Scan barcode
A review by stephanie_k
Gone to See the River Man by Kristopher Triana
5.0
Trigger warnings at the end.
After still thinking about it days afterward I'm bumping up to a 5.
OK so probably (definitely) only recommended for fans of extreme horror. This dealt with some pretty dark stuff. Characters doing terrible things BUT with enough psychological validity that I found it interesting and tense rather than exploitative or schlock-y. All of the dark bits are just part of a very dark (but pretty good) story being told.
I guess this is as good a time as any to give an aside that I swear will be semi-relevant.
I love the macabre, but I personally am NOT a fan of the 'mind of a serial killer' stuff. I don't care to glorify it or use it as entertainment, and despite being interested in abnormal psychology I just don't find 'Antisocial Personality Disorder manifesting into acts of ruthless violence' to be as compelling as popular media seems to insist it is. I don't judge others for finding it interesting (again, my own morbid curiosity runs strong in other ways), it's just not my cup of tea.
But here we have a different kind of psychological profiling: that of one of those types of women you hear about that initiates and maintains romantic correspondences with convicted serial killers. Now there is something I am undeniably curious about. What kind of psychology goes into THAT?
The answer Triana gives us is in his fictional portrayal of such a character is uncomfortable, but well done. Even though this is first and foremost a horror/suspense novel with supernatural elements at play, I do feel like the serious subject material was given the dimension and life-like validity it deserves in order for it to work. A less deft hand could have made a mess here.
As far as the story goes, I was pretty hooked and blew through this quickly. Many other reviews say the same thing, but the build up of dread is done really well. There were little interactions between the characters that made me NEED to find out what was going to happen. The imagery can get pretty slimy but it was interspersed enough that I didn't have to pull away and take frequent breaks (I'm looking at you, 'The Troop').
All that said, I'll probably choose something light to read next lol
TRIGGER WARNING / SPOILER:
incest, sexual abuse
After still thinking about it days afterward I'm bumping up to a 5.
OK so probably (definitely) only recommended for fans of extreme horror. This dealt with some pretty dark stuff. Characters doing terrible things BUT with enough psychological validity that I found it interesting and tense rather than exploitative or schlock-y. All of the dark bits are just part of a very dark (but pretty good) story being told.
I guess this is as good a time as any to give an aside that I swear will be semi-relevant.
I love the macabre, but I personally am NOT a fan of the 'mind of a serial killer' stuff. I don't care to glorify it or use it as entertainment, and despite being interested in abnormal psychology I just don't find 'Antisocial Personality Disorder manifesting into acts of ruthless violence' to be as compelling as popular media seems to insist it is. I don't judge others for finding it interesting (again, my own morbid curiosity runs strong in other ways), it's just not my cup of tea.
But here we have a different kind of psychological profiling: that of one of those types of women you hear about that initiates and maintains romantic correspondences with convicted serial killers. Now there is something I am undeniably curious about. What kind of psychology goes into THAT?
The answer Triana gives us is in his fictional portrayal of such a character is uncomfortable, but well done. Even though this is first and foremost a horror/suspense novel with supernatural elements at play, I do feel like the serious subject material was given the dimension and life-like validity it deserves in order for it to work. A less deft hand could have made a mess here.
As far as the story goes, I was pretty hooked and blew through this quickly. Many other reviews say the same thing, but the build up of dread is done really well. There were little interactions between the characters that made me NEED to find out what was going to happen. The imagery can get pretty slimy but it was interspersed enough that I didn't have to pull away and take frequent breaks (I'm looking at you, 'The Troop').
All that said, I'll probably choose something light to read next lol
TRIGGER WARNING / SPOILER:
incest, sexual abuse