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A review by softrubbish
The Auctioneer by Joan Samson
4.0
When we read horror pre-1980s it's important to remember the context that the idea of a horror novel was not the same as we view it today. Often at this point in time horror was considered more of a side element, a tool within to story to influence the emotions of the reader. There is no horror section at the bookstore, there are no top 10 lists of the best horror books of the year. When reading Poe or Jackson, even though by todays standards these works can be considered pure horror fiction, the reality was that the story was a narrative being used to make the reader feel uncomfortable or anxious or afraid in order to be more absorbed in the characters and atmosphere of the story. To say there was no such thing as horror fiction before its boom in the 1980s is wrong, to say that people actively sought out horror fiction before the 1980s is also, most of the time, wrong.
The Auctioneer, simply put, is one of the most effective horror-realism novels I have read. In horror realism we intend to create fear out of a situation that is plausible and perhaps probable. Most often these days we use a severe crime (The Girl Next Door - J Ketchum), a serial killer (Exquisite Corpse - P Brite), a disaster (The Stand - S King) or a physical/mental illness (We Need to Talk About Kevin - L Shriver). The problem that arises in creating fear in horror realism comes down the the reader- in whether they have experiences in the situation that makes them question whether the characters actions are 'correct' or 'realistic' which inevitably allows them to distance themselves from the plot, and therefore the fear. For example: if you are a serial killer buff who consumes A LOT of content on serial killers, exquisite corpse wont scare you, it'll probably just disgust you in the same way most serial killer stories do. You have been distanced from the content, and for horror to take root the soil must be fresh and ready for planting. For horror realism to work, you must acknowledge the readers intelligence and stop them from salting the earth.
So, in comes the Auctioneer. Simply put, the logical approach of it's characters, the situations slow spiral and the sudden movement from "this is a bad situation" to "I don't know what I'd do, I don't know what they will do, they are royally fucked" is a fantastic jump that few horror realism novels can achieve. That sense of dread that invades the gut is something few horror novels can achieve with all its tools at its disposal, let alone within the confines of horror realism. Samson has done something truly unique here and it is why this book is still being read 40 years later. Conjuring the atmosphere of helplessness that the books leaks on every page is no small feat.
This book isn't without its flaws though. There are small jumps of logic here and there, some janky dialogue in parts (but must be said is incredibly real in others), the ending feels a little rushed and probably most grievous of all is its portrayal of women, which considering the date the book was written is easy to forgive if it weren't for the fact that Samson was a strong next gen woman herself. These flaws however are common in nearly every debut fiction novel. These are flaws that take years of honing and practice to remove. I think I have said something to this effect on nearly every early works novel I have read. If this is a first novel, I cannot wait to see what Samons future work will bring. I have never felt this anticipatory of the authors next work since I read Greener Pastures (M Wehunt) or North American Lake Monsters (N Ballingrud). What makes this novel so good isn't actually the novel itself, but the potential of its author and the excitement of when they reach their finest, fullest form. I cannot wait for Samsons next novel, and I will be following her work extremely closely.
I wish what I wrote could be true.
The Auctioneer is Joan Samsons only work of fiction before her untimely death, and to be frank, may be one of the biggest tragedies in the horror fiction world. As horror teaches us, the question of What if? is a dangerous road, but what if this was Samsons debut instead of her finale? What if we looked at this novel as demonstrating Samsons potential, instead of her sole lifes work?
Much in the same way when you read Carrie (S King) or The Road Through the Wall (S Jackson) there is an air of potential in between the lines of the page. The book is good, but the question burns "If they did this well with this type of plot, I can't wait to see what they will do next". I wonder what Samons work would've looked like if she embraced the horror genre? If she had written short fiction collections and a magnum opus 1000 pager? What would she have to share in interviews? What advice could she give us?
The Auctioneer may be one of the best works of horror from the year it was published, and in 1975 we were actually seeing horror novels become a genre of its own. But the scariest thing about The Auctioneer is not written on the page. It's written on the epitaph.
"Here Lies Joan Samson; who went to the darkness before she could give it to us"
The Auctioneer, simply put, is one of the most effective horror-realism novels I have read. In horror realism we intend to create fear out of a situation that is plausible and perhaps probable. Most often these days we use a severe crime (The Girl Next Door - J Ketchum), a serial killer (Exquisite Corpse - P Brite), a disaster (The Stand - S King) or a physical/mental illness (We Need to Talk About Kevin - L Shriver). The problem that arises in creating fear in horror realism comes down the the reader- in whether they have experiences in the situation that makes them question whether the characters actions are 'correct' or 'realistic' which inevitably allows them to distance themselves from the plot, and therefore the fear. For example: if you are a serial killer buff who consumes A LOT of content on serial killers, exquisite corpse wont scare you, it'll probably just disgust you in the same way most serial killer stories do. You have been distanced from the content, and for horror to take root the soil must be fresh and ready for planting. For horror realism to work, you must acknowledge the readers intelligence and stop them from salting the earth.
So, in comes the Auctioneer. Simply put, the logical approach of it's characters, the situations slow spiral and the sudden movement from "this is a bad situation" to "I don't know what I'd do, I don't know what they will do, they are royally fucked" is a fantastic jump that few horror realism novels can achieve. That sense of dread that invades the gut is something few horror novels can achieve with all its tools at its disposal, let alone within the confines of horror realism. Samson has done something truly unique here and it is why this book is still being read 40 years later. Conjuring the atmosphere of helplessness that the books leaks on every page is no small feat.
This book isn't without its flaws though. There are small jumps of logic here and there, some janky dialogue in parts (but must be said is incredibly real in others), the ending feels a little rushed and probably most grievous of all is its portrayal of women, which considering the date the book was written is easy to forgive if it weren't for the fact that Samson was a strong next gen woman herself. These flaws however are common in nearly every debut fiction novel. These are flaws that take years of honing and practice to remove. I think I have said something to this effect on nearly every early works novel I have read. If this is a first novel, I cannot wait to see what Samons future work will bring. I have never felt this anticipatory of the authors next work since I read Greener Pastures (M Wehunt) or North American Lake Monsters (N Ballingrud). What makes this novel so good isn't actually the novel itself, but the potential of its author and the excitement of when they reach their finest, fullest form. I cannot wait for Samsons next novel, and I will be following her work extremely closely.
I wish what I wrote could be true.
The Auctioneer is Joan Samsons only work of fiction before her untimely death, and to be frank, may be one of the biggest tragedies in the horror fiction world. As horror teaches us, the question of What if? is a dangerous road, but what if this was Samsons debut instead of her finale? What if we looked at this novel as demonstrating Samsons potential, instead of her sole lifes work?
Much in the same way when you read Carrie (S King) or The Road Through the Wall (S Jackson) there is an air of potential in between the lines of the page. The book is good, but the question burns "If they did this well with this type of plot, I can't wait to see what they will do next". I wonder what Samons work would've looked like if she embraced the horror genre? If she had written short fiction collections and a magnum opus 1000 pager? What would she have to share in interviews? What advice could she give us?
The Auctioneer may be one of the best works of horror from the year it was published, and in 1975 we were actually seeing horror novels become a genre of its own. But the scariest thing about The Auctioneer is not written on the page. It's written on the epitaph.
"Here Lies Joan Samson; who went to the darkness before she could give it to us"