What I'm Reading: The Bank by Bentley Little and the Entire April Issue of Booklist for Free

The latest issue of Booklist is now live and access to it is FREE! Click here to access a digital edition of the magazine. Every single piece of it. Every review, article, etc.....

The Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror review section, in particular, is excellent this month. I wrote one of those reviews, and it is by a classic author. Find the draft version of my review and the added info I share here on the blog below Or read the entire magazine here.

The Bank.

Little, Bentley (author).
Apr. 2020. 376p. Cemetery Dance, $25 (9781587677403). 
First published April 1, 2020 (Booklist).

Little is a master of small town, immersive, pulp horror that puts ordinary people against an evil that invades their day-to-day life, quickly turning what was once mundane into a terrifying reality. In his latest, Little bundles the real life horrors of identity theft, economic downturn, and intrusive marketing practices into a story of a recently opened bank, in a small town facing hard times, and how it quickly and violently infiltrates the lives of every member of the community, increasing its demands on customers, until there is no longer a safe way out. Utilizing multiple points of view across a wide swath of the town, introducing tense situations that relentlessly build to unbearable dread, but then leaving those dark moments dangling as the reader is led back to another character, dragged all over town, in a fast paced story whose evil cannot be escaped. This is horror that is all about the feelings it produces: discomfort, disorientation, and distrust. Add in a dose of Little’s trademark satire and dark humor underpinning it all, and you have a satisfying story of supernatural evil that will satiate your patrons appetites for classic horror. Use Little’s popularity and reader interest in this title to draw them to newer voices such as Gina Wohlsdorf, Ania Ahlborn, and Jonathan Janz.

Further Appeal: First thing to get out of the way, there is violence to animals in this book, but it is by one of the human villains to make him identified as such from the first moment we meet him.

People who are familiar with Little and enjoy his works know exactly what they will get here and should just read this book ASAP.  However, I tried very hard to get the major appeal factors of this book into the review for new readers. I will explain a bit more though.

The tension, dread, and violence ratchet up quickly and significantly. We have an ordinary town but with a feeling of unease from the first pages that spirals quickly. The supernatural evil is a monster that has no regard for humanity, but in classic Little fashion, even though things get awful so fast, it feels like the progression is inevitable. Yes you have to suspend disbelief because the threat is supernatural in origin, but the way Little builds the narrative, everything that comes from this supernatural evil unfolds believably.

The multiple points of view are key to speeding things up. We meet the characters throughout the first third of the book and spend a little more time with each in the beginning, but then, during the second 2/3rds the story is bouncing around between these people [who we have gotten to know] and the action is pinball fast. Readers barely have time to take a breath leet alone stop turning the pages.

There is an excellent frame overlaid onto of the entire novel that unites the evil force across time and space, allowing the story to have a satisfying conclusion while also leaving the evil a chance to come back again someday.

I cannot stress enough how timely this book feels. Yes it is "classic" Little, but the issues and concerns, especially about privacy in an increasingly digital world and the economics of small town shops are very relevant, adding an extra level of real life fear and unease to the entire tale.

Three Words That Describe This Book: fast paced, multiple points of view, extreme discomfort

Readalikes: I used my chance in the review to mention some newer voices to suggest to patrons. I would also suggest another classic author who is still publishing, Kathe Koja for fans of Little. And Gemma Files is another veteran but less well known name who I think fans of Little would enjoy.

Finally, with the Jonathan Janz recommendation, all titles work, but in particular I thought of Children of the Dark. Click here for my full star review of that book.