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A review by brittneyreadsbooks
Remains by Andrew Cull
5.0
Andrew Cull really is a master of his craft – he just KNOWS horror. And I’m not only talking about the supernatural horror that he does so well, ’m talking about the very real, soul crushing horror that is a mother losing her child.
The supernatural horror elements of Remains were expertly delivered, almost delicate in their execution, with Cull introducing us to Lucy and her very real-world grief yet giving us just a happening here and there (to begin with anyway) to remind us that something is not quite right. As Lucy’s story continues, the events surrounding 1428 Montgomery escalate—whatever it is that is in this house is sneaky, it is not shy, it is terrifying, it is BRUTAL, and the darkness Cull draws the reader into is quite literally suffocating.
All of this, as incredible as it was, took a backseat for me, with Lucy’s heartbreak being the driving force of the novel. So, let’s talk about the writing and how this grief unravelled.
This book was unputdownable. As always, short chapters make for quick reading, but there was so much more to it with Remains. Cull brings the story to life; he brings his characters to life; the writing truly does transcend the page. I felt every ounce of Lucy’s fear, I felt her gut-wrenching sorrow, I was right there with her in her desperate plight and my heart absolutely broke for her.
There are books that I love but I have yet to read anything else that impacts me the way Cull’s writing does. I devoured Remains in one night and was on the verge of tears and covered in goose bumps the entire time; it is hauntingly poetic and an absolute pleasure to read—a terrifying, harrowing pleasure.
The supernatural horror elements of Remains were expertly delivered, almost delicate in their execution, with Cull introducing us to Lucy and her very real-world grief yet giving us just a happening here and there (to begin with anyway) to remind us that something is not quite right. As Lucy’s story continues, the events surrounding 1428 Montgomery escalate—whatever it is that is in this house is sneaky, it is not shy, it is terrifying, it is BRUTAL, and the darkness Cull draws the reader into is quite literally suffocating.
All of this, as incredible as it was, took a backseat for me, with Lucy’s heartbreak being the driving force of the novel. So, let’s talk about the writing and how this grief unravelled.
This book was unputdownable. As always, short chapters make for quick reading, but there was so much more to it with Remains. Cull brings the story to life; he brings his characters to life; the writing truly does transcend the page. I felt every ounce of Lucy’s fear, I felt her gut-wrenching sorrow, I was right there with her in her desperate plight and my heart absolutely broke for her.
There are books that I love but I have yet to read anything else that impacts me the way Cull’s writing does. I devoured Remains in one night and was on the verge of tears and covered in goose bumps the entire time; it is hauntingly poetic and an absolute pleasure to read—a terrifying, harrowing pleasure.