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A review by jasreads__
Gone to See the River Man by Kristopher Triana
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
TW: Incest, Sexual Abuse, Racist slurs (based off typical county folk) - Obviously detailed gore and murder.
Summary:
Lori has no freedom in her life. She hasn't for years because she's taking care of her disabled sister Abby. The only true stability and freedom from her waking life is writing to a sadistic serial killer in prison; Edmund Cox. She's gone to the extent of creating this relationship with him, visiting him, sending him letters and even now going as far as accepting a task from him.
Lori is sent to Edmund's cabin in the woods of Killen where she must obtain a key from a chest and deliver it to The River Man. With no other choice she must bring her sister with her on this treacherous journey of proving her love for this murderer.
Thoughts:
What the fuck. This book kind of shook me. I used to never read horror books as much as I have been lately but I've been so intrigued by them and picked this one up from BookTok... I was honestly so disgusted at moments but like what the fuck. I had to keep reading it.
⤍ What I liked:
The gore was vivid enough but not too extreme. The story was captivating and although fucked up it kept you embraced in it. First book that actually churned something in me.
⤍ What I disliked:
I personally didn't like the jumping of current time to the past. I felt really confused about why their lives were the way they were at the beginning and just wanted to get that part out of the way. It made sense why it wasn't up front but for me I was meh about it. Thus the 4.5 rating.
Summary:
Lori has no freedom in her life. She hasn't for years because she's taking care of her disabled sister Abby. The only true stability and freedom from her waking life is writing to a sadistic serial killer in prison; Edmund Cox. She's gone to the extent of creating this relationship with him, visiting him, sending him letters and even now going as far as accepting a task from him.
Lori is sent to Edmund's cabin in the woods of Killen where she must obtain a key from a chest and deliver it to The River Man. With no other choice she must bring her sister with her on this treacherous journey of proving her love for this murderer.
Thoughts:
What the fuck. This book kind of shook me. I used to never read horror books as much as I have been lately but I've been so intrigued by them and picked this one up from BookTok... I was honestly so disgusted at moments but like what the fuck. I had to keep reading it.
⤍ What I liked:
The gore was vivid enough but not too extreme. The story was captivating and although fucked up it kept you embraced in it. First book that actually churned something in me.
⤍ What I disliked:
I personally didn't like the jumping of current time to the past. I felt really confused about why their lives were the way they were at the beginning and just wanted to get that part out of the way. It made sense why it wasn't up front but for me I was meh about it. Thus the 4.5 rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Incest, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Eating disorder and Racial slurs