This sounded eerie and unsettling based on the synopsis, but it fell flat for me. It was a quick read, but read more like a melancholic reflection piece without emotional impact—even in moments when it should have been disturbing.

 

Energy: Passive. Wavering. Dry. 

 

The MC’s apathetic and dismissive attitude eventually had me feeling the same way…it killed any potential horror from all the scenes. The whole story felt hollow - maybe something was lost in translation? The narrator’s tone seemed ‘bored’, even when describing strange or scary moments. The balance between mundane and mysterious was off - like there was too much focus on the MC’s dating life, parents’ relationship, doing laundry at the expense of exploring the strange and scary or setting the stage for symbolism. 

 

Interesting story but even weird things lacked any sense of unease. The audio narrator overly enunciated and had a robotic voice style. Story managed to be too predictable and too ambiguous. 

 

It was short. 

 

Scene: 🇮🇸 Set in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

Perspective: Our MC has chronic fatigue and feels generally unwell, but doctors tend to dismiss or medicate in a way that is less than helpful. After finding out they’re sleepwalking and try to put a stop to it. 

Timeline: Current.

🔥 Fuel: Tension and foreboding. Weird things happening. What’s with the overnight steps? What affliction does our main character have and how will they navigate it? What’s with the cats? 

📖 Cred: Surreal, abstract

 

Phone messages. Brine. Iron. Salt. Cold. Streetlights. Rocky beach. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Loss of sibling. Death. Animal cruelty, death (cats; on page). Sexual content (consenting, self; on page). Loss of time/memory. Chronic fatigue, weakness. Infidelity. Insomnia. Disbelief (medical profession). Drugging. Murder. 

 

Rep: Icelandic. Cis. Hetero.

 

📚 Format: Library Audio