I chose to listen to this book because I heard that it was a “graphic audio,” meaning it has sound effects and post-production elements. It was perfect to read around Halloween, and I absolutely loved all the sound effects and music that helped to tell the story. It was one of the best audio experiences I’ve had yet. I highly recommend consuming this book via audiobook. 

I haven’t read many horror books, so I’m very inexperienced with this genre and went in pretty blind to this novel, not having read the summary, which I’m glad that I didn’t because I had zero expectations about it and let the story take me where it was going to go, which was very unusual but in the best way possible. 

This is one of the most bizarre and unique stories I’ve ever read, and I absolutely loved it. At first, I wasn’t sure about it, but I just opened myself up to the experience and went on such a wild and interesting ride. However, this is a very HEAVY story that touches on many taboo and difficult subjects, like child abduction, murder, terminal cancer, suicide, and others. So please check trigger warnings before reading this book if you’re a sensitive reader. There is also quite a bit of language and a few spicy scenes. If this were a movie, I’d rate it “R.”

I don’t want to say too much about this story because I think it would be best to go in almost blind, but I will say that it’s not a scary horror book with gory or graphic body horror. This story lies within the boundaries of being unsettling, disturbing, creepy, weird, and extremely dark. There are a few traditional scary scenes, but it doesn’t rely on any gore or grossness. 

The prose is lush, rich, and almost lyrical, which I loved. It was highly immersive and descriptive. Again, I think the audio effects really helped with this, and I felt completely transported to this world. It’s dark, sinister, and haunting. It feels raw and gritty, but also beautiful and poetic. 

This book has a more character-driven plot than an action/horror-driven plot, so it is a slow burn, and the pacing is drawn out. It focuses more on psychological trauma and inner demons, but it also includes fantastical elements that give a classic monster vibe. As weird as many of them were, I really enjoyed the monster scenes. I also liked the many pop culture references. 

This story is about a fractured family of five with heartbreaking stories. We follow them from inception (when the parents get together, all the way up to the present day). It was easy to connect with all of the flawed characters as we were taken through a linear yet non-linear timeframe. There are multiple POVs, which helped me connect and care more about each character and dive deeper into their minds. I definitely felt compassion and empathy for each of the main characters and what they were going through. It’s not a happy story. Things get pretty grim, but it does have a satisfying ending. 

Overall, I feel like this book was an allegory for mental illness and depression, pain and suffering, and death and grief. There is a lot of symbolism to explore within this heavy story. It’s a brutal novel with heartfelt undertones, but I could also see the beauty in this mangled, menacing story. I never knew where it was going to take me, but it kept me intrigued the entire time. If I had read the physical book, I wouldn’t have been able to put it down. It was so weird and alluring. I just had to know what was going to happen next and then how it was going to end. The way these heavy themes were dealt with was very impressive.

This was such an unexpected, unique, and memorable experience. I don’t think this book is for everyone, but I had a wonderful time with it. Now, I want to buy the physical book and reread it to pick out even more things I may have missed the first time from just listening to it. I will absolutely read more from this author. I definitely recommend this book to anyone willing to give it a try.