I am taking a break from looking back at the best of 2021 to alert you to some great titles coming in 2022 with the three reviews I have in the December 1, 2021 issue and 2 get stars!
See below for my draft reviews with more appeal information, extra readalikes, and of course, my 3 words! Let's begin...
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
Feb. 2022. 512p. Random, $28 (9780593156629).
First published December 1, 2021 (Booklist).
It's 2025 and America is still healing from the Covid pandemic as a more terrifying virus emerges--The Violence. The infected’s gaze goes as blank as a zombie as they violently kill the closest living thing, and then, just as suddenly, snap out of it. Our guides through this dystopian-horror landscape are three generations of women who have lived with violence and trauma their entire lives: the “perfect” housewife Chelsea, her teenage daughter Ella, and her mother Patricia. With a visceral hook, a fast pace, and a story that provides plenty of action while allowing the characters to propel the plot, Dawson delivers both a realistically, messy portrayal of everyday violence and a highly unsettling, utterly entertaining tome. While Dawson includes an author’s note at the start, making it clear that this is a novel by a survivor for survivors, do not pigeon-hole this engrossing and thought-provoking, story because like the very best science fiction, she applies a slightly askew lens, challenging readers to take a critical look at our current world while simultaneously demanding we all do better. Enthusiastically suggest to readers who enjoyed the table-turning feminism of Alderman’s The Power, the band of survivors theme in St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, and the emotional journey of LaValle’s The Changeling.
YA Statement: Ella is a compelling and realistically portrayed teen progratognist who speaks honestly and openly about her life, the challenges of coming of age during a pandemic, and the everyday violence inflicted upon her existence. Older teens, especially those who identify as women, will find a lot to enjoy here.
Further Appeal: This was an honest, gripping, and fascinating portrayal of violence and trauma. No easy explanations or predictably happy endings. This novel uses a near future, speculative pandemic to explore serious issues.
What could have been a gimmick-- a virus of violence-- became simply the frame to have a frank and appropriately messy discussion of the choices women make to get by. It takes you just enough outside the box of reality that you can really think and be ready to have an uncomfortable discussion of trauma and domestic violence.
A Psychological - Horror hybrid. And even more brilliantly, it is unsettling because it is also a highly entertaining read. Uncomfortably unsettling. You are "enjoying" the reading experience and yet should you?
Character driven-- there is action but it is the characters and their journeys thaty drive the story and propels it forward.
The twist on zombie tropes is fascinating to break down. I had no time in the review above to do more than hint at that appeal, but this is a post-zombie, zombie story. The infected become a zombie for a few moments, wreck havoc, kill, and then snap out of it as if nothing happened. The themes of both living with the consequences of your violent behavior and the need to protect infected loved ones takes on new meaning. I hope zombie fans find this one. It will appeal to them more than they think.
My only complaint is that Chelsea's husband [David] got 1 chapter. for POV Not necessary, in my opinion. I understand why an editor wanted it there, to show how he knew where a character was, but everyone else figured it out. That is the only flaw here.
Someone on Goodreads mentioned torture in this book as a limiter-- there is none.
Three Words That Describe This Book: band of survivors, high unease, thought provoking
Readalikes: If you could turn the three listed in the above review into one book, The Violence is what you get.
As I mentioned, zombie readers, especially those who read for the band of survivors, will like this one.
Also, The Last House on Needless Street by Ward is a completely different reading experience, but the trauma drives both stories and controls the action. Also the character driven plot that is still a pager turner is similar.
Finally, Stephen Graham Jones emailed me out of the blue to tell me I HAD to read this book. Clearly he loved this book. If you like his writing, you will like this one too.
The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Volume 2
Edited by James D. Jenkins & Ryan Cagle
Feb. 2022. 328p. Valancourt, paper, $18.99 (9781954321076).First published December 1, 2021 (Booklist).
