Scan barcode
lauriereadslohf's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
This book is heavy but I wasn’t expecting a light-hearted monster fest when I started a book written by Mark Matthews. He writes about the realistic heavy shit infused with the horror-fantastic. I’ve read Milk-Blood, On the LIps of Children, and Garden of Fiends: Tales of Addiction Horror, and they’ve all been solid grueling reads. The Hobgoblin of Little Minds is not an exception.
This time Matthews tackles lycanthropy and mental health - specifically bipolar and melds the two into a compelling, painful, imaginative journey. If you’ve struggled and/or have family and friends who’ve struggled you know this is going to be a heavy hitter. I don’t even know how to get this review started so I guess I’ll say a little bit about the plot.
Kori grew up with a bipolar dad who has been missing for years. Her mother is screwing off to another state with a new man and Kori isn’t quite ready to let her dad go forever. She visits the Northville Psychiatric Hospital before it’s demolished because it was the last place her dad was seen. What she finds there isn’t at all what she expected. I mean, really, what she finds is a nightmare hellscape and something NO ONE would ever expect. That’s where the horror-fantastic comes in.
Dr. Zita started out with good intentions but somewhere along the way she became less compassionate doctor and more mad scientist and that’s all I really want to say about that because you should discover this stuff on your own. I spent most of my notes writing “WTF is going on here?” and you should experience that too. Just know she is a captivating villain. You’ll root for her to perish but she’ll also fascinate you with her completely dastardly and horribly disturbing plans.
I recommend but with the caveats that in addition to some spectacular deaths (one that made me laugh, actually I’m still laughing when I think about it) that are gory and disturbing it’s the human aspects that might bother one more. The talk of suicide, of abortion, of depression, of a home that feels unsafe and leaves one feeling untethered, and the effects it has on everyone in that circle of pain. Be warned but do read it if you’re in the right headspace because it is excellent.
“But nothing was safe in this house.”
Ouch. If you feel that ouch, heed my warning.
This time Matthews tackles lycanthropy and mental health - specifically bipolar and melds the two into a compelling, painful, imaginative journey. If you’ve struggled and/or have family and friends who’ve struggled you know this is going to be a heavy hitter. I don’t even know how to get this review started so I guess I’ll say a little bit about the plot.
Kori grew up with a bipolar dad who has been missing for years. Her mother is screwing off to another state with a new man and Kori isn’t quite ready to let her dad go forever. She visits the Northville Psychiatric Hospital before it’s demolished because it was the last place her dad was seen. What she finds there isn’t at all what she expected. I mean, really, what she finds is a nightmare hellscape and something NO ONE would ever expect. That’s where the horror-fantastic comes in.
Dr. Zita started out with good intentions but somewhere along the way she became less compassionate doctor and more mad scientist and that’s all I really want to say about that because you should discover this stuff on your own. I spent most of my notes writing “WTF is going on here?” and you should experience that too. Just know she is a captivating villain. You’ll root for her to perish but she’ll also fascinate you with her completely dastardly and horribly disturbing plans.
I recommend but with the caveats that in addition to some spectacular deaths (one that made me laugh, actually I’m still laughing when I think about it) that are gory and disturbing it’s the human aspects that might bother one more. The talk of suicide, of abortion, of depression, of a home that feels unsafe and leaves one feeling untethered, and the effects it has on everyone in that circle of pain. Be warned but do read it if you’re in the right headspace because it is excellent.
“But nothing was safe in this house.”
Ouch. If you feel that ouch, heed my warning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization
More...