Ratings15
Average rating2.9
Shortlisted for the 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. A haunting and horror-filled tale of loneliness, trauma and spiritual yearning from the award-winning author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. After a recent string of disappearances in a small Connecticut town, a grieving widower with a grim secret is drawn into a dangerous ritual of dark magic by a powerful and mysterious older gentleman. Meanwhile, a member of local law enforcement tasked with uncovering the culprit responsible for the bizarre disappearances soon begins to learn of a current of unbridled hatred simmering beneath the guise of the town's idyllic community―a hatred that will eventually burst and forever change the lives of those who once found peace in the quiet town of Henley's Edge. An insidious darkness threatens to devastate a rural New England village when occult forces are conjured and when bigotry is left unrestrained. In this revised second edition, readers can appreciate a terrifying, new alternate ending.
Reviews with the most likes.
so this is hard for me to write because eric truly is one of my favorite authors so i'm going to focus more on what i liked but first the things i didn't like.
this book did not feel like an eric book besides the prose. it felt like this was trying to be forced into a “normal” novel format, and eric and their stories, work better, written not in a traditional way. this book was also incredibly slow for most of the story which really dragged it down.
despite that i did love the prose as usual, and i think those who think his writing is “pretentious” may enjoy the writing in here more. i also loved loved loved the characters. i really resonate with them even though they were men and i truly cared about them. i also really liked the way their stories connected together but i do thing there could have been more throughout the rest of the story to make the transition of the connection better.
lastly, i loved the themes. one of the primary themes in the novel is the darkness of humanity and the lengths people will go to in order to achieve their desires, regardless of the cost. the characters in the book are driven by their own motivations. and the story shows the devastating effects of unchecked ambition and the desire for power. this is intertwined with the exploration of hatred and bigotry that lurks beneath the surface of society. this story exposes the dangers of intolerance and prejudice, particularly towards marginalized communities. It portrays the impact of hate crimes and how they can escalate into something much more sinister.
3.5 stars.
I really liked the writing in this one. The story felt a little disjointed, but in the end I enjoyed the book.