Building off of the enthusiastic reader and critical success of their first volume, editors Jenkins and Cagle gave themselves an even bigger challenge-- to find more of the world’s best Horror authors but without repeating any countries that were represented in the previous book. The editors also refused to rely on authors whose work was already translated into English, rather they went directly to the source in the author’s home country and language, working diligently to commission quality translations, bringing many of these award-winning and popular authors to an English language audience for the first time. Standout tales in this superior anthology include Chinese author Zhang Yueran’s terrifying but also disquietingly beautiful exploration of body horror, Indrek Hargla, a well known Estonian crime writer's first Horror tale translated into English, and a stunning, intensely unsettling, and uncomfortably topical tale by Poland’s Wojciech Gunia. The extra context prefacing each story, introducing the author, their place in the literary landscape of their country, and the state of Horror there, elevates the entire collection and makes it a not to miss addition. Clearly Horror is thriving across the globe, and there is no longer an excuse to not carry these authors in your collections. Pair this with Jenkins and Cagle’s first volume or Eric Guignard’s A World of Horror.
Further Appeal: Even better than the first volume and I loved that one [review here]. As the introduction to this second volume states, first volume garnered multiple, major awards nominations, sold out its first run, and has been added to University curriculums.
I wish I could have highlighted every story, but alas, I get around 200 words.
My favorite was "The War" by Wojeiech Gunia from Poland. This story was stunning, intensely unsettling, and uncomfortably topical. I read it twice even though I had more than half the book still to go.
Also Chinese author Zhang Yueran's lyrical and terrifying, gross and beautiful-- "Whalebone Spirit." It is a perfect read for fans of The Memory Police by Ogawa or Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica. Like those readalikes I am still thinking about this story.
Haitian author Gary Victor is one I could not fit in my review. "Lucky Night" was based on well known Hatian folklore that would be tangential to our "selling your soul to the devil." It was also very political which I loved.
The most heartbreaking thing about this book is not only that these amazing voices have been silenced because they have not been translated into English before this but also that many of them [it is revealed] had commissioned, at their own cost, English translations of their work in the hopes that someday someone would ask for them. Kudos to Jenkins and Cagle for diligently seeking them out and commissioning quality translations where necessary.
Three Words That Describe This Book: full range of scares, engrossing, translation
By Polly Schattel
Jan. 2022. 260p. JournalStone, paper, $17.95 (9781685100155); e-book, $6.95 (9781685100162). First published December 1, 2021 (Booklist).
Opening in an ominous first chapter, Melissa, a nurse, on her way her first job in three years because she needed time to heal from accidentally killing a preemie in the ICU and culminating in a violent explosion, as Melissa’ brother and mother are killed in a home invasion while she hides in the laundry room, Schattel dives head first into this cinematic, violent, and terrifying ride through Melissa’s psych, the mental illness entrenched in her genes, and her determination to get mortal revenge on all who have wronged her. Leading with dread and tension, the horror and bodies pile up at a relentless pace, and yet, despite the brutality, Schattel imbues Melissa with enough sympathy that even as she spirals, the reader is unable to abandon her. There are ghosts both real and imagined, with trauma that is raw and messy, but also heartfelt and realistic. This is a twisty story with an obvious unreliable narrator, a tale that will leave readers squirming in discomfort, but unable to stop turning the pages, much like the experience of reading Razorblade Tears by Cosby or The Last House on Needless Street by Ward or watching a film by Tarantino.Further Appeal: This is a brutal novel and the author challenges your sympathy for Melissa more and more with each page. That part was well done because as she goes further and further into her violent spiral, the reader never completely leaves her. Although, if you step away from the book, you will questions why you are still with her, and yet, when you dive back in, those second thoughts disappear. That is hard to do. Schattel leans in on the dread and tension, as the pace, action, and terror begin a steep incline, readers cannot stop or look away even when they want to.
There are ghosts both real and imagined lurking on every page.
Uncomfortable but on purpose as Schattel is exploring her own mental health issues along the way.
Cinematic, compellingly paced, it hooks you and you cannot look away. Not surprised at end to find out this novel began as a screenplay.
From the Author's Note and worth sharing because this book really looks at the toll serious genetic mental health takes on a family. "And special thanks to Robert Kolker, and his definitive account of mental illness in families, Hidden Valley Road, which served as the most valuable resource for this book."
Sharing in case it helps someone.
Three Words That Describe This Book: revenge, deeply unsettling, dark pulp
Readalikes: Also Samantha Kolesnik's True Crime or Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias.
No comments:
Post a Comment