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ajlct's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Violence, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Medical content, Gore, and Gaslighting
aksel_dadswell's review against another edition
4.0
T.E. Grau has already carved himself a dark little niche in the busy hive of contemporary horror and weird fiction with only a debut collection to his name. I reviewed that collection about a month ago (you can read it here), and it’s a knockout, with a wonderful blend of Lovecraftian homage, as well some really original and harrowing tales.
So it’s cause for much excited wailing and gnashing of teeth when a new piece of Grau-crafted fiction is headed our way. This is Horror, an excellent publisher of short works in the genre – as well as being home to an awesome podcast, interviews and reviews – has produced Grau’s latest novella, They Don’t Come Home Anymore. The quality on show here is apparent from that eye-catching cover, designed by the author’s wife, Ives Hovanessian, and with artwork by the ridiculously talented Candice Tripp.
The story itself focuses on Hettie, a quiet, odd adolescent girl stranded on the social outskirts, and the ramifications of her friendship with the most popular girl at school, Avery Valancourt.
Other than that, I won’t get too much into plot details because I think it’s best to experience the story without much of an idea of where it’s headed, but this is a wonderful novella about death and obsession and the more frightening and fallible crannies of the human condition. It delves into some really interesting psychological areas, but the story also feels like a study in the decay of the flesh, of all things material, all things human. Grau states at one point that “Death always makes the best stories”, and it’s certainly true in this case.
Read my full review over at my blog: https://larvalforms.wordpress.com/2016/11/28/they-dont-come-home-anymore-t-e-grau-review/
So it’s cause for much excited wailing and gnashing of teeth when a new piece of Grau-crafted fiction is headed our way. This is Horror, an excellent publisher of short works in the genre – as well as being home to an awesome podcast, interviews and reviews – has produced Grau’s latest novella, They Don’t Come Home Anymore. The quality on show here is apparent from that eye-catching cover, designed by the author’s wife, Ives Hovanessian, and with artwork by the ridiculously talented Candice Tripp.
The story itself focuses on Hettie, a quiet, odd adolescent girl stranded on the social outskirts, and the ramifications of her friendship with the most popular girl at school, Avery Valancourt.
Other than that, I won’t get too much into plot details because I think it’s best to experience the story without much of an idea of where it’s headed, but this is a wonderful novella about death and obsession and the more frightening and fallible crannies of the human condition. It delves into some really interesting psychological areas, but the story also feels like a study in the decay of the flesh, of all things material, all things human. Grau states at one point that “Death always makes the best stories”, and it’s certainly true in this case.
Read my full review over at my blog: https://larvalforms.wordpress.com/2016/11/28/they-dont-come-home-anymore-t-e-grau-review/
readbydusk's review against another edition
3.0
I think I fell prey to high expectations and not being in the right headspace for this. I loved I Am The River and I expected something along the same vein. But this book is more of a satire on vampires and pop culture, and subversion of the usual "helpless teenager seeking mystical help" trope. I didn't jive with the overall tone of the book, and I couldn't connect with the main character. I found her annoying, to be honest. We get a glimpse of her dark side but it's not fully expanded. I would have loved to know more about why she does the things she do. I really liked the ending but it felt too little too late. It's still an entertaining novella and the writing is top notch. I just wanted something dark and scary and I didn't find it here.
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book blog | twitter | instagram
jasmond's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
postcorporeal's review against another edition
4.0
rly comes into its own in the latter half. i was waiting for more exposition before that (and i still don't think i would have complained abt getting that). can someone please tell me what the fuck weird fiction is.
espeidel's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. T.E Grau is one of my new favorite authors. His vivid descriptions and ideas are among the most creative I’ve come across. He is a must read for me and I highly recommend.
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
Grau is firmly at home in the Weird fiction genre and this is no exception. I first heard about this book through the This Is Horror podcast when they interviewed Grau and, from the little details they gave away, I had a small idea of what it was about. But not much. I was immediately gripped by his writing style. The protagonist, Hettie, is a teenage girl yet he manages to get her voice just right. There is an innocence to Hettie that is very endearing. Is it wrong that I related to her a bit? It probably says more about Grau's excellence as a storyteller more than anything else. He has the reader fully invested in Hettie's quest from early on in the book and we are rooting for her to save the day. But her methods and behaviour grow increasingly weirder until the brilliant ending. The cover art (designed by Ives Hovanessian and created by Candice Tripp) is beautiful and the interior design by Pye Parr is very high quality. As a publisher of horror novellas, This Is Horror are really setting a very high standard with both the writing within and the package as a whole. Overall, wonderful storytelling, great complex characters, and beautiful, poetic prose. This is an instant classic that will live long in the memory.
alyciajade93's review against another edition
5.0
I had to leave this for a couple of hours once I'd read it because I just could not wrap my head around how brilliant the ending was.
This has been on my to read list for quite some time and I wasn't really expecting it to be as good as it was.
I was intrigued by the blurb but I was pretty much hooked from the first page which is a rarity for me as it usual takes me at least a couple of chapters.
The horror builds in a really subtle way to the point where you're always wondering what you're actually scared about. There's always a new angle and what you think the danger is always seems to pale in comparison to the next situation you come across.
I found myself relating quite a lot to Hettie but at the same time I was increasingly worried for her as her obsession spiralled out of control. It was done really well though and as much as I sort of wanted to scream at her to stop and actually think about what she was doing, I understood her focus because when her background and family life is slowly revealed you kind of understand how she latches on to Avery as her only (in her view) link to the world simply because Avery saw her.
I loved the twist with what exactly Hettie was hunting for and the reveal story for how it became what it was. It was dark and gritty and excellently written.
I also liked how what you thought the story was at the beginning completely transformed by the end. It was a genuinely tense and captivating journey and I really felt for both Hettie and Avery.
The ending though is where I really got excited because the reveal was so good and I didn't see it coming and Hettie's reaction to it just made it all the more amazing because she's truly a twisted character and I love characters who own their darkness.
I was just seriously impressed with the whole book and will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.
(I gave it another star upon reflection because I'm still quite giddy about this book hours later.)
This has been on my to read list for quite some time and I wasn't really expecting it to be as good as it was.
I was intrigued by the blurb but I was pretty much hooked from the first page which is a rarity for me as it usual takes me at least a couple of chapters.
The horror builds in a really subtle way to the point where you're always wondering what you're actually scared about. There's always a new angle and what you think the danger is always seems to pale in comparison to the next situation you come across.
I found myself relating quite a lot to Hettie but at the same time I was increasingly worried for her as her obsession spiralled out of control. It was done really well though and as much as I sort of wanted to scream at her to stop and actually think about what she was doing, I understood her focus because when her background and family life is slowly revealed you kind of understand how she latches on to Avery as her only (in her view) link to the world simply because Avery saw her.
I loved the twist with what exactly Hettie was hunting for and the reveal story for how it became what it was. It was dark and gritty and excellently written.
I also liked how what you thought the story was at the beginning completely transformed by the end. It was a genuinely tense and captivating journey and I really felt for both Hettie and Avery.
The ending though is where I really got excited because the reveal was so good and I didn't see it coming and Hettie's reaction to it just made it all the more amazing because she's truly a twisted character and I love characters who own their darkness.
I was just seriously impressed with the whole book and will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.
(I gave it another star upon reflection because I'm still quite giddy about this book hours later.)
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