I decided that I’m wanted to share some of the books I listened to and talk about that from a writing standpoint and how those books helped me. Or actually inspired me. I don’t read a lot of books for the fun of it. I am always reading to better my craft. Currently, I am on a horror kick because I am trying to break into this genre while keeping the Sapphic twists.
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix is funny horror that pokes fun at Ikea with the fake store called ORSK. At first the book is very serious but as the story progresses and gets darker, it also gets funnier. It’s a paranormal horror and while it’s not something I write a lot of, it’s definitely something I need to learn.
Ultimately, I rated the book 3-stars because it dragged on. The story didn’t take a turn to the darkside until halfway done and the characters were really annoying. I disliked the main characters and I also disliked the narrator, as I listened to it on Audible. The dialogue was super stiff and the characters were very flat.
What I took away from the story was how Grady wrote the suspense. It came at the perfect time. I was working on a chapter in my WIP where we have a victim that is being held captive. In Horrorstör’s chapter 10 and 11, Hendrix’s main character were in the same predicament. He wrote very precise sentences to evoke the dread of the character. It’s wasn’t very internalized was the character felt this or that. It was how her body reacted or how the surroundings enveloped her.
It helped me understand that it’s isn’t always about feelings for this victim but more so the physical act of the pain where the reader can understand that pain. There was a part where the girl’s toes swelled like red juicy grapes. I can feel that as well as visualized it.
The book left a lot to be desired for me. This is the first book I’ve read of his… I don’t think it will be the last though because I will give him more chances as my horror groups do like his work. If it hadn’t been for chapter 10 and 11, I might have given up and thought about it many times. Part of my issue is that he never truly explained the mythology behind the haunting, other than why it is haunted. I wished there would have been a little more backstory once the characters figured it out.