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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
Review in the June 2022 issue of Library Journal and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2022/05/what-im-reading-june-2022-library.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: participatory, engaging narration, extreme-- nearly unbearable-- tension
Draft Review:
An engaging, nameless narrator bluntly presents the record of a family being terrorized by home invaders for 48 hours. This narrator, an expert home invader, speaks directly to the reader, or is it to the novice invader, one whom the narrator is directing through his first “performance?” That ambiguity is key to the appeal here as the reader is rapt, watching as nameless invaders plan, stalk, taunt, and torture the depersonalized victims. Invaders, motivated solely by the performance itself and the chance a big studio will turn it into a movie. The refreshingly awesome and yet extremely horrific fact at the heart of this tale is that it is exactly what it claims to be; there is no twist. It is a story that rises above its genre peers because of how it thoroughly manipulates the reader’s emotions, as they compulsively turn the page, squirm from the unbearable tension, and reel from both the gruesome violence and emerging paranoia, as they leave their sense of security in the dust.
Verdict: With a last line that fully implicates the reader in the extreme horror they just willingly participated in, this is a story that will leave all terrorized and broken, but also surprsingly grateful for the unique experience much like the critically acclaimed Cabin at the End of the World by Tremblay and Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by LaRocca.
Notes: Holy Crap! What did I just read? It is an extreme, in your face description of the planning and recording of a violent home invasion. And it is participatory for the reader-- You are implicated in all of the violence which is awful and yet very impressive.
Here is the refreshing and awesome thing about this book-- it is exactly what it claims to be. There is no twist. From the first page it is terrifying and intense. This is sustained throughout. Extreme, unbearable tension... for all 250ish pages. It never lets up, it only gets worse. And yet, you will keep turning the pages.
The engaging narrator is an expert home invader. He is speaking to the reader who is actually the person planning the invasion that is the bulk of the book. The narrator is his "director," teaching and advising Invader #1 on the invasion that its the bulk of this book. But here is the first layer of extreme, participatory, unbearable dread-- the narrator is talking directly to the reader the entire book-- so is it you the reader doing this? Of course not but yet-- you are implicated.
The opening is all about one of the narrator's best "performances." Because that is what these invasions and murders are. Performances that are staged and filmed by the invaders but are very real to the victims. The motivation is not stealing anything-- it is being able to get in to these homes easily and torture and kill the victims, for the "cults" those online to whom the videos leak and then to a big studio to make a film based on it. You get paid from that. You get famous from that.
No one has names--the victims or invaders. There are numbers. Victims identified first as Wife, Husband, Son, Daughter but eventually turned into Victim #1, etc... This dehumanizes everyone. And it will make your skin crawl even more because you feel like you are reading about real people being tortured and killed and yet, you have dehumanized them along with the narrator and Invader #1 as you read. When you pause, you realize this and-- well the real feelings this completely fictional story stir up in you-- that is an expertly done Horror novel.
Do not read if you live alone-- maybe not at all-- especially if you live in the suburbs where you think you are safe. That is a huge theme of the books as well. And one that also raises it to a STAR review-- it is also a treatise on the false safety the upper middle class in the suburbs feel. How easy it is for them to "break in" without every breaking anything. How easy it is for the invaders to figure out everything about your house and your life and use it against you.
Paranoia will follow you for weeks after reading this. You might never shake it. Which may not be such a bad thing.
It is the last line that tipped the scales to make this a 5 star review. You will squirm the entire time you read this book. You will resist the awfulness and yet, the pages keep turning. You feel icky and you can barely keep going, but you do. And then, that last line seals it. 1 sentence and you know Seidlinger got you. It's a mic drop if there every was one and one that makes you feel even worse about the story and the fact that you read it and enjoyed the experience as a Horror reader. Bravo!
This book makes Cabin at the End of the World by Tremblay look like a cake walk. The reading experience is similar to the one from THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE by LaRocca but longer and more intense. This is THE MOST intense psychological horror you have ever read. Seriously. It makes Out by Natsuo Kirino look tame.
Three Words That Describe This Book: participatory, engaging narration, extreme-- nearly unbearable-- tension
Draft Review:
An engaging, nameless narrator bluntly presents the record of a family being terrorized by home invaders for 48 hours. This narrator, an expert home invader, speaks directly to the reader, or is it to the novice invader, one whom the narrator is directing through his first “performance?” That ambiguity is key to the appeal here as the reader is rapt, watching as nameless invaders plan, stalk, taunt, and torture the depersonalized victims. Invaders, motivated solely by the performance itself and the chance a big studio will turn it into a movie. The refreshingly awesome and yet extremely horrific fact at the heart of this tale is that it is exactly what it claims to be; there is no twist. It is a story that rises above its genre peers because of how it thoroughly manipulates the reader’s emotions, as they compulsively turn the page, squirm from the unbearable tension, and reel from both the gruesome violence and emerging paranoia, as they leave their sense of security in the dust.
