Review by anjnryn - This Is Where We Talk Things Out

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anjnryn 's review for:

This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Wow, I was incredibly impressed with Caitlin Marceau’s debut novella! The text was well-written, visceral, and easy to digest. Despite being only ~80 pages, it did not dwell or linger and every single page was something that left me in awe, disgusted, frustrated, or in shock.

The premise is simple: A mother seemingly wants to make amends with her estranged daughter during a weekend away. For those of us with narcissistic mothers who know no boundaries, this might be a tough or at least frustrating read.

Where Marceau’s work shines is the way the horrors of family trauma and behavior are weaved with the atmospheric horror of what the daughter is going through. We are placed in a very isolated environment and truly don’t know what is going to happen—all we know is something is off.

For example, halfway through this book, I was convinced Sylvie was going to kill Miller before the end of the weekend and just wanted to relive some family memories before the fact.

I highly recommend this book for any horror reader who has experienced narcissistic parenting as it’s incredibly validating and you’re really able to relate to Miller’s POV. It’s unfortunate this was such a short read because it reels you in and keeps you wanting right until the end

and the end is a bit of a cliffhanger

Content Warnings