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tattooedhorrorreader's review
4.0
This one genuinely creeped me out and the shadows outside my room last night seemed far more menacing...
The dark descent into grief after a tragic loss, this is a grim read, but very well done.
The dark descent into grief after a tragic loss, this is a grim read, but very well done.
prettyinpapercuts's review
3.0
There was some genuinely eerie stuff and some good body horror in this book - but I'm not entirely sure I understood what was going on? It felt like so much of this was just the main character stumbling around an empty house, lol. I wish I knew what the skinned faces were!
peer105's review
4.0
Remains is Andrew Cull's debut novel. If, like me, you've already read his story collection 'Bones' you have a sense of what you're in for here. A gorgeous prose that's best described as cinematic. His characters and settings really do come alive here again as well.
The chapters are short. To the degree where you tell yourself, "just one more," and when you reach the end of *that* one, you curse the author, because how can you stop HERE?! So you read another. And maybe another one after that. Cull really knows how to keep you hooked!
The central theme of Remains is grief and I felt it was handled well enough. It's hard for me to relate to losing a child since I'm not even a parent, so I can't go into it too much. But I believed it here.
What kept it from being a 5 star read for me was the bit of a slow start. This was the same for his short stories in Bones, but since those were shorter works it felt like less of an issue. I believe it was near the end of the 80-something pages where it gripped me and did not let go.
Another thing I had a bit of an issue with, and this could very well be a totally me thing, was how there were 3 or 4 things that felt like they were going to really affect the plot, but in the end didn't...
But those were the only negatives for me. In the grand scheme of things, quite minor. I'd recommend Remains to everyone that enjoys dark/horror stories!
The chapters are short. To the degree where you tell yourself, "just one more," and when you reach the end of *that* one, you curse the author, because how can you stop HERE?! So you read another. And maybe another one after that. Cull really knows how to keep you hooked!
The central theme of Remains is grief and I felt it was handled well enough. It's hard for me to relate to losing a child since I'm not even a parent, so I can't go into it too much. But I believed it here.
What kept it from being a 5 star read for me was the bit of a slow start. This was the same for his short stories in Bones, but since those were shorter works it felt like less of an issue. I believe it was near the end of the 80-something pages where it gripped me and did not let go.
Another thing I had a bit of an issue with, and this could very well be a totally me thing, was how there were 3 or 4 things that felt like they were going to really affect the plot, but in the end didn't...
But those were the only negatives for me. In the grand scheme of things, quite minor. I'd recommend Remains to everyone that enjoys dark/horror stories!
brittneyreadsbooks's review
5.0
Andrew Cull really is a master of his craft – he just KNOWS horror. And I’m not only talking about the supernatural horror that he does so well, ’m talking about the very real, soul crushing horror that is a mother losing her child.
The supernatural horror elements of Remains were expertly delivered, almost delicate in their execution, with Cull introducing us to Lucy and her very real-world grief yet giving us just a happening here and there (to begin with anyway) to remind us that something is not quite right. As Lucy’s story continues, the events surrounding 1428 Montgomery escalate—whatever it is that is in this house is sneaky, it is not shy, it is terrifying, it is BRUTAL, and the darkness Cull draws the reader into is quite literally suffocating.
All of this, as incredible as it was, took a backseat for me, with Lucy’s heartbreak being the driving force of the novel. So, let’s talk about the writing and how this grief unravelled.
This book was unputdownable. As always, short chapters make for quick reading, but there was so much more to it with Remains. Cull brings the story to life; he brings his characters to life; the writing truly does transcend the page. I felt every ounce of Lucy’s fear, I felt her gut-wrenching sorrow, I was right there with her in her desperate plight and my heart absolutely broke for her.
There are books that I love but I have yet to read anything else that impacts me the way Cull’s writing does. I devoured Remains in one night and was on the verge of tears and covered in goose bumps the entire time; it is hauntingly poetic and an absolute pleasure to read—a terrifying, harrowing pleasure.
The supernatural horror elements of Remains were expertly delivered, almost delicate in their execution, with Cull introducing us to Lucy and her very real-world grief yet giving us just a happening here and there (to begin with anyway) to remind us that something is not quite right. As Lucy’s story continues, the events surrounding 1428 Montgomery escalate—whatever it is that is in this house is sneaky, it is not shy, it is terrifying, it is BRUTAL, and the darkness Cull draws the reader into is quite literally suffocating.
