Synopsis
Five childhood friends are forced to confront their own dark past as well as the curse placed upon them in this horror masterpiece from the bestselling author of Come with Me.
Maybe this is a ghost story…
Andrew Larimer thought he left the past behind. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he finds he has no choice but to return home, and to confront the memories—and the horror—of a night, years ago, that changed everything.
For Andrew and his friends, the past is not dead, and the curse that has befallen them now threatens to destroy all that they’ve become.
One dark secret…
One small-town horror…
Review
A huge, huge thank you to Titan Books for the ARC!
In a previous novel titled Come With Me, Ronald Malfi takes a big swing at tackling grief and the secrets that exist in the smallest of environments, the space that exists between husband and wife. Given the masterful writing that shines within that microscopic setting, the news that Malfi would be embarking on another examination of “closeness” in proximity to horror with his upcoming release spawned great excitement. Small Town Horror stares headlong into the darkest depths of close-knit communities, where everyone knows everyone. Or so they believe. Despite this intimacy, room for lies, secrets, and malevolence finds a way to thrive in the unlikeliest of spaces.
Immediately, the synopsis of this novel conjured stories such as Stephen King’s It to mind. Five friends must reconcile their past to deal with the happenings of the present, prompting an unconventional homecoming of sorts for Andrew Larimer. Despite believing he has escaped all the darkness that Kingsport holds, Andy is summoned back “home” following a late-night phone call from an old friend. Sound familiar? Of course, upon his arrival back home, the circumstances are more dire than previously imagined with a local missing woman, an alleged curse, and of course, ghosts of the past resurfacing.
Despite these seeming plot similarities to It, Small Town Horror reads very much like Peter Straub’s Ghost Story for a plethora of reasons. The five friends haunted by some unknown misdeeds of the past are written as rather unlikable folks, yet their somewhat scandalous characterization makes this story very compelling. Malfi’s overall tone matches that of Straub in which snippets of the past and other experiences from Andrew’s friends bleed into the story, building a sort of story-within-a-story narrative. You could also make the argument Malfi is channeling the voice of John Langan with his novel, The Fisherman, given this format in addition to the maritime features of Kingsport. Or even Clay McLeod Chapman and his novel, What Kind of Mother, for these same reasons. An economy of fishing and trolling proves to be the cornerstone of this little town, yet these very waters that give life also prove to be one of the greatest accomplices in covering up wrongdoing.
While these comparisons can be made, Ronald Malfi exercises complete control over this story that ultimately carries his signature brand of horror. The “Now That’s What I Call Horror” best-of list similarities above are made not because this novel feels as though Malfi is emulating them. Instead, his writing is full of mastery and implements the most unsettling combination of themes to deliver the truth of the situation Andrew and company find themselves. This is a very intricate mystery with various moving parts that never feel out of control; instead, the chaos of “wrongness” is utilized to craft a unique feeling of dread. In numerous instances, I found myself genuinely spooked at what could be lurking in the shadows of those long hallways, what rot festers in the darkness of the basement. These byproducts of transgressions flourish in the most sinister ways all thanks to Malfi’s expert craftmanship and intentional pacing.
A slow-burn mystery of the darkest variety, Small Town Horror takes the unfavorable stance of telling a story of tragedy not from heroes, but rather villains. The dreadful atmosphere crafted evolves into a feeling like a wild animal backed into a corner, its escape impending and the fallout uncertain yet still under Ronald Malfi’s control. Patience is exercised to emphasize every instance of dread, malevolence, and wrongdoing that will never entirely fade into the past despite our main character’s extreme efforts. The seedy underbelly of a small-town way of life is on full display with this novel proving that no sin truly goes unpunished.
Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi releases on June 4th from Titan Books.
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