Elderly Londoner Augustus has lived a long, miserable life. Having driven his few remaining loved ones away years ago, he now whiles away his time drinking rum and hoping for the end.
One night his death wish is nearly granted by a mugger, but a local youth called Michael intervenes. Much to the old man’s horror (and fascination) Michael promptly begins to devour the mugger’s body.
Slowly, Augustus and his mysterious saviour form an unlikely friendship, one built on sharing the gifts of trust, camaraderie, and acceptance.
And one last a secret. It is the cause of Michael’s cannibalistic nature. And, perhaps, a reason for Augustus to go on living…
THE FACTS
📕 Dark and disturbing
📒 Moody and ominous without being obvious
📗 Well-crafted novella
📙 Perfect for horror fans
THE GOOD BITS
I’m a horror reader and somehow have missed reading anything by C.C. Adams until now. Now, I want to read everything! It’s been a while since I read a horror that really caught me off guard but this one did! And, I consider that a very good quality in a book.
This novella is the kind of insidious horror that I love. The book opens with Augustus reviewing some of the dismal things he has said to his family, and he was rotten! Augustus is quite a wretched character. He has no one in his life and a family member’s words. I was enjoying the dark and depressing mood and then suddenly the plot amped up when Augustus was mugged. During the violent scuffle a stranger is stabbed protecting Augustus but brushes off any aid. He offers only his name.
Still curious, August finds he can’t walk away without knowing that Micheal is okay… and discovers him feasting on the mugger’s body. Yes, you read that correctly! I didn’t read the blurb for the book because I love when horror plots sneak up on me – and this one certainly did that! I was shocked and delighted at the same time (the sign of a true horror fan).
As the two men form an unlikely bond, things continue to get more and more disturbing. I think the remarkable thing is that way Adams’ writing lured me into thinking that the friendship between these two men was… normal…not the least bit unusual. All the time I was reading confronting and disturbing things I was thinking that I kind of liked both of them. Maybe they had each found someone to be a tether to everyday life? A reason to keep going?
Yes? No? I’m not revealing anything else. If you’re into disturbing writing, body horror… and characters with questionable motivation this is the book for you. I absolutely enjoyed every creatively traumatizing word!
THE LINKS
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
Kinzie Things 