selene_evenstar 's review for:

The Fisherman by John Langan
4.0
dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
 To put it simply - this book was terrifying! And not in the cheap, jump scare, gory way a horror can be - it is suggestive in its horror, it deals with heavy, relatable, realistic subject matter through the horror prism, it may read simple, but it is very far from it. I would say this is one of the best horrors I have read in my life - I dare not call it favorite, since to me that means something else, but it is an impressive example of what can be done in the genre if one has the chops for it. 
 After I read it, I see The Fisherman has been described as "literary horror" - a sub-genre I was not familiar with till now, but it certainly has spiked my interest based on this book alone. The novel is set in a fairly unconventional (but not unheard of) format - a story within a story. And while the two tales are very different in tone and atmosphere, they seamlessly merge for a terrifying finale. Also, yes, this is a book about fishing to a certain degree, and while I didn't understand many of the details, I learned a little about the hobby, so I assume avid enjoyers of fishing will either love this for its dedication, or never set foot near a river again. 
 We begin the book with Abe - he is middle-aged, lost his younger wife to cancer and picked up fishing as a way to deal with his grief. The first third of the novel offers little horror, but deals instead with the pain of loss: how it lingers, how we find ways to overcome it and keep living - the good, the bad and the ugly of grief. And Abe is so painfully real on the page, there is no melodrama, no over-the-top emotional turmoil. He pours his heart out on the page, his pain feels so authentic and relatable. He is a simple American man - loves his fishing and his burgers and his country music, goes to work at IBM, occasionally meets with friends and just tries to keep on living. This realism makes the novel read almost like a non-fiction, which in return makes it all the more frightening.
As time passes, Abe takes under his wing Dan - another widower, whose grief is as similar, as it is different from Abe's. Dan is younger and has lost his wife and two boys in a freak road accident, while being in the car with them. We see the parallels and differences between Abe and Dan - both lost, both mourning, both losing it in different ways at different points. Abe is easily way more understanding to Dan than anyone else, he does his absolute best to help him, whilst giving him the space needed. And so, together they go fishing and turn from distant colleagues to friends. Headed on the next fishing trip in awful rainy conditions, they stop at a local diner and are told the story of the new fishing spot they are headed to, which Dan strongly insists on visiting, in spite of the horrid weather.

 The second part of the novel reads like much more straightforward cosmic horror - heavily inspired by Lovecraft, Poe, M. R. James whose tales I have read and enjoyed, yet they rarely are able to craft relatable, believable characters as well as Langan has. This is not a critic, as I don't believe this is something they were necessarily aiming for in the first place - they are fathers of the genre for a reason. The cook from the diner tells the ominous tale of the Dutchman's Creek - filled with immigrant folklore and dark magicians and bargains with the devil to capture a otherworldly beast and to return from the dead the ones you love and lost. It is a very stark contrast to the grounded tale we get in the beginning, but it worked for me because it gave the novel the unsettling classic horror vibe, while elevating it when it is put in perspective with the rest of the content. However, some have complained it drags on too much and contains a lot of unnecessary detail, which I suppose can be a valid concern if you are not a big fan of classic cosmic horror. 
 The ending of the novel, when we return back to the present - while expected by me, was nonetheless bone-chilling. Horror from the past, with wizards and zombies and whatnot, can be fun if a little unhinged. Horror grounded in reality, happening around us, lurking in the waters or the shadows is so much more effective and disturbing when written well. Abe and Dan's journey to the Creek and the dark outcome
up to Dan's visit from the otherworld
get under your skin and unnerve as much as horrify. I myself have never gone fishing or been interested, but this book single-handedly has destroyed any inclination in me of ever going. No doubt, I will be steering clear of bodies of water for a long time after reading this. 
 Langan has crafted a modern masterpiece and I would recommend this to fans of horror and general fiction alike! This book has a lot to say and says it in subtle, thoughtful ways, even though the backdrop is often nightmare-inducing. Masterfully written, and well-paced, especially in the present-day passages, to me this is a staple in the new "literary horror" sub-genre. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings