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Book Review: A Man in Pieces: An American Nightmare by Henry Corrigan

Cover art for A Man in Pieces: An American Nightmare by Henry Corrigan

A Man In Pieces An American Nightmare by Henry Corrigan

Darkstroke Books, 2022

ISBN: 9798848967593

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

 

Renowned book reviewer and armchair philosopher Murray Samuelson was famously quoted as saying “that which is interesting in life resides in the domain of mundania.”  In other words, sometimes the basic, everyday stuff can make for a good book, if written well.  That’s exactly what you get with A Man In Pieces..  There is no big action, no big gore, no big excitement… instead, it is a subtle, well–written portrait of what happens when everyday stress finally pushes a person off the edge of sanity.

 

The precise stress on the characters in this story is the‘ big possibility of losing their jobs in a tight job market, when living paycheck to paycheck (one many people can probably relate to)  Mike and Tom are the two main characters, a couple of drones in an office cubicle farm.  They are diametrically opposite in character, competing for the same job, and dislike each other immensely.  The story encompasses just one five-day workweek.  They both find out on Monday about the coming layoffs, but of course WHO is going to get tossed won’t be decided till Friday.  How they deal with the specter of looming unemployment and possible bankruptcy over the week is what makes up the story.

 

Based on the above, the book probably doesn’t sound that interesting…but somehow, it is.  Just chalk it up to good writing.  This is more of a psychological story, focused on  the thoughts and feelings of the characters, rather than their outward actions, and their inner thoughts are of paramount importance in this story.  The pacing is measured and methodical as the deadline approaches for the characters, each of them struggling to keep going, knowing their lives might take a crashing turn for the worse.  One of them tries to hide it away and put on a happy face, while the other becomes rude and antagonistic, but cracks start showing in the frame of their sanity over the week.  That’s the fun part of the book: the slow build, it leaves you anticipating more to come…and it does.  Friday arrives, someone (or both someones) is about to have their life change for the worse, and then…why, you’ll have to read the book to find out, of course!

 

Unusual in its style and plot choice but satisfying nevertheless, A Man In Pieces is a stylish character study that will impress readers looking for something out of the ordinary.  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on December 5, 2022 by , Reply

Book Review: As The Night Devours Us by Villimey Mist

 

As the Night Devours Us by Villimey Mist

St. Rooster Books, 2022

ISBN:  9798834327097

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org |   Amazon.com )

 

Villimey Mist, an Icelandic writer with wide-ranging interests, presents creative, gory, horror-filled stories in As the Night Devours Us. These are short stories that pack a plot punch against a backdrop of contemporary life that is sometimes mixed with folklore and mythology. In addition to Icelandic monsters including an evil whale, a monstrous cat, and a Loch Ness type creature, there is a story that includes a Greek goddess and one that features a Native American skin-walker.

 

The book’s characters are usually rather one-dimensional in a way that allows Mist to focus on the horrors of the events, themes and situations she culls from real life, such as a volcanic eruption, crimes, serial killers, cults, bullying, and even the author’s personal fears. They are accompanied by practical, albeit dramatic, life lessons, that won’t soon be forgotten.

 

The variety in this collection is one of its strengths. A wife is forced to prove her culinary skills by preparing meals with parts of her husband’s dead body; life-like mannequins turn out to be dead bodies; rape victims are offered a chance to take their revenge in an unusual way.  There are zombies, vindictive powers of Nature, and imps that eat people’s fingernails. Scary plot twists, unreliable narrators, and vivid descriptions spark fear through strong emotions, weird revelations and unexpected thought processes as the characters are faced with tough choices and plenty of self-sacrifice.

 

Some of the stories are accessible to young adult readers, but there are also some themes that are more appropriate for mature readers. The author’s comments on each story are provided at the end of the book. Whether the action includes torture, human sacrifice or just mean girls run amok, these tales will surprise, shock and horrify you.

 

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

Posted on November 26, 2022 by , Reply

Book Review: Jawbone by Monica Ojeda translated by Sarah Booker

cover art for Jawbone by Monica Ojeda

Jawbone by Monica Ojeda., translated by Sarah Booker

Coffee House Press, 2022

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1566896214

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

( Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com )

 

Fernanda wakes up, disoriented, to discover she has been kidnapped by Miss Clara, her literature teacher. Figuring out how she got there is the first step in navigating a twisty narrative.

 

Fernanda, her close friend Anne, and their friends had found an abandoned, isolated house where they told horror stories, participated in violent dares, and worshipped the White God (as friend groups of teenage girls do). Fernanda and Anne pushed their limits further than the other girls, but Fernanda finally reaches hers.

 

Anne is forced to take extra lessons from Miss Clara after the teachers discover an irreligious drawing of an insect god in drag. Miss Clara has closely modeled herself on her mother and has anxiety and frequent panic attacks that result in repetitive and neurotic behaviors and self-harm, making her a perfect target for Anne, who is angry with Fernanda for drawing boundaries. Anne uses her conversations and assignments with Miss Clara to manipulate Miss Clara’s anxieties and turn her focus on Fernanda as a villain victimizing Anne…

 

The writing varies in style. Parts of the book record Fernanda’s therapy sessions; conversations between Anne and Clara;  and a long essay on “white horror” by Anne for Clara. Others get into the mental state of Clara or Fernanda which are quite disorienting, vivid, and sometimes gut-punching, with insect and body horror. The descriptions of physical responses to anxiety and panic attacks are hard to read. It gets harder and harder to trust any perception of events.

 

There is so much left to the imagination that it creates a real sense of unease. The violence keeps escalating but a lot of it happens off the page. This is generally effective but left me confused with the ending. There is so much left to the imagination that it creates a real sense of unease.

 

This is far from being a straighforward narrative, Readers who enjoy experimental narratives and unreliable narrators will find much to recommend it, though. ,.

 

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

Editor’s note: Jawbone was a finalist for the 2022 National Book Award in Translated Literature. 

Posted on November 9, 2022 by , Reply
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