WOW is about all I can say as I dip my fingers in Holy Water and cross myself.
This is a short story, maybe a novelette (I listened to the audio version, which is right at 1 hour), but manages to pack in some of the most disturbing imagery I’ve come across since reading Jack Ketchum’s OFF-SEASON. The story begins with a baby in its mother’s womb being aborted. Not only is this hyper-sensitive territory, but the author ups the ante by writing the scene from the baby’s point of view. It’s peeled apart and torn to shreds as it wonders what is happening to it and why its mother is throwing it away and doesn’t want to love it. Then the baby’s remains are tossed into a dumpster with some leftover spaghetti.
And that’s just the beginning!
The baby isn’t dead, however. It’s never explained why this baby is unkillable but reading as he or she (it’s never given a gender) crawls and slops its way across town in search of its mother and looking for other suitable “hosts” is nothing short of horrific.
There’s not much room for character development here, being so short, but there’s enough to make it passable. In fact, I have very few critiques to offer here, and the main reason I gave it four stars instead of five is simply because of the subject matter. The abortion scene is fittingly horrifying, and the casual, calloused way the baby is thrown away honestly made my guts twist up. I don’t know (and don’t care) what the author’s views on abortion are, but he certainly didn’t present it as anything less than monstrous. I appreciate this approach in the current culture, not trying to gloss over what’s happening to the baby in the womb, but at the same time it is a subject that really affects me personally (a private thing), and because of the unpleasantness of it, I knocked off a star. That may not be entirely fair, I’ll admit, but I’m trying to be as honest about this book as I can.
That said, the writing is very strong here, and if I may make a note about the audiobook itself, it’s nothing short of brilliant in terms of production. There’s subtle music throughout, adding to the story much the way a movie’s score does, and certain sounds like ringing phones or people screaming or–most chilling–the baby saying MOOOOOTTTTHHHHEEEERRRR are all done with sound effects to great effect. I wish more audiobooks took this approach as it really immerses you in the atmosphere of the tale.
Strong writing, merciless and horrifying, with a refreshing presentation on a touchy cultural subject. Any fan of extreme horror will likely enjoy the hell out of this little tale, and I’d recommend it to most readers with a bit of a trigger warning attached due to the subject matter. Well done extreme horror! Find it in print, digital, and audio here.
Chris Miller 