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A review by wordsmithreads
Experimental Film by Gemma Files
3.0
I wanted so badly to like this book. Stephen Graham Jones said on a podcast this was his "perfect horror story" so I was intrigued by that. Big words from a fellow scary storyteller. I don't scare easy, so I wanted something to knock my socks off.
This does not. It does not even come close. In fact, I wouldn't even call it a scary story at all.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the book. It's a fine story. It's a nice lesson about what it means to be a parent, what careers look like, the joy of doing work we love. It has threads of mythology, and religion. It features both a special needs character and alludes to the narrator being on the spectrum as well. These are all elements I enjoyed, enough that I stuck with the audiobook for 12 hours.
I think, ultimately, it's just too much talk up for not enough action. It was already talked up by Jones, so I went in expecting a lot from the get go, but Files also repeatedly makes it sound as if something completely catastrophic will happen. And I guess, truthfully, it does, but it's such a blip on the screen in the story that it doesn't even feel significant. And there are no true repercussions.
Other things that I disliked:
- the crutch words of Files. These included: humped, shoehorned, smear, numinous. Her worst offense? "A beat."
- not Files' fault, but the narration of the audiobook was awful. The woman did not change her voice for a single character, male or female, young or old, talking or yelling, thinking or talking, talking or action. Exception: the Black doctor (potentially racist there)
All in all, enough to read and recommend to a friend who I know likes these type of winding stories, but just not my jam. Too, I guess you could say, experimental.
This does not. It does not even come close. In fact, I wouldn't even call it a scary story at all.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the book. It's a fine story. It's a nice lesson about what it means to be a parent, what careers look like, the joy of doing work we love. It has threads of mythology, and religion. It features both a special needs character and alludes to the narrator being on the spectrum as well. These are all elements I enjoyed, enough that I stuck with the audiobook for 12 hours.
I think, ultimately, it's just too much talk up for not enough action. It was already talked up by Jones, so I went in expecting a lot from the get go, but Files also repeatedly makes it sound as if something completely catastrophic will happen. And I guess, truthfully, it does, but it's such a blip on the screen in the story that it doesn't even feel significant. And there are no true repercussions.
Other things that I disliked:
- the crutch words of Files. These included: humped, shoehorned, smear, numinous. Her worst offense? "A beat."
- not Files' fault, but the narration of the audiobook was awful. The woman did not change her voice for a single character, male or female, young or old, talking or yelling, thinking or talking, talking or action. Exception: the Black doctor (potentially racist there)
All in all, enough to read and recommend to a friend who I know likes these type of winding stories, but just not my jam. Too, I guess you could say, experimental.