Kimberly A. Bettes

This is a very intense book. Bettes doesn’t pull any punches in describing the various abuses Brian has to endure. This book is not for the feint of heart nor for those looking for a simple gorefest. While this is not an easy book to get through, it does a great job of showing how a good kid can be pushed to that breaking point where they lash out at the world around them.

I recently listened to Bettes’s Exodus and the few issues I had with that novel don’t exist here. There’s no gore and violence simply for shock value. She also doesn’t gloss over the serious issues in Brian’s life. His step-dad is abusive in more ways than one; he’s mostly unemployed, a slob, verbally abusive, and also sexually abuses him. Then there are the bullies at school. Bettes gives a full detailed description of what it means to have your head shoved in a used toilet. Then there are all those that could have or should have helped Brian but didn’t.

Bettes walks that tightrope of capturing harsh circumstances without sounding angsty and she does it with grace. This book stirred up quite a number of emotions in me and brings up some serious points about bullying. If adults stuck anyone’s head in a toilet, police would be involved and yet if it’s only kids involved, we stick the Bullying Label on it and often nothing serious is done.

In the end, while I don’t agree with all the actions Brian took I certainly understand how he ended up where he did. That makes this a quality book. Tough subject, worthy book. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: Rick Gregory really poured himself into this book. He was great as Brian, a 13 year old going through tough stuff. I also liked his teen voice for Carly, the love interest of the tale and Brian’s friend. He didn’t blink at the harsher scenes but rather imbued the characters in those scenes with emotion. And there’s plenty of nuanced emotions in this story, which Gregory did a great job at capturing. There were no technical issues.… (mais)

Set during the Great Depression, this horror historical fiction follows the Carlson family as they try to survive the biggest mistake of their lives. They stopped at a small mining town in Arizona (Exodus) on their way to California where they hoped to be hired on as fruit pickers. Now they have to do their best to survive Frank and his murdering cannibalistic family.

This is a horror fest. It’s not for the squeamish. If you can’t handle the first chapter, then this is not the book for you. Such was not the case for me. I listened to the whole thing and was entertained, grossed out, hopeful for the main character, and wanted the despicable family that perpetrated these acts dead.

Cannibalism, murder, rape, human lactation fascination, and incest make up this story. Frank’s family owns and runs the little diner in Exodus as well as the thrift store where they sell those items they take off of their victims. Frank’s mom is a loud, heavy handed matriarch that rules over her kids. Frank’s brother and his sister carry of an affair that they have to hide from Frank, since he gets rather jealous if his sister/lover even looks at another man. Yep, it’s one severely messed up family.

Sometimes the creepiness was a bit excessive like it was pushed to such a height simply to get a reaction out of the reader instead of moving the story forward. Occasionally it was gratuitous horror but over all I enjoyed the tale. I was really rooting for Anne, hoping she would get out of this hell hole with her baby James.

Speaking of them, this story was extra creepy for me because so many of the names match names of my family members. My paternal grandparents (also named John and Anne) were migrant farmers from Tennessee that went out to California to work in the fruit orchards. I have lots of cousins in small mining towns in Arizona because of this migration. My dad is also named James, though he was born in the 1940s instead of the 1930s. The characters John and Anne lost their first born daughter Sarah due to illness. My sister is named Sarah. So, yeah, talk about creepy! Now I want to ask my dad if there are any stories from that migration that the family doesn’t like to talk about.

Initially, I hoped that one of the Exodus siblings might turn good and help Anne, John, and James escape. Frank’s sister was the most likely candidate however she has a lot of serious character flaws to overcome. I did find that I was a bit squeamish about people suckling on Anne (she’s lactating for baby James). It didn’t bother me when it happened in Grapes of Wrath but here it feels like a violation instead of sharing nutrition.

Perhaps 2/3 of the way through, we get an info dump on Frank and his motivations. He’s this big monstrous object doing horrible things for most of the book and then we get a peak inside his head. I would have liked a bit more of that behind-the-scenes stuff in the first 2/3 of the book instead of one big info dump. Still, we got to know Frank a bit more before the big, messy finale. The ending was a good solid one that wraps up any questions. If you’re in the mood for a good jolt of horror to the system, then this in your book. I will be avoiding meat at small diners for a while.

I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: Rick Gregory did a great job with this book. His female voices are feminine and distinct. He has individual voices for each of the characters and he’s so good at being scared and determined, or disgusting and sly, or angry and violent with his voice. He also went the extra mile and did a little special affect that included Frank’s favorite song that he likes to work to – ‘Ain’t We Got Fun’. He plays it in just the right moments and in little snippets so it doesn’t eclipse the narration.… (mais)