A review by roman_castavet
Off Season by Jack Ketchum

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I don't even know how I want to rate this - three stars feels high but safe for something that grossed me out but which still had me committed enough to read within 24 hours. Jack Ketchum is a real name in horror literature and I knew his reputation going in but Off Season felt more approachable and less obviously a turn off than trying to read Girl Next Door. The rape, genital mutilation, child death, and graphic gore in general weren't anything I needed a trigger warning for, I knew what I was getting into and didn't leave this book feeling upset, just grossed out. Do I need multiple scenes of chopped off penises? No. Does it ruin my day? Also no. But like, knowing this kind of graphic and sexual violence is a Ketchum standard, while it doesn't trigger me in any way, it also isn't something I really desire. There are people doing shock value in way more amateur ways which I would never touch in the first place, so I can respect that Ketchum is not a bad writer and really appreciate his Afterword about the censorship he faced in this book's initial publication (and why he deserves to be able to publish the original book he wrote!) - he is not a bad author, this type of horror just simply isn't for me. But this doesn't keep me up at night, and in many ways was a fun start to my summer reading challenge.
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