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A review by the_bookubus
The Face That Must Die by Poppy Z. Brite, Ramsey Campbell, J.K. Potter
4.0
Horridge is a man rejected from society whose beliefs lead him to stalk someone he thinks is a murderer.
This sits more at the thriller/crime end of horror but I would still class it as horror. The psychological element of the book is fascinating and excellently written. I found Horridge to be a repellant but fascinating character and the focus on his thoughts and inner-workings of his mind was very compelling. The book mostly follows Horridge but we also have sections from the perspectives of a few other characters who become involved in the story. The setting of 1970's Liverpool, and its social and political climate, is a big part of the story too; the era's idea of 'the other' including homosexuality and immigrants fueling Horridge's fear. Campbell's writing is unsettlingly evocative in this bleak and disturbing read.
This sits more at the thriller/crime end of horror but I would still class it as horror. The psychological element of the book is fascinating and excellently written. I found Horridge to be a repellant but fascinating character and the focus on his thoughts and inner-workings of his mind was very compelling. The book mostly follows Horridge but we also have sections from the perspectives of a few other characters who become involved in the story. The setting of 1970's Liverpool, and its social and political climate, is a big part of the story too; the era's idea of 'the other' including homosexuality and immigrants fueling Horridge's fear. Campbell's writing is unsettlingly evocative in this bleak and disturbing read.