Scan barcode
A review by leeglenwright
Husk by Rachel Autumn Deering
4.0
At first I was a little wary of attempting to write a review of 'Husk,' Rachel Autumn Deering's prose debut. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to approach it, seeing that, in the interests of full disclosure, we are friends (Transatlantic friends, but friends nonetheless).
I needn't have been wary. Nope, not in the slightest. I'll get to the point (hopefully forgoing my usual verbal diarrhoea in the process); Rachel's work as a comic writer stands her in good stead for the transition to prose. The writing in 'Husk' is lean and to the point, with no messing about or dwelling on anything that needn't be there. Instead, Rachel's twisted imaginings (I don't think she will be offended by my saying so) are conveyed with a punchy, almost sparse enconomy. For the most part eschewing more traditional terrors and steering well clear of traditional genre tropes, instead, 'Husk' focuses upon what, to me at least, is the real stuff of horror: addiction, guilt, and hopelessness, all underpinned with a crushing sense of inevitability.
A debut novella that promises of great things to come, with 'Husk,' Rachel Deering almost makes this whole writing thing look pretty damn easy, and certainly leaves me wanting more. