Genre: Splatterpunk
Trigger Warning: Yes (Suicide, incest, rape, extreme violence)
Extreme rating: 3/5
Paul is a very angry child. He’s always been angry and he doesn’t understand why. He has violent urges to eliminate every single thing around him, starting with his family. His father, his mother, the life growing in her belly. As a teenager, he begins a rampage of violence that forces him, his little sister and their neighbour on the run. Ten years later, things begin to spiral and Paul finds himself right back where he started. This story is Paul's autobiography, the legacy he’s leaving behind, the story he has to tell before his dark world turns black.
It is extremely believable that in this world that we live in, someone out there exists with so much rage and apathy towards the human race, but how those people develop over time isn't always clear cut. In the case of our main character, there isn’t much character development as the novel jumps forward significantly in time. Paul doesn’t go through many changes or challenges that would equate to developing or changing characteristics. As he can be categorised as a sociopath/ psychopath, his change in character is only an emphasis on pre-existing qualities- More rage, smarter rage. That is until the events at the climax as the novel force Paul's hand and push his muted, organised chaos into reckless, explosive action. This burst of energy makes Paul less menacing than the beginning of the book, where his cold demeanour was rather chilling.
The rest of the characters are side characters with very little personality development. It would have been nicer and might have had more of an impact if the character of Mary Ann was developed a little bit more. She, much like the other characters, exists for the sake of the story. Perhaps relevant considering the temperament of the narrator, but it does significantly reduce the impact of the novel, and some of the scenes might have had more of a gut punch with more insight into her character.
The neighbour character wasn’t really all that believable. Knowing from experience people like this do exist doesn’t give the addition of the character much credibility. I would have expected her to have a bit more personality than she is given, despite being seen through the narrator's eyes.
A bit rushed in places. I read this in two hours, so you can imagine how short this story is. There are a lot of areas where there could be room for more storytelling, but to be honest it might disturb the flow of the novel as the chaotic pacing matches the personality of that narrator, which highlights the story’s effectiveness. Also, this is Paul’s story. The only details included are the ones he wants to tell, anything he omits will be for the one reason that it just wasn’t important to him. It wasn’t part of his legacy.
One thing I didn’t like was the return to the pig farm. This scene did feel rushed and crammed in and not really necessary. The rest of the book seemed to flow so naturally that even though this isn’t completely out of place, it is still somewhat disjointed and probably poorly timed. Last minute revelations seem like a bit of a cheap way to finish the book.
Writing in the voice of your main character, particularly ones with psychopathic tendencies and a very challenging mindset, isn’t easy, but Stuart Bray manages this very well. His writing is descriptive without being overly grotesque and doesn’t quite hit the pit of the stomach as harshly as other splatterpunk writers, despite the vivid imagery. His most successful technique is the projection of pure hatred and anger, and this negativity is powerful and definitely carries the book.
I can’t say this was a particularly gripping read, because I finished this in two hours, it was that short. It also wasn’t the most disgusting horror novel I’ve read either. When I first saw this recommendation, and the promises of trigger warnings and extreme brutality I though “bring it on.” Either I’ve been desensitised at this point, or I’m not particularly sensitive to these specific trigger warnings. It isn’t mindlessly brutal. It is. But it isn’t. The character is deliberately disenchanted from childhood, and you are experiencing his journey. Always worth a read and a good one to grab if you’ve just started dipping your toe into the splatter punk genre. Would be interested to read more books by this author, but I don’t think I’d read this one again as it doesn’t fully satisfy in the way I wanted it to.
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