Reprieve - Subtle Horror and Character Studies (and C.H.U.D.)
“…he was reaching for the sky, she thought, laying claim to his synthetic asylum, concocting, brooding, creating: he was, forever, harvesting the night.”
First off, don’t jump into Reprieve thinking it will be a gory, wild, horror novel. This is a subtle horror novel that’s more a character study, a think piece, set to the background of a haunt with a wild reputation. But don’t be put off – this is a beautifully written story that will keep you hooked page to page. Told from multiple POVs and through court room interviews, Reprieve is an outstanding novel.
Quigley House (I assume loosely based on McKamey Manor) is an escape room style haunt where actors can touch and abuse the visitors. It’s almost impossible to get through all 5 rooms without saying the safety word, and the owner and creator John Forrester offers up a substantial reward to those who do make it to the end.
The story revolves around an incident where a contestant was killed in Cell 5, jumping back and forth between before the incident, after the incident, and during the incident.
Book Mood Board (all images from weheartit)
What I loved:
This is rich with deeply thought out characters. Some are meant to be loved like Kendra, a teenager working for Quigley House. Some are meant to be despised like Leonard, a Hotel Manager who plays a key part, and some are meant to make you think and question like Jaidee, an international student from Thailand.
Setting this in the late ‘90s was a smart move, not only because of the obvious things like technology being outdated, but because it was such a problematic era. A lot of us look back fondly on the ‘90s, but in reality, it was a harsh place to be different – whether you were queer, BIPOC, or liked horror movies. The world was not as accepting back then. This plays such an interesting role in our character’s choices and even the dialogue and treatment of certain characters. I commend the author, Mattson, for making this bold choice.
There’s a lot of important criticisms being shared throughout this story, especially through certain characters. Leonard is the perfect canvas to discuss incels, white male privilege and conspiracy theorists. There’s definitely a reason when you go check out the goodreads reviews that most of the 1 and 2 star reviews are from middle aged white men….just sayin’.
But what about the “horror” right? Well aside from the every day horror a lot of these characters must deal with – let’s talk about Quigley House. It’s a great set up throughout the book as you jump back and forth, you start to get desperate to learn what exactly happened in that damn Cell 5! Of course, when you do eventually find out, it’s heartbreaking. BUT – each room is described in great detail and is really horrifying. You genuinely couldn’t pay me to go through that house, the prize of $60K seems hella low to me. There’s also a lot of great nods to horror through Kendra and Shawn, who even at one point discuss C.H.U.D., which is wild. It doesn’t feel forced or gate-keepy (I’m not googling to see if that’s a real term, just role with it). It’s just a general love for horror movies and for horror fans.
Overall, I flew through this book over two days of reading. It’s fast paced and exciting, but it’s also emotional and leaves a lot to think about. I’m incredibly glad I read this!
Who do I recommend this for? People who love haunts, multiple POV storytelling, subtle horror stories, character pieces, and ‘90s fans.
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, racism, hate speech. (As always, please do your own research before diving in – check out storygraph where readers can leave trigger warnings in great detail)
“…All the things we’re taught about respect, ambition, loyalty, honesty, love – fear takes all those teachings and gorges on them, then spits out the bones. And in my observation, there’s only one thing that can triumph over fear, at least temporarily.”
“What’s that?” Bryan asked.
“Well,” John said, “greed, of course.”
