Synopsis:
8114 is a terrifying horror novel investigating the mysterious death of a high school friend through an embattled podcast and hallucinatory hauntings at the abandoned house of his childhood.
After returning to his hometown, Paul, the beleaguered host of a small-time podcast, discovers a longtime friend committed suicide in the dilapidated ruins of Paul’s childhood home. Desperate to find answers, Paul interviews friends and locals hoping to find closure. He finds himself in a chilling downward spiral of his memories and the land he grew up on. Has his past caught up with him or is there something far more sinister at play?
Joshua Hull, screenwriter of Glorious, brings an edge of horror film expertise to this story of small-town haunting, trauma, and grief that just won’t let go. 8114 roots out the rot of a small town’s past and unravels the memories we must face to survive the present.
Review:
“8114,” by Joshua Hull is a rotten debut novel. It’s not a mere fresh coat of paint on the haunted house trope, it’s more of a total gut job- in which Hull takes a sledgehammer to the cliche creaky floorboards and standard resident spectre- and replaces them with his own sinister architecture. It’s uncanny, disorienting, it lingers in its ambiguity, it is utterly unique and genuinely scary. A reckoning with the past, and a grim exploration of grief and accountability, “8114,” is a book that will leave you questioning both your safety and sanity- I may never look at four walls the same way again. Thank you Clash Books for the ARC, this book is coming for you next year.
We follow Paul Early, who’s found himself in some rather deep water. Decades after Adam Benny graced his lunch table for the last time, and then simply disappeared- Paul decides to take to the airwaves, and create the “Adam Benny is missing,” podcast. Well actually, Adam Benny was just fine, having left Indiana with his mother, to escape his abusive dad- their flight now imperilled by Paul’s public pursuit. The internet is a relentless and cruel place, and it wants Paul’s head. When he receives a phone call from another childhood compadre Matt, perhaps returning to the small town of Pendleton will offer refuge from the virtual witch hunt. His stay is far from pleasant. Matt tells him of Kyle’s suicide, and that he painted the walls of Paul’s old address- number 8114. In a search for closure, Paul creates another podcast, planning to interview childhood friends and old acquaintances to get to the bottom of why a seemingly happy family man would do such a thing. As Paul attempts to peel back the layers of mystery surrounding his friend’s death, and the sinister pull of 8114, the house itself seems to tighten its grip on him. As the walls close in we have to question, will he succeed or die trying?
In his rather brilliant introduction to “Burnt Offerings,” by Robert Marasco, Stephen Graham Jones asserted that there are two types of haunted house. The “stay away,” kind and the “hungry,” kind. If Jones’ theory holds, 8114 is insatiable. Like objects, places hold memories, and whilst a litany of atrocities, from massacres to filicide, have taken place at Paul’s old house, it seems the main message is that without closure, these places, and thus the attached history, have a hold on us. It seems 8114 is like some parasite that feeds off of the unresolved, maybe even including Paul’s guilt having left his mother alone in Pendleton. Ultimately this demonstrates that the past can not be exorcised or forgotten- particularly in relation to our own guilt. Having absorbed the weight of its history, 8114 is not simply a backdrop to the story, but an active participant that clings to our protagonist with spectral tenacity.
Hull himself described 8114 as “Pet Sematary meets Bret Easton Ellis”—a comparison I find rather apt. In “Pet Sematary,” King delves into the dangers of playing God and disrupting the natural order, with the Pet Sematary itself of course, waking the dead and bringing forth unsettling consequences. Hull’s 8114 mirrors this exploration by focusing on a place that thrives on unresolved grief and trauma- both taking on the role of an active antagonist as a result. “Pet Sematary,” is a novel that teaches you can not undo what is already done, in that death is final. The past will forever haunt 8114, we must confront history, no matter how unpleasant and atrocious it is- it can not be undone. This is also applicable to Paul’s pretty humungous fuck-up regarding his exposure of Adam Betty. My mum always said that our words and actions are like toothpaste, you can not get it back in the tube once you’ve squeezed it out. We must take accountability for these mistakes, they can be atoned for but not reversed.
Perhaps the final point of comparison would be the protagonist. Louis Creed, driven by his grief, continues to make the same catastrophic mistake, ultimately leading to his downfall. Paul Early, right off of the back of a failed podcast, creates yet another, this time with much higher stakes. Whilst both are arguably driven by the deep-seated need to right a wrong, each become their own worst enemies- the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Paul is a difficult character for readers to realise. We read from his first person perspective, he is somewhat self-aware, he’s not a malicious person, and there is character growth throughout- but he is equally frustrating and moronic- deep down driven by the selfish need for commercial success, just as Louis Creed is willing to put the entire town of Ludlow in jeopardy to be reunited with his son. Ultimately both men are used as cautionary tales to demonstrate that selfish motivations lead to catastrophic consequences and immense suffering.
Hull’s writing is impressive stuff. In terms of the ambiguity surrounding 8114, the gradual building of tension, and the nuanced portrayal of horror, Paul Tremblay immediately springs to mind. The prose itself is sharp, precise and unrelenting, with the humorous edge you may expect from the author of “Mouth.” There’s also some very Larocca-esque body horror at play, particularly the short story “Seedling,” from “This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances.” The occasional interview between chapters were used to reveal just enough information to keep the reader sweating and nail-biting, particularly the first episode with Matt. I can not emphasise enough that this is a book that actually scares. It feels like with every chapter Hull nails another nerve ending into the walls of 8114, ensuring you can’t/ won’t put it down… unscathed.
A harrowing edifice of terror that is as bold as it is scary, 8114 is a novel that has infected me with its disease, it has sunk its teeth into me, and I’m happy to let it chew away. More a reckoning than a spooky story, Hull doesn’t just send a shiver down your spine, he redecorates your nightmares. He does so with a gusto that rivals the very best in the business, and I look forward to seeing what monstrosity he comes out with next. If you’re looking for something to spend an evening devouring, that will make you want to sleep in your car- visit 8114.
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