Today I have a STAR review of a title that will 100% end up being on my personal BEST of the year lists-- for all genres. Yes, it is that good. And it is a novella that you can read in one sitting, although it is so intense and immersive that I did take 1 break to breathe.
Coup de Grâce
By Sofia Ajram
First published September 1, 2024 (Booklist).
Ajram’s unforgettable novella lives up to its provocative title, delivering a gripping story that is as brutal as it is beautiful. Vicken is on the Montreal subway, making his way to the final stop where he plans to exit, walk to the St. Lawrence River, and end his life, except after exiting the train and going through the one-way turnstile, he is caught in an inescapable labyrinth of never ending gray corridors, moving in and out of rooms and levels that vacillate between blandly colorless to existentially terrifying and visceral. Vicken’s engaging first person narration draws readers into the story immediately as he shares his struggles and fears, ratcheting up the unease at critical moments by using dark humor or turning to speak directly to the reader. As Vicken continues to wander, Ajram cleverly transforms what seems like a deceptively simple plot into a complex, moving and immersive contemplation of the very real horror of living with severe depression. A stellar option both for fans of liminal space Horror like Travelers Rest by Morris or The Hollow Places by Kingfisher as well as those who enjoy intense tales of an unreliable narrator exploring a terrifying and mysterious landscape such as Annihilation by VanderMeer or The Luminous Dead by Starling.
Three Words That Describe This Book: liminal space, horror of mental illness, brutal yet beautiful
Also, and this is VERY important. This book was a STAR while reading it, but I was nervous that the ending would be a STAR. Not because I didn't trust Ajram to stick the landing, but because liminal space stories are hard to end well. You need a realistic but satisfying ending-- both in resolving the plot and the emotions. Without giving anything away, this book sticks the landing and then some. As we get close tot the ending, Vicken and Ajram (when you read it you will now what I mean using both the protagnist and author's names) use dark humor and a storytelling device to get us to that conclusion. Brilliant!
Here are a few more notes I made about the appeal of this book:
For those who don't know the definition of Coup de Grâce is a deathblow or death shot administered to end the suffering of one mortally wounded. Works perfectly here.
- Vicken is a strong narrator. He speaks directly to the reader and it is striking. Draws you in and asks you, the reader, to participate, even when it gets HARD.
- And it gets hard because this book is as much about what it feels like to live with illness-- specifically mental illness but physical illness is also included (not spoiling). How being sick is a liminal space.
- There is so much dark humor here. Which both lightens the the horror and somehow also intensifies it. As I say in my three words-- it is brutal yet also beautiful. This dichotomy is tangential to how humor is used as well
- Talk about every word mattering. This is a novella that had more atmosphere, sense of place, immersive terror etc... than some 500 page novels. I appreciated that so much as a reader.
- Yes you can read this in one sitting page-wise, but emotionally? I needed 1 break to put the book down to breathe some outside air. That's how realistic this reading experience is. I felt trapped in my house.
- A couple of notes for my editor about words I needed her to keep in the review but which are not spoilers. When you only have 200 words, you have to choose them carefully:
- The one-way turnstile: watching Vicken go through it is key, It only goes the one way. It makes getting stuck so much worse. He also encounters it again in his travels through the tunnels.
- Example of this phrase and its importance to the review: "moving in and out of rooms and levels that vacillate between blandly colorless to existentially terrifying and visceral." There is a room with dead bodies reaching out with juicy descriptions and yet so many rooms that are just gray with nothing happening. And there is really no inbetween. Either it is bland or terrifying.
- IMMERSIVE AND INTENSE (yes I used all CAPS in my notes)
- This is what I wrote down the second I finished it: Did any of this happen? Or is Vicken dead. Or is Vicken still at the station imagining this– stalling on killing himself? Also the ending– it is both complex and simple just like the book itself.
- A clever ending that perfectly underscores the entire tone of the book– it is bleak but also full of dark humor. It is brutal and beautiful. It is bland and visceral. It is literal and metaphorical (a novel that shows readers what severe depression actually feels like– brillant.)
Okay enough gushing-- just pre-order this book.
Readalikes: There are so many immersive and intense reads that consider liminal spaces/places where people are trapped with no way out. I do want to point out the claustrophobia and intensity of The Luminous Dead in particular because I don't think it would come up as a readalike in most traditional searches. I try very hard to include readalike options that are good matches for the feel of the book, not the plot or even the subgenres because I know my reviews are important to help library workers make connections between titles that they don't have time to read themselves. This is a great example. I know there are a lot of fans of the Starling title. Get this new novella and hadn't it out with confidence to those readers.
Look at all 4 readalikes options above but also here are more titles I would add to this list of titles similar to Coup de Grâce:
- This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
- The Ruins by Scott Smith
- The Grip of It by Jac Jemc
- Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
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