Read as part of CBR15Bingo: In the wild. The story takes place mostly in a hotel set in the wild and also may-or-may-not feature a shifting character. You’ll have to read to find out!
It’s such a joy when you pick up a story and connect with the writer’s style.
I had been interested in this one for a few years since I saw it at the library. Horror where a best friend disappears and returns but is not the same…that had me curious. But I was put off by the reviews, most of which dinged the style and the ending.
I won’t comment much on the ending; I’m still thinking about it. But Rachel Harrison’s style really works for me. I liked the way she used the main character’s POV to tell a broader story, give characterization to the friends, build the tension in a real way.
Yeah this a horror story that is somewhat close to its premise (how close, you’ll have to discover for yourself) but really at the heart of it, this is a tale about friends and their changes, their losses, their grief, their attempts to find normalcy in a world that’s moved on. That might not make for the best horror hook where people just want a big scary monster to be running around, destruction at its feet (there is some of that). But it made for a very readable tale where I felt invested to the last page.
I don’t know who to recommend this to. I’m not sure fans of classic horror will like it. Maybe folks who like psychological dramas with horror curlicues? I don’t know. I’d recommend it to me. It was a great read.