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A review by marcushawke
The Fear by Spencer Hamilton
5.0
I got this book not really knowing what to expect; just that it was a horror story set within the backdrop of a pandemic. I don’t even think I knew for certain that it was THE pandemic at the time. Considering when it had to have been written, this was either very convenient timing or a feat of unprecedentedly prescient forecasting. It deals with a number of uneasy but very real topics from racism, homophobia, trauma, degraded socio-political climates, asshole landlords (we’ve all been there, right?) and in many ways those are the real evils here. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: for true horror one need only look to reality
What I liked about this story the most was easily the relationship between the two main characters, Jaqueline and Ashley. It was real, sweet, loving, and tangible…until of course it wasn’t. Eventually things go completely to Hell, things turn bitter, raw, and disgusting in a few cases, and that’s really when I invested in this story. They were both explored thoroughly inside and out, quite literally in some cases. I revelled in the filth, hunger, and mania. I tune in for the picturesque couple hoping to make a new life for themselves because secretly I want to see it all come crashing down around them. I was certainly not disappointed.
It went places I really wasn’t expecting and I’m still puzzling over the ending a little bit, but in a good way. The best way, really. That’s the stuff that stays with you and THE FEAR definitely did that.
What I liked about this story the most was easily the relationship between the two main characters, Jaqueline and Ashley. It was real, sweet, loving, and tangible…until of course it wasn’t. Eventually things go completely to Hell, things turn bitter, raw, and disgusting in a few cases, and that’s really when I invested in this story. They were both explored thoroughly inside and out, quite literally in some cases. I revelled in the filth, hunger, and mania. I tune in for the picturesque couple hoping to make a new life for themselves because secretly I want to see it all come crashing down around them. I was certainly not disappointed.
It went places I really wasn’t expecting and I’m still puzzling over the ending a little bit, but in a good way. The best way, really. That’s the stuff that stays with you and THE FEAR definitely did that.