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A review by bunnieslikediamonds
American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett
5.0
This is a lovely horror story about the American dream gone badly wrong, to put it mildly. The idyllic small town of Wink in New Mexico is full of well-tended lawns, content housewives and afternoon martinis on the porch. Time seems to stand still (except when Time completely derails)and nobody has set foot outside the town for years. Of course, unspeakable evil lurks in the night, and the inhabitants wisely turn a blind eye to the nasty goings-on in the woods and make "arrangements" in order to maintain their lifestyle. When a stranger arrives and people start dropping like flies, it all goes to hell in a very entertaining way.
It's horror with a heart. The unspeakable evil is pretty mean, but it has its reasons for acting shitty. Nothing a few years of therapy couldn't fix. I like that. There's nothing more boring than evildoers with no motivation for their evildoing. The horror is both quietly creepy and charmingly over-the-top (there are tentacles). It's moving and funny, the plot holds together and the "science" of it all makes sense within that particular universe. What more can you ask for?
I'll tell you what. Well-rounded female characters. Actually, just to find female characters who get to actually do stuff (rather than be used as props) in fiction is not a given. To find females who are believable, tough and funny and above all, not defined by their gender is rare. Bennett creates wonderful women, whether good, evil or in-between, human or not so much. It's a big part of why I found the story so enjoyable - no stale stereotypes to annoy me.
Warmly recommended.
It's horror with a heart. The unspeakable evil is pretty mean, but it has its reasons for acting shitty. Nothing a few years of therapy couldn't fix. I like that. There's nothing more boring than evildoers with no motivation for their evildoing. The horror is both quietly creepy and charmingly over-the-top (there are tentacles). It's moving and funny, the plot holds together and the "science" of it all makes sense within that particular universe. What more can you ask for?
I'll tell you what. Well-rounded female characters. Actually, just to find female characters who get to actually do stuff (rather than be used as props) in fiction is not a given. To find females who are believable, tough and funny and above all, not defined by their gender is rare. Bennett creates wonderful women, whether good, evil or in-between, human or not so much. It's a big part of why I found the story so enjoyable - no stale stereotypes to annoy me.
Warmly recommended.