addiction | Musings of the Monster Librarian

Book Review: One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson

One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson

Thomas & Moore, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1542042116

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

I will preface this by saying that although this was sent to us for review, it is not a horror novel, but if you enjoy a suspenseful thrill ride, this is a great choice, so read on to see if it’s for you.

Alex Traynor, a war photographer with a strong case of PTSD and a past of drug addiction, comes home one night to discover a note from his fiancee, Emily Teare, that she is leaving him, and not to look for her. Sheryn Sterling is a cop obsessed with finding evidence to tie Alex to what she believes is the murder of Cori Stanton, who either jumped or fell from the roof of Alex’s apartment building. Alex, in a drug-induced stupor at the time, claims not to remember the events of that night, but Sheryn is certain that Emily, who saw what happened, was lying to protect him. When one of Emily’s coworkers calls to report her as missing, Sheryn is certain that Alex has finally decided to get rid of the only witness to Cori’s murder.

The story is written from multiple points of view: Alex’s, Emily’s, the building superintendent’s, and Sheryn’s. Alex’s memories and perceptions are unreliable, due to his previous history with drugs and his PTSD blackouts (and it also becomes clear that Emily was hiding things from him); the building superintendent is hiding something from the police; Sheryn’s background and investment in taking Alex down color her view of events; and Emily’s disorientation and isolation makes it impossible to figure out where she is or what’s actually happening, and why. Her scenes, though brief, are chilling.

So much of the story is buried or left to guesswork that there is room for a lot more development here. Sheryn has a family, adding dimension and balance to her character, and there’s a lot there to work with as the reader encounters her interactions with both her past and current partners and her own self-reflection. Alex and Emily are grappling with issues that are currently relevant to today’s world, such as PTSD, war, the refugee crisis in the Middle East, the opiate issue in this country, and the true meaning of family. It does bother me that the ending is so pat. Real life is not a puzzle that can be resolved so easily. This is really a police procedural and thriller, not horror, but it’s definitely an easy read, and a compelling one. At 350 pages, the plot moves along quickly, but I think it’s at the expense of deeper character development. What the reader values more is, of course, up to individual taste. I do hope this is the first in a series and that we get to see Sheryn’s character developed further, but for readers who enjoy police procedurals, One Small Sacrifice is a great way to spend a lazy summer day. Recommended.

Contains: violence

Long Fiction Review: Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung by Usman Malik (Nightmare Magazine, Issue 74)

“Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung” by Usman Malik

Nightmare Magazine, Issue 74, November 2018

ASIN: B07K386T2B

Available: Kindle edition

“Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung” is an #ownvoices novelette that takes place in Pakistan. The narrator is a cleaned-up heroin addict who has been accused of killing a doctor in Uch, a site of pilgrimage, at various times, for Sufis, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. The tale is his confession to the police, who he is certain will turn him over to some very angry heroin dealers who think he swindled them.

The narrator tells the story of being rescued and sobered up by a doctor studying snake venoms for their healing uses, who has been asking addicts in the park if they have seen a girl in a photo he carries. The girl turns out to be his wife, Maliha, purchased by him when she was eight years old, who became a herpetologist. Maliha ran away to seek the Serpent Pearl, a mythological stone given by the Serpent King of the underworld to his wife, which gave her the power to command animals and birds, immunity to venom, open a gateway to other worlds, and immortality, that she believed could be found in Uch. The doctor decides to follow her to Uch, accompanied by the narrator, who is now on the run from heroin dealers.

In Uch, they approach a shrine during a musical festival. The narrator follows the doctor past the crowd and into the shrine, and witnesses the doctor’s apparent, and fatal, reunion with his wife, who may be a cobra, or an apparition, or may be something else entirely, driving him to poison the water supply of Uch with snake venom as he loses touch with reality.

The setting and much of the language are way outside of my realm of experience, and I don’t feel that I can truly do this story justice, but I can say that the summary above in no way can express the feeling of this tale. It is a fever dream that creates a world that envelops the reader in a combination of the grim life of a heroin addict, with a dark mythology grounded in both Pakistani folklore and cosmic horror. At the same time, it is grounded in a terrible real-life story: the doctor who purchases a wife when she is eight, and chases her down when she runs away as a young woman. In “Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung” Usman Malik steps the reader into an unreal, fantastic, and horrifying world that he makes very, very real.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Editor’s note: “Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung” is a nominee on the final ballot of the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in Long Fiction.