Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available to purchase on October first.
As soon as I started this book, I was presented with a problem: Do I read it as quickly as possible to see what happens next? Or do I drag it out as long as I can, enjoying Stephen Chobsky’s fantastic writing? I’m sure you, reader, have been in this position before. Ultimately, the choice was made for me; I couldn’t put this book down.
I’ll start with the characters. They were wonderfully three-dimensional, every one of them. Christopher was such a sweet little boy and I absolutely loved his mom. She was a fighter in every sense of the word. With the many characters this book had, the fact that they were all well developed and had distinct personalities was impressive, to say the least.
In this book, Christopher goes missing for several days. He shows up again, thanks to “the nice man”, whom no-one else has seen. He’s not the same, though. He has a friend that no one else can see. Thanks to this friendship, Christopher learns that he has a very important job that only he can complete. If he doesn’t finish by Christmas, all hell will break loose.
Normally at this point in a horror review, an excellent writer will be called “the next Stephen King”, or some such thing. I can’t do that, though. Chobsky’s writing is so unique that there’s no comparing it to anyone else. His book was very cerebral. To be honest, it got under my skin. He has a knack for knowing exactly what wigs me out. There are layers upon layers in this book, and it kept me fascinated from start to finish.
I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say this: this is a horror book and some people do horrific things. There might be things that would trigger some, so be aware of that as you read. Normally, some of the things touched upon would really bother me, but it was written in a way that I was able to handle.
For those who haven’t recognized the name, Stephen Chbosky is the author of the absolutely incredible The Perks of Being a Wallflower (if you haven’t read it yet, you really need to rectify that problem. I’ll wait). The fact that he is able to write such disparate genres speaks highly of his ability to weave a tale. He also somehow managed to make me tear up at parts, then scare the living daylights out of me a chapter later. He is a master in his craft.
Read this book.
Okay, I need some help with this one. After reading your review, it feels that I MUST read this book. It sounds fascinating and scary at the same time. However, I am terrified of horror. I know that Chboskey is his own man, but Stephen King is the only horror I have ever read, so I will use the comparison and hope you can decipher my question.
Is this book Pet Cemetery or Salem’s Lot scary, or is it more on the level with The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, or Hearts in Atlantis? The last three are a walk in the park for me, but I absolutely cannot do Pet Cemetery or Salem’s Lot. Those scare the crap out of me.
I haven’t read too many King books, but I’d put it about halfway between Pet Cemetery and Needful Things on the scare-factor. There blood and guts, but what really scares me in a horror is if it’s smart. This scared me.
At different points I thought of Stranger Things, Castle Rock, and Donnie Darko.
That makes perfect sense. The smart horror is even worse because it digs into your soul and sticks with you forever. I think I might pass on this one since I have enough nightmares as it is. It does sound fantastic though and Your review is great!!
I saw this one on netgalley but I’m not sure why I didn’t pick it up. I think it probably has a lot to do with me requesting a lot of books already 😂. I’ll have to go back on there and pick this one up.
oh I really liked perks, so definitely willing to check this out, even if it does have some horrific things (kinda expect that from a horror book to be fair 😉 )
I’m looking forward to reading this. I thought from reading the title and not knowing anything about the book that it might be something like A Danger to Herself and Others.
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub 
I am so looking forward to this book! Great review!
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Thanks!
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Okay, I need some help with this one. After reading your review, it feels that I MUST read this book. It sounds fascinating and scary at the same time. However, I am terrified of horror. I know that Chboskey is his own man, but Stephen King is the only horror I have ever read, so I will use the comparison and hope you can decipher my question.
Is this book Pet Cemetery or Salem’s Lot scary, or is it more on the level with The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, or Hearts in Atlantis? The last three are a walk in the park for me, but I absolutely cannot do Pet Cemetery or Salem’s Lot. Those scare the crap out of me.
Please tell me I can handle it!!
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I haven’t read too many King books, but I’d put it about halfway between Pet Cemetery and Needful Things on the scare-factor. There blood and guts, but what really scares me in a horror is if it’s smart. This scared me.
At different points I thought of Stranger Things, Castle Rock, and Donnie Darko.
I’m not sure I’m making sense. Ha ha!
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That makes perfect sense. The smart horror is even worse because it digs into your soul and sticks with you forever. I think I might pass on this one since I have enough nightmares as it is. It does sound fantastic though and Your review is great!!
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Thank you!
It’s definitely going to stay with me. Parts of it really got under my skin.
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Reblogged this on Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub.
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I saw this one on netgalley but I’m not sure why I didn’t pick it up. I think it probably has a lot to do with me requesting a lot of books already 😂. I’ll have to go back on there and pick this one up.
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Enjoy!
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oh I really liked perks, so definitely willing to check this out, even if it does have some horrific things (kinda expect that from a horror book to be fair 😉 )
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Ha ha ha! It’s fantastic! Deliciously creepy.
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I’m looking forward to reading this. I thought from reading the title and not knowing anything about the book that it might be something like A Danger to Herself and Others.
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I haven’t read that one so I can’t compare. I’ll look it up. The name is intriguing.
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