Thirty Seven, Peter Stenson, Dzanc Books, 2018, 269 pp
Another debut novel from an indie press, sent to me as the February, 2019 Nervous Breakdown Book Club selection. It is a horror novel with an unique twist. Actually I don't know for sure if it is a unique twist because I have read very little in the horror genre. I listened to the interview with Peter Stenson on the Otherppl podcast and decided to try the book, with trepidation.
Mason Hues, adopted and abused by his adoptive father, ran away from that home and ended up in a cult called The Survivors. In the telling of his story he is an unreliable narrator due to being in denial about a terrible thing he did when he was 15.
While there is plenty of blood with horrible scenes, the book is also about how cults operate and how their leaders are messed up individuals trying to work out their own issues through the cult they created and through the power that gives them over others.
Though it is extremely well written, plot-wise and character-wise with near perfect language and tone, I don't recommend it for anyone but those who like horror or have a strong drive to understand the phenomenon of cults.
This may turn out to be my gateway to the genre. Perhaps I have grown up enough to be a bit more free of the fairy tales I was raised on about life and love and progress and achievement. Evil is alive and well in the world and it takes a lot of courage to confront that, to live a decent life in the face of it, to be able to find the balance between good and evil. Or to deal with the truth that the concept of good vs evil is just another crappy duality humans have devised to make sense of how random life can be.
I like books that have unreliable narrators; makes things more interesting for me. I hadn't heard of this one.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing about indie presses. They just don't have the promotion budget that the big houses have. You might want to check it out.
DeleteI also have not read a lot of horror. What I have read I have really liked. I can imagine that something like this might be a bit disturbing. The twist that you mention has made me curious about this book.
ReplyDeleteWhat have you read in the genre that you liked?
DeleteI'll stay away from this one, I've had my own dealings with cults and stay away from anything to do with them... even books. Plus, horror isn't a good fit for my life right now. I just want more 'happy' reads. I get enough dark stuff in my real life. Though I'm glad you liked it! Though you're right on! Evil is alive and well in this world.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand, Carrie.
DeleteI'm not at all attracted to the horror genre as such. I accept horror as a part of the plots of some of the books that I read but not horror for its own sake. The psychology of mind control in cults is certainly an interesting topic. I found it particularly fascinating as I read Tara Westover's Educated earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteWell, what do you know. I will be reading Educated in the next few weeks for a reading group. I agree that horror for its own sake is something I can't wrap my head around.
DeleteIs there a reason for the number 37? I guess like you I'm not a big horror reader -- I'm pretty chicken -- but you never know.
ReplyDeleteGood question. Mason is the 37th person to join the cult, so he is called 37.
DeleteI used to read horror when I was a teenager but it quickly lost its appeal.....
ReplyDeleteHa! Perhaps I have some leftover development issues-:)
DeleteHorror is not my thing, but I guess the cult angle is interesting enough to try this book.
ReplyDeleteDo approach with caution!
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