david_agranoff's review against another edition
4.0
Hardly a "novel" but I suppose novella doesn't sound as good for title. Full review coming. Very well written sparse experimental horror novel. Quick fun read.
penny_duhamel's review against another edition
3.0
Bit of a short, sharp, shock, but it was short and that's what I needed right now.
ericgaryanderson's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent. A series of relentless, short, imagist chapters, some only a paragraph long, that accumulate with gleeful relish. Scrape, Texas: don't go there.
vangluss's review against another edition
4.0
Within this minimalistic novella, there are volumes of symbolism and metaphors.
sleepydoe's review against another edition
3.0
this would make a fun tv show!
the characters were fun, the plot was okay. i liked the vignette-y narration a lot!
alas, watching the entirety of supernatural has desentisized me to this kind of horror. i wasn't disturbed or scared. instead i was just like 'eh okay' ykwim?
so. like. not disappointed, but not exactly blown away either. fine enough read to pass the time
the characters were fun, the plot was okay. i liked the vignette-y narration a lot!
alas, watching the entirety of supernatural has desentisized me to this kind of horror. i wasn't disturbed or scared. instead i was just like 'eh okay' ykwim?
so. like. not disappointed, but not exactly blown away either. fine enough read to pass the time
mfred's review against another edition
4.0
This novella is short and horrific. Bad, terrible, violent things happen to a tiny little town near the Mexican border. Is it scary? Not really. There isn’t a lot of tension, a lot of build up. The Big Bad just waltzes into town and the townspeople react.
What is great about the book is Carr’s prose is sparse and yet also elegant. He neatly paints pictures of his characters in as few words or scenes as possible-- and yet they are fleshed out, motivated, understandable. It’s a bizarre novella filled with violence, mayhem and unhappiness, but very little judgement or moralizing. I ended up totally enjoying it
What is great about the book is Carr’s prose is sparse and yet also elegant. He neatly paints pictures of his characters in as few words or scenes as possible-- and yet they are fleshed out, motivated, understandable. It’s a bizarre novella filled with violence, mayhem and unhappiness, but very little judgement or moralizing. I ended up totally enjoying it
horrorfemme15's review against another edition
2.0
It's hardly a book; it's hardly a short story. A couple of seemingly unrelated events destroy a town and kill their residents. There's little to know buildup and while I did certainly feel anticipation to see what happened next, the pay off was not satisfying. That being said, it's so short, give it a shot. You may totally disagree with me.
thaatswhatsheread's review
3.0
This was a weird story about a group of people in Scrape, Texas watching the world come to an end. I enjoyed seeing Mexican folktale La Llorona feature as a villain in a horror novel. The chapters were very short and often didn't even fill up the page. The author was great at immersing the reader with imagery, but I wanted a little more out of the story.
weirdtea's review
4.0
Strikes like lightning. Quick, often beautiful, often ugly-- all in intriguing ways. Loved the churn of tales and horrors.
It's an excellent way to dip your toes into bizarro. Dig it.
It's an excellent way to dip your toes into bizarro. Dig it.
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