"I convinced myself that one day things would somehow fall into place and I'd awaken a new person, a phoenix rising from the ashes of a loser."

Wayne Cabel is an involuntary celibate— an incel, and author Matt Duchossoy brings us right into his skewed and sickening world. I'm absolutely floored at just how well Incel was written. Anybody would be hesitant to pick up a book with such a "dirty" word gracing its cover. It’s a single word that covers an entire group of people— people who engage in awful and disturbing things. But here, we're taken deep into the psyche of those who are alone, desperate, and spiteful that intimacy hasn’t found them, and that women do not find them appealing. Duchossoy's depiction is accurate— reminding me of the true crime cases surrounding Elliot Rodger, Alex Minassian, Armando Hernandez, and Jake Davison (amongst others). All of these self-identified incels carrying out gut-wrenching crimes in the name of retribution.

While Wayne is torn between the world of being an incel and (kind of??) starting a relationship with a girl— his twin best friends, Drake and Lorna are out to attack women. Set on their rage of the incel-proclaimed "foids" (a derogatory term for women), they begin vlogging their negative experiences to the incel community and the like, eventually going viral and earning money from their ill-willed deeds. From there, the vlogging and broadcasting begin to spiral out of control. The three set out to create even larger ventures. From disturbing "pranks", to creating their own snuff films, and ultimately partaking in this novella's shocking and sickening end, the three friends find themselves in a dark, dark state of mind.

While reading Incel, you will be disturbed. You’ll be disgusted. And you will find yourself appalled at the story. It’s appalling to know that a collective group of men (and a few women) with herd mentality set out to do such wicked things to others over sex. The entitlement of Wayne, Drake, and Lorna makes you angry. And the fact that the three don't think they're doing much wrong is what's worse.

The idea that these individuals walk amongst us in real life is truly the real horror here.

I think this novella deserves a read— it's insightful and terrifying. I always love a well-written splatterpunk/extreme horror, and while this was my first time reading a Matt Duchossoy book, it absolutely will not be my last. Go ahead and dive into the world of what it means to be an incel, and the repercussions that it ultimately causes the rest of us.