Tag: Psychological

Book Review: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen

Title: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen

Author: Susin Nielsen

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Number of Pages: 256

Rating: A

Recommended?: Yes

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2-in-1 Book Review: This Is Where We Talk Things Out & Magnum Opus by Caitlin Marceau

Title: This Is Where We Talk Things Out

Author: Caitlin Marceau

Genre: Horror Novella

Number of Pages: 114

Rating: B+

Recommended?: Yes

Batshit crazy mother. Isolated locale. Impending snowstorm. What could possibly go wrong?

This Is Where We Talk Things Out is an engaging psychological horror novella about a woman, Miller, drawn back into a toxic relationship with her mentally disturbed mother Sylvie. Miller’s girlfriend Florence warns her against getting sucked back into Sylvie’s drama, but she reluctantly decides to give her one last chance in a long series of last chances. But when Sylvie’s behavior gets more and more out-of-control, Miller finds herself fighting for her life.

The big reveal of this story was… not surprising. I didn’t mind, though. The predictability didn’t get in the way of me enjoying the book. I liked that even though Sylvie’s homophobic attitudes towards her daughter are touched upon there wasn’t a huge focus on that aspect of the story. The mother-daughter relationship felt very realistic and very uncomfortable. It only jumped the shark a bit and allowed the situation to become borderline cartoonish in the last 10 pages or so. Still, a fun read with some genuinely spooky and disturbing moments.

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