Verdict: With a last line that fully implicates the reader in the extreme horror they just willingly participated in, this is a story that will leave all terrorized and broken, but also surprsingly grateful for the unique experience much like the critically acclaimed Cabin at the End of the World by Tremblay and Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by LaRocca.
Notes: Holy Crap! What did I just read? It is an extreme, in your face description of the planning and recording of a violent home invasion. And it is participatory for the reader-- You are implicated in all of the violence which is awful and yet very impressive.
Here is the refreshing and awesome thing about this book-- it is exactly what it claims to be. There is no twist. From the first page it is terrifying and intense. This is sustained throughout. Extreme, unbearable tension... for all 250ish pages. It never lets up, it only gets worse. And yet, you will keep turning the pages.
The engaging narrator is an expert home invader. He is speaking to the reader who is actually the person planning the invasion that is the bulk of the book. The narrator is his "director," teaching and advising Invader #1 on the invasion that its the bulk of this book. But here is the first layer of extreme, participatory, unbearable dread-- the narrator is talking directly to the reader the entire book-- so is it you the reader doing this? Of course not but yet-- you are implicated.
The opening is all about one of the narrator's best "performances." Because that is what these invasions and murders are. Performances that are staged and filmed by the invaders but are very real to the victims. The motivation is not stealing anything-- it is being able to get in to these homes easily and torture and kill the victims, for the "cults" those online to whom the videos leak and then to a big studio to make a film based on it. You get paid from that. You get famous from that.
No one has names--the victims or invaders. There are numbers. Victims identified first as Wife, Husband, Son, Daughter but eventually turned into Victim #1, etc... This dehumanizes everyone. And it will make your skin crawl even more because you feel like you are reading about real people being tortured and killed and yet, you have dehumanized them along with the narrator and Invader #1 as you read. When you pause, you realize this and-- well the real feelings this completely fictional story stir up in you-- that is an expertly done Horror novel.
Do not read if you live alone-- maybe not at all-- especially if you live in the suburbs where you think you are safe. That is a huge theme of the books as well. And one that also raises it to a STAR review-- it is also a treatise on the false safety the upper middle class in the suburbs feel. How easy it is for them to "break in" without every breaking anything. How easy it is for the invaders to figure out everything about your house and your life and use it against you.
Paranoia will follow you for weeks after reading this. You might never shake it. Which may not be such a bad thing.
It is the last line that tipped the scales to make this a 5 star review. You will squirm the entire time you read this book. You will resist the awfulness and yet, the pages keep turning. You feel icky and you can barely keep going, but you do. And then, that last line seals it. 1 sentence and you know Seidlinger got you. It's a mic drop if there every was one and one that makes you feel even worse about the story and the fact that you read it and enjoyed the experience as a Horror reader. Bravo!
This book makes Cabin at the End of the World by Tremblay look like a cake walk. The reading experience is similar to the one from THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE by LaRocca but longer and more intense. This is THE MOST intense psychological horror you have ever read. Seriously. It makes Out by Natsuo Kirino look tame.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Don't go into this book with expectations. It takes a highly stylized approach to what is a standard premise and offers several satisfying twists along the way.
I liked this book, it was a quick read and I was in the mood to roll with it's premise. My main critique is that it can be a bit much to parse through. Unnamed characters, simple but vague motivations, and hazy timelines keep this story from feeling too concrete. This was clearly an intentional choice, and it largely succeeds in letting the events of the story imply a larger world around it. There are times, however, when it hinders legibility. I enjoyed the nontraditional approach, but was not in the mood to parse through the transitions between punctuated dialogue, nonpunctuated dialogue, muddled points of view, etc. This reduced the impact of certain passages for me. After spending time with the stylistic logistics early in the story and finding them unsatisfying, I was fine breezing through similar passages towards the end. The gist was enough, it turned out.
That being said, I would say this is worth a read if you're a fan of the genre. There's a lot of inspiration at play. Even though it didn't all work for me, I enjoyed the experience.
I liked this book, it was a quick read and I was in the mood to roll with it's premise. My main critique is that it can be a bit much to parse through. Unnamed characters, simple but vague motivations, and hazy timelines keep this story from feeling too concrete. This was clearly an intentional choice, and it largely succeeds in letting the events of the story imply a larger world around it. There are times, however, when it hinders legibility. I enjoyed the nontraditional approach, but was not in the mood to parse through the transitions between punctuated dialogue, nonpunctuated dialogue, muddled points of view, etc. This reduced the impact of certain passages for me. After spending time with the stylistic logistics early in the story and finding them unsatisfying, I was fine breezing through similar passages towards the end. The gist was enough, it turned out.
