The Bedmakers - Unhoused Sorrowful Horror
I received this copy of The Bedmakers in my February 2024 "Human Contact" Night Worms package. I knew I had to have this because I am a huge fan of John Boden and I know that he and Chad Lutzke complement one another so well when they collaborate on something. I was not disappointed.
This story follows Calvin and Genie, two down-on-their-luck unhoused gentlemen who decide to hop on a train to see what the next city has to offer them. Along the way, they discover two young boys and a disturbing secret that follows them into the next town where they become local gravediggers, or bedmakers.
Since this is a short novella, I can't say much more without spoiling anything. However, I will say that the story and writing drew me in immediately and it reminded me somewhat of the movie Homeward Bound in its feeling of adventure, hardship, and pained moments. A much darker, more adult Homeward Bound, mind you. The kind that sticks in your ribs and tosses some memento mori in your face. Okay, so I'm not selling the Homeward Bound angle too well, but it does have the feeling of traversing the countryside in a way that is free, yet also tied to sorrow. Read this book if you want to feel your heart break (as John Boden and Chad Lutzke are wont to do), but also undergo a replanting of your feet in the present moment through the exceptional characters and their life experiences.
