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A review by mkw1lson
A Fig For All The Devils by C.S. Fritz
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I stated it in my notes while reading this book, and I'll state it again here.
This book feels like healing in the most fucked up way.
For anyone who has struggled with grief, disassociation, depression, or anything of the like - this will resonate. Fritz explains in his introduction at the beginning of the book that while the story is not true, it's also not not true. It is an exploration into his life and the darkness there, it is taking the horror-genre and using it so say something about life and death and how we cope.
I've seen some critique of the character of the Grim Reaper being too goofy and lighthearted, but faced there is a reason characters that have this tragic prolonged lifespan so often are - how else do you deal with it? And also, this is a character meant to comfort and help Sonny. Yes, he is a type of antagonist in this story, but the real antagonist is the prison of grief and disassociation that Sonny has become trapped in. I think it is actually painfully relatable to want something or someone like Death to come into your life in instances like that.
Similarly, I would not call this a hallmark ending. It is a hopeful ending because Sonny has found hope. He does so through Death, and Death decides to let him go, but is that so much of a surprise? We saw Death in the beginning, when he was just a man who had his life and his child robbed from him. If he sees himself becoming that, why would he continue to be that?
I loved this book. I read it in a couple of hours and I cried at least twice. It is a horror but I think it's important to look at it as the horror genre so often used to explain something difficult. It won't be for everybody, but for the people it is for, this book will seriously move you and feel deeply cathartic.
This book feels like healing in the most fucked up way.
For anyone who has struggled with grief, disassociation, depression, or anything of the like - this will resonate. Fritz explains in his introduction at the beginning of the book that while the story is not true, it's also not not true. It is an exploration into his life and the darkness there, it is taking the horror-genre and using it so say something about life and death and how we cope.
I've seen some critique of the character of the Grim Reaper being too goofy and lighthearted, but faced there is a reason characters that have this tragic prolonged lifespan so often are - how else do you deal with it? And also, this is a character meant to comfort and help Sonny. Yes, he is a type of antagonist in this story, but the real antagonist is the prison of grief and disassociation that Sonny has become trapped in. I think it is actually painfully relatable to want something or someone like Death to come into your life in instances like that.
I loved this book. I read it in a couple of hours and I cried at least twice. It is a horror but I think it's important to look at it as the horror genre so often used to explain something difficult. It won't be for everybody, but for the people it is for, this book will seriously move you and feel deeply cathartic.