This story appealed to me on many levels. It is a nuanced and horrific tale mixing Mexican folklore, possessions on various levels, and the exploration the generational trauma of Alejandra’s family history. At first glance, Alejandra is not a likable character. Tortured by her life choices and pondering suicide, and worse, she is also considering taking her children with her. She is hurting and filled with self-loathing, so it was a little hard to stick by her side early on, but Castro has told many great stories, so I stuck with it. Once Alejandra started with Melanie, her therapist and curandera, the story became much more interesting. On another note, as an adoptee and adopter, I found this aspect of her journey highly relatable. My main complaint is that toward the end of the story, some of the ancestor stories acted like cardboard cutouts making the end feel a little rushed. A 3.5-star rating for one of V. Castro’s stories is a 4 for most other authors.
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Possessed
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Sing For Me
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| Illustration: Michael O'Connell |
The story is as I imagine Pearl’s skin to be—either too hot and feverish or too cold and clammy. Either way, its coarse bristles prevent even a pleasant feeling from taking hold, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. It might just be my favorite horror of 2021. This grisly tale got inside my brain and has stayed with me. It’s a creepy and strange one about a pig on a Michigan farm who has a kind of telepathy. Pearl can get inside your brain and root around in your thoughts. He learns things while he is in there and then uses them in ways that will savage you. He makes you want to do things and convinces you it was your idea. As I said, Malerman packs a lot into this short book and he left me wanting more.
If you let him, Malerman will take your imagination and carry it (you) into the barn and hang it from a hook. He will leave it (you) there dangling, waiting for a savior to release you before the damage is done. But he won’t allow that. Like Pearl, he casts a dark shadow where your fears live. Some of those fears might have been planted by Orwell years ago with Animal Farm. I suspect it was no coincidence that one of the farmers was also named Jones. But Pearl is not Napoleon, and he certainly is not Snowflake. Pearl is a new kind of horror and it will have you singing for him before the end of the story. And speaking of the end of the story, I am at a loss. Was that the end? Or was it what Pearl wanted us to think was the end?
I don’t quite understand people getting triggered by bloodshed and violence toward animals—but not people. However, for those of you who are the former, this twisty little tale has buckets of blood and gore heaped upon the animals—and people, but that’s partly why you’ll be reading this novel, right?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, Occasional Reader.
Sing for me.