Gone to See the River Man

I cannot believe how much I liked this.

This is my first “splatterpunk” or “extreme horror” book and I’m worried that I might have started with the best of the best.

I heard that this genre was full of the edgiest, lamest attempts at shock value for the sake of shock value. This was anything but.

Most of the horror her is purely psychological. It’s a family drama at heart. Very similar to Hereditary, in that we focus on a family crumbling through the vessel of a demonic tale. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but this book handles that concept WAY better.

This book is unrelenting. It will indeed go there, but it never feels undeserved. The reason this book works so well is because it earns its depravity. It’s not just a series of increasingly vile events, it very slowly builds to a revelation.

They pull the rug out from under you right when you start to sympathize with Lori. She is a bad person and the book slowly reveals that in some of the best usage of flashbacks Ive seen in writing.

The violence is definitely extreme, but it’s rare. A majority of this film’s horror comes from its analysis of what people are capable of. Lori is pure evil, but not in a villainous way. In a purely desperate and depressing way.

I think that’s the main reason this worked. It’s not two people being tortured in a forest. It’s two people uncovering their true selves. and that’s truly terrifying.

3.75 - so twisted and dark ! Was not expecting it to be like that!

This is what I call a quick and kinda straight to the point horror read. This is what HORROR is all about people, so please expect that.

This is actually my first Kristopher Triana, and it did not disappoint!

At first, I was thinking, "This is going to be another long and drawn out storyline and character development bid." BUT after a little while, my ears and eyes started to perk up, and they never perked back down, HAHA!

This is, in a way, a quest story....

Lori is a lonely woman who is caring for her disabled older sister, Abby. Abby was not always disabled, but that story will come out in the book, don't you worry. Lori has been conversing with a serial killer who is behind bars. She gives off a very starstruck, hopeless, obsessive, "groupie" vibe (as the killer called his fans). Edmund, the inmate/serial killer, has tasked Lori with finding a key and to go on this trek in search of "The River Man". Lori, due to strong protests from Abby, reluctantly takes her along on the journey. Again, Abby is disabled from a prior traumatic brain injury. Sounds like a bad idea, right?

The rest of the book takes you on this mind-bending journey over the river and through the woods, but we aren't going to visit "Grandmother", it's to see The River Man. But what are we getting from The River Man? I'd bet you wanna know!

Here are some good reasons as to why I recommend this book:

-the plot is somewhat original

-the characters are relatable in a way, despite the wickedness

-the imagery makes you feel like you are the one on this journey

-the details are not long and drawn out, nor is the dialogue (which makes a lot of sense for the characters and book setting)

-at the end, you aren't left lost, dazed, naked, and afraid (HAHA)

I believe there is a really great concept here. However, the main character, Lori, is naive, has a weird desire for love in all the wrong ways and places, she isn't completely oblivious, but she might have a tad bit of saw dust for a brain. She has clearly been mislead in life one way or another.....you will see.

I don't want to get too deep or put out too many spoilers, but this story does take several dark turns. There are LOTS of trigger warnings, so do your research before getting into this one! There isn't a huge amount of blood and gore or action, but it is definitely disturbing nonetheless.

There is a sequel to this one, so I will be continuing the story because the ending was.....WOW.

-XOXO, @therealnursebrook