Book Review Genre: Horror
Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring new worlds, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of my free-flowing thoughts about a book.
The Analysis:
Expect a read that’s very lyrical in its prose. It will draw you in and keep you flipping the page. Fair warning, I’d classify this as a short story. But, let’s book review it. First, follow me on Goodreads.
Here’s The Blurb:
In the wake of his infant daughter’s tragic death, Steve Brannigan is struggling to keep himself together. Estranged from his wife, who refuses to be inside the house where the unthinkable happened, and unable to work, he seeks solace in an endless parade of old sitcoms and a bottle of bourbon.
Until one night he hears a sound from his daughter’s old room, a room now stripped bare of anything that identified it as hers…except for her security blanket, affectionately known as Blanky.
Blanky, old and frayed, with its antiquated patchwork of badly sewn rabbits with black button eyes, who appear to be staring at the viewer…
Blanky, purchased from a strange old man at an antique stall selling “BABY CLOSE” at a discount.
The presence of Blanky in his dead daughter’s room heralds nothing short of an unspeakable nightmare that threatens to take away what little light remains in Steve’s shattered world.
Because his daughter loved Blanky so much, he buried her with it.
Cover Critique:
I like this cover. It’s simplistic, yet gets the point across that all is not what it seems with the smoky outline of the old school carriage. Such a weird juxtaposition to the imagery of the baby carriage creates an air of mystery.
Now The Story:
Book Info:
Pages: 81
Author: Kealan Patrick Burke
Available: Google Play
This book gave me what I’ve always requested in a contemporary romance. A story of two parents finding their way back to each other after the loss of a child. Versus the soul-crushing certainty of blaming each other and heading for divorce whilst in a fog of depression. This book showed how it was possible to hang on to love in a few short pages.
The first true horror we get is in a dream sequence. On its face, I thought that was a disappointing start (despite it being enthralling), but the author disproved all of that when that dream had very real implications. The person in his dream was killing his wife. I instantly felt bad for the hero. The setup, in the beginning, did a great job of showing why this death was so impactful.
My favorite moment of the book goes to the scene with the cop investigating the scene of his wifes death. He looked at her and thought he was going to hang her on some stereotypes and she slapped him with the truth while remaining professional. This was one instance where I gladly took the cop’s side. And the first hint to the reader that our hero’s personality is a bit abrasive.
He attends his wife’s funeral, eventually. There he contends with the in-laws that seem absolutely lovely. Just as grief-stricken as he is at their loss. But there was nothing to suggest to the reader they wouldn’t be, outside of his panicked musings. He was overly concerned that they would blame him for a death that he wasn’t even present for without giving them the benefit of the doubt. Steadily, his thoughts became more nonsensical and it wasn’t all because of the supernatural happenings.
My last straw reared its head when he decided to be petty at a funeral. His father-in-law often slighted him over football. He chooses the moment the parents are both giving their condolences in a bucket of grief to remember the man’s football comments. I’m not opposed to speaking the truth at a funeral, but it wont be because somebody doesn’t like my shoes. And the main character really wanted a high five on that one. No, I don’t remember sir. But clearly, that’s one slight that meant more to you than it should. I took a point off for not finding the character sympathetic despite the tragedies in his life. Then he starts talking about Heaven and I just nod my head. My dislike makes sense. Unfortunately, most Christians will not want to pick this one up. I’ve got a strong constitution, so I plowed on.
I also need to talk about how the blanky fits into all of this. From the very beginning, it’s there when the man’s baby dies. It was buried with her. It resurfaces to play hide ‘n seek and then it ends up killing his wife. But of course, there’s more. The hem was filled with baby teeth and it’s come back to visit with the husband. It also has healing powers or mending powers. The blanket tries to take him out during a car crash as he seeks info from the seller.
A seller he ends up killing. For me, it was never made clear if the seller knew about the dark history of the blanket or if the hero was just crazy. But it’s assumed he did and just wanted to rid himself of the curse.
The Ending: I wish it was more ambiguous. One of those, choose your own adventure endings. When he mentioned the Goddess of Grief, I had thought initially that he might commit suicide. And it would be much more interesting if the reader had to decide if he was crazy or if the supernatural being was real. However, the book confirms his disappearance is due to supernatural influence. Which is not a letdown, although the disappearance is still a tad fantastical. Then again, killer baby blanket.
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Book Review At A Glance:
Recommendation: 4 out of 5
Book Cover Appeal:
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
Story & Narration:
🍓🍓🍓🍓
Romance:
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
Character/(s) Personality:
🍓🍓🍓