That being said, I would say this is worth a read if you're a fan of the genre. There's a lot of inspiration at play. Even though it didn't all work for me, I enjoyed the experience.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Just because those shrubs grow high, and the vines cover your windows, it doesn't mean that in the depths of the silence there isn't someone watching."
What an utterly terrifying, traumatizing, and visceral literary experience this was. Easily a one sitting read, Seidlinger's Anybody Home? is told in second person with an unknown narrator. In spite of none of the characters having names, you feel like you've been present with them for a very long uncomfortable 200+ pages. The narrator who we assume is a talented and seasoned home invader is instructing "you", or rather rookie home invaders, on how to stake out, break in, and violate prominent homes and the families living within them. Why? Not for the money, but for entertainment and to appease the "cults" which I assumed was the audience, horror lovers, true-crime enthusiasts, etc.
This novella felt reminiscent of horror films like Bryan Bertino's The Strangers and James Wan's SAW. This is a book that will leave you feeling complicit in the torture and murder of innocent victims. The body horror is unpleasant, the atmosphere is tense, and you can't help but feel like you've participated in this heinous crime. Because, as terrible as the story is, you keep reading, similarly to staring at a car-wreck on the side of the highway.
To quote the book: "So you were here, and you were watching, so what do you think?...If it was too much, what kept you from looking away? Why did you watch the rest of it? What must that imply? As yet another of the cults, do you find yourself against it, yet captivated? Or against it and curious?"
Lovers of psychological horror, true-crime inspired fiction, unconventional storytelling, and messed up plots will love this book. You might also be left paranoid and probably never want to be home alone again.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS: animal death, r*pe, child death
What an utterly terrifying, traumatizing, and visceral literary experience this was. Easily a one sitting read, Seidlinger's Anybody Home? is told in second person with an unknown narrator. In spite of none of the characters having names, you feel like you've been present with them for a very long uncomfortable 200+ pages. The narrator who we assume is a talented and seasoned home invader is instructing "you", or rather rookie home invaders, on how to stake out, break in, and violate prominent homes and the families living within them. Why? Not for the money, but for entertainment and to appease the "cults" which I assumed was the audience, horror lovers, true-crime enthusiasts, etc.
This novella felt reminiscent of horror films like Bryan Bertino's The Strangers and James Wan's SAW. This is a book that will leave you feeling complicit in the torture and murder of innocent victims. The body horror is unpleasant, the atmosphere is tense, and you can't help but feel like you've participated in this heinous crime. Because, as terrible as the story is, you keep reading, similarly to staring at a car-wreck on the side of the highway.
To quote the book: "So you were here, and you were watching, so what do you think?...If it was too much, what kept you from looking away? Why did you watch the rest of it? What must that imply? As yet another of the cults, do you find yourself against it, yet captivated? Or against it and curious?"
Lovers of psychological horror, true-crime inspired fiction, unconventional storytelling, and messed up plots will love this book. You might also be left paranoid and probably never want to be home alone again.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS: animal death, r*pe, child death
“It’s all a blissful, boring illusion of suburbia and civility until the first stranger’s footstep on hardwood floor at midnight.”
Home invasion. Coming to the realization that there are people in your house who are going to do harm to you and your family. For no real reason. They don’t want your money. They are there for the thrill, the performance.
This book isn’t about the victims though, this uniquely told how-to-guide is about the planning and the execution. Told from an experienced participant to a newbie.
This is a book that I did not want to highlight or take notes on because it felt like I was writing down tips on how to pull off a successful invasion.
Full of electricity and suspense with an overwhelming sense of wrongness; like you are witnessing something horrifying and are unable to do anything about it. This is not something you want to read alone or at night
“Fear has become the only feeling they know. It’s better than feeling pain.”
Home invasion. Coming to the realization that there are people in your house who are going to do harm to you and your family. For no real reason. They don’t want your money. They are there for the thrill, the performance.
This book isn’t about the victims though, this uniquely told how-to-guide is about the planning and the execution. Told from an experienced participant to a newbie.
This is a book that I did not want to highlight or take notes on because it felt like I was writing down tips on how to pull off a successful invasion.
Full of electricity and suspense with an overwhelming sense of wrongness; like you are witnessing something horrifying and are unable to do anything about it. This is not something you want to read alone or at night
“Fear has become the only feeling they know. It’s better than feeling pain.”
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This just felt like a rip off of the funny games film!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A