The Torment of Rachel Ames - Writer in the Woods Trope Done Right!
Rachel Ames is in a lot of trouble. I mean, a whole lot of trouble. Deep trouble. And what’s worse, she doesn't know the first thing about any of it. And neither do you. Not yet. But you will… and so will she… That’s what you are getting into when you crack open Jeff Gunhus’ excellent novella entitled The Torment of Rachel Ames.
The story follows a young writer named Rachel Ames as she drives towards a cabin retreat to do some writing. Her career started off successfully and with a lot of promise. Lately, her writing has been stale and uninspired. She’s full of hope that a secluded cabin in the woods will be the perfect place to catch whatever spark has been missing recently. Peace, seclusion, and a bit of writing are sure to be just what she needs! But of course, any experienced reader of dark fiction and horror film fan knows the truth already. Nothing good will come of this. Nothing good ever comes from writers in secluded places, typing away on an old typewriter. And yes, Gunhus drops more than a few Shining references to let you know that he perched on high with malevolent plans for our unwitting protagonist.
As the action progresses, we find that she is not nearly near alone in the woods. John, who rents her the cabin, seems to insistently check on her daily. Before the first day is done, she meets the gruff and confrontational Granger who lives just across the lake. Then there is Ollie, a simple and sweet fellow with an odd penchant for sweeping the woods around her cabin. And also, there is someone else out there in those woods too. She can feel him, but only catches the slightest glimpses of them. Beyond that, there are the woods themselves, which seem wrong from page one. Furthermore, the cabin seems to have a life all its own, as though it is intentionally playing with her mind. And lastly, there is her old Underwood typewriter. It was brought to help facilitate her writing, but its presence seems hostile and malignant every time she looks in its direction.
Gunhus takes you on a wild ride in only 170 pages. Before too long, you realize that everything is not what it seems. And even after that, you still aren’t halfway down his rabbit hole.
When all is said and done, Gunhus ultimately offers the reader a deep meditation on the gifts and pains of memory. He explores the peace that forgetfulness can bring, but only at terrible cost. He digs deeper still into the realms of human freedom and responsibility, and the endless guilt that can accrue from being masters of our own lives. This is not light reading, but it is good reading.
The Torment of Rachel Ames is ultimately a strong “recommend” from me. I am not giving it five stars. It is not King, Barker, Koontz, or Poe. That said, it is an easy four. It is well written. The characters churned up dark muck in my soul that I was happy leaving in the silt. The plot progression was done skillfully enough that even when I thought I knew where we were going, I didn’t. This is a good one!
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