A review by leahjanespeare
You Feel It Just Below the Ribs, by Jeffrey Cranor, Janina Matthewson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
In the vein of World War Z, this is a chilling fictional autobiography of an apocalyptic future - hardcore horror scenarios, as these apocalypses tend to be. The autobiography we are reading is from that of a Dr. Miriam Gregory who survived the collapse -- and remaking of, the world as everyone knew it. She specialised in child psychology and skirted the metaphysical with never before seen tactics for erasing trauma. What could be better and more successful than a new world without trauma? Nothing can go wrong here! Muahahaha.
But as Miriam's stories get wackier and possible conspiracies are uncovered, footnotes slowly undermine her claims. Footnotes from a new society claiming anti-censorship, and defending the new government and anything they may or may not have done in the realm of human experimentation. Conveniently, any records beyond Miriam's memoir cannot be found. BUT honestly, I trusted neither Miriam's account nor the footnote auditor - both were fantastically unreliable and left me totally unsettled by the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence