I actually really liked this story, I say actually because there are aspects of the book that I didn’t care for and could see how it could instantly stop people from wanting to listen to more. There is language used that some will find offensive and even in the context might not care for. The overarching plot was great and it is clear that the author and I have grown up on and continue to enjoy the same types of entertainment. All the little pop culture references the author made really made me smile. I wouldn’t call this a throwback story, but it definitely brings back some of the past.
The story itself was quite different from what I was expecting. I was expecting a haunted house story and got something much better. There are a lot of good paranormal aspects involved and by far my favorite was the black dog. A sort of Mothman-Chupacabra hybrid which is the towns cryptid, and also the signal of future doom for those who bear witness to it. I felt like the author took aspects of a lot of different folklore and created his own unique cryptid which was amazing. That part of the plot made me feel like I was in a ghost story while hunting for Sasquatch, two of the best things ever. Cryptids aside, the paranormal story was done quite well and I didn’t want to stop listening as I needed to know what was going to happen next. The speckled in Dad jokes are a random gem that was not only were perfect for the story, but also included some that were added to my list to tell.
The characters are well created. Graham and Afia are the main focal points and have the most development. I sympathized with them both to the point I actually started caring about them as if they were real people. Both of them have had a troubled past, grew up to be almost polar opposites, yet both have to overcome the problems caused by one deeply disturbed man. Patsy was also quite enjoyable as she seemed to be the the square peg to the other character’s circle. Staff reminded me of Larry the camera-man from Groundhog Day so I just couldn’t take him seriously.
The one thing that I didn’t care for were the not so subtle political jabs. The initial warning about hate speech seemed to me like the but you get after a statement where the person does exactly what they were saying they weren’t doing. I understand the environment that the author was trying to depict and that at one point in time this was realistic, but just because you are a white male who drives a truck doesn’t make you a redneck, toxic-masculine, misogynistic, homophobic bigot. I felt like the narrative of this wasn’t purely meant to tell the story and was more of an outlet for the author to virtue signal. I honestly am fine with that, although just like the horror book I listened to that pushed religion on me, I would have liked to have known that I was getting a sermon in disguise.
I have heard a few books by Sean Druegger and I have to say he is definitely stepping up his game. He really pulled out all the stops for this book and it worked out quite well. I liked his character voices and could hear the energy and excitement he put into each of them. I don’t think that all of their voices were realistic, but he brought everyone one of them to life and made this a really enjoyable listen. I loved hearing him slur his speech talking about the “concussin”. From time to time he brought the levity needed for a book that is taking on a such a contentious topic. I look forward to hearing more of his narration as he continues to hone his craft.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.