A review by bunnieslikediamonds
Stranger Will by Caleb J. Ross

2.0

This dark story about an unwilling soon-to-be-father starts off promisingly. Will, a pessimistic crime-scene cleaner, is trying to convince his very pregnant girlfriend to give their baby up for adoption. The world being evil and Will being mentally unstable, this makes perfect sense for him, though not so much for Julie, the long-suffering girlfriend. I would have happily read a novel about a couple coming to terms with becoming parents. What happens if one parent doesn't want the kid? How does it affect the relationship? There's an interesting novel right there. Unfortunately for me, Ross doesn't explore these issues. Very little backstory is given, and the characters exist in a vacuum with no relatives, friends or co-workers around to react to the escalating madness (well, there's hapless Philip but he doesn't leave an impression). The relationship between Will and Julie is baffling. There are no clues as to how they ended up in this balance of terror. Julie throws the occasional punch, but why she doesn't pack her stuff and run like hell is a mystery.

Ok, so this isn't supposed to be kitchen-sink realism. But it's not a philosophical treatise either. Will is caught up in a sinister plan orchestrated by an evil elementary school principal, and lots of comments about the state of the world and the ethics of procreating are dropped, but there is nowhere for them to land. Instead, there is gore and horror, which could have been great, but the macabre aspects just seem to be there for shock value.

A very odd mix of ingredients, this one.