. (But apparently don’t review them each month because life gets in the way and there are cats involved.)

To read the previous installment, here’s my take on Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.