All of this, as incredible as it was, took a backseat for me, with Lucy’s heartbreak being the driving force of the novel. So, let’s talk about the writing and how this grief unravelled.
This book was unputdownable. As always, short chapters make for quick reading, but there was so much more to it with Remains. Cull brings the story to life; he brings his characters to life; the writing truly does transcend the page. I felt every ounce of Lucy’s fear, I felt her gut-wrenching sorrow, I was right there with her in her desperate plight and my heart absolutely broke for her.
There are books that I love but I have yet to read anything else that impacts me the way Cull’s writing does. I devoured Remains in one night and was on the verge of tears and covered in goose bumps the entire time; it is hauntingly poetic and an absolute pleasure to read—a terrifying, harrowing pleasure.
tracyreads's review
5.0
My review from High Fever Books:
Andrew Cull’s novel is not to be trifled with. As a debut novel, this book reads like someone who has been penning long fiction for years. It is polished, engaging, and a great read. I was fortunate enough to read Cull’s collection, Bones, last year so I knew what to expect in terms of writing ability and imagery, or so I thought.
I had no idea.
The journey we take with Lucy Campbell covers levels of grief beyond anything in my experience. In the Foreword, Cull makes note that this tale is loosely based on a true story of San Francisco involving deaths, seances, possessions, and exorcisms. I was so wrapped up in Andrew’s fictional story that I neglected to remember this part until I looked back over my notes in preparation for this review. I do want to note that there are issues involving child death and suicide throughout, just as a heads up for anyone who might need it.
I like the way in which I had to constantly ask myself what was real and what was a product of Lucy Campbell’s grief, and the side characters play off of Lucy in a way that exacerbates the dread. 1428 Montgomery is a terrifying place either way, and I appreciate the power Cull gives to the reader. WE make up our own minds. There are most definitely two interpretations (or more) up for grabs here. The lines between the surreal and reality are blurred, mostly because of the perfectly crafted unreliable narrator we find in Lucy, and I found myself wrapped up mentally in the world he created. And sometimes in Lucy’s mind. THAT was terrifying.
The horror? Beyond the psychological, there are vivid, gory masterpieces that play out like a horror film on the page. I recently read Ketchum’s Off Season, and there is a scene in Remains that did the same job of unsettling my mind and making me squirm. It was GROSS. I loved it! Everything seems to be woven just right, and Remains will invade your brain, smash your emotions, and then dance on the pieces that are left.
Andrew Cull’s novel is not to be trifled with. As a debut novel, this book reads like someone who has been penning long fiction for years. It is polished, engaging, and a great read. I was fortunate enough to read Cull’s collection, Bones, last year so I knew what to expect in terms of writing ability and imagery, or so I thought.
I had no idea.
The journey we take with Lucy Campbell covers levels of grief beyond anything in my experience. In the Foreword, Cull makes note that this tale is loosely based on a true story of San Francisco involving deaths, seances, possessions, and exorcisms. I was so wrapped up in Andrew’s fictional story that I neglected to remember this part until I looked back over my notes in preparation for this review. I do want to note that there are issues involving child death and suicide throughout, just as a heads up for anyone who might need it.
I like the way in which I had to constantly ask myself what was real and what was a product of Lucy Campbell’s grief, and the side characters play off of Lucy in a way that exacerbates the dread. 1428 Montgomery is a terrifying place either way, and I appreciate the power Cull gives to the reader. WE make up our own minds. There are most definitely two interpretations (or more) up for grabs here. The lines between the surreal and reality are blurred, mostly because of the perfectly crafted unreliable narrator we find in Lucy, and I found myself wrapped up mentally in the world he created. And sometimes in Lucy’s mind. THAT was terrifying.
The horror? Beyond the psychological, there are vivid, gory masterpieces that play out like a horror film on the page. I recently read Ketchum’s Off Season, and there is a scene in Remains that did the same job of unsettling my mind and making me squirm. It was GROSS. I loved it! Everything seems to be woven just right, and Remains will invade your brain, smash your emotions, and then dance on the pieces that are left.
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