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A review by takecoverbooksptbo
Tear by Erica McKeen
4.0
A meditation on family trauma, sexual abuse, mental health, and the doldrums of living in Southwestern Ontario, all wrapped in a psycho-horror package. While the book loses its focus near the end, the overall effect is one of lingering discomfort.
Fave Moments:
- Part 1's flashback structure was an emotional gut-punch
- Whenever anyone goes into the basement, the tension and atmosphere is so oppressive. Stephen King could take some notes on building terrifying settings from McKeen.
- The characters in this book feel very lived-in, especially for a horror novel
- The horror set pieces, when they get going, are much more gruesome than I thought they'd be. However, I'm on the fence about how effective they are overall. I would much rather have hit on some emotional truth than the grand guignol violence that permeates the third act.
Fave Moments:
- Part 1's flashback structure was an emotional gut-punch
- Whenever anyone goes into the basement, the tension and atmosphere is so oppressive. Stephen King could take some notes on building terrifying settings from McKeen.
- The characters in this book feel very lived-in, especially for a horror novel
- The horror set pieces, when they get going, are much more gruesome than I thought they'd be. However, I'm on the fence about how effective they are overall. I would much rather have hit on some emotional truth than the grand guignol violence that permeates the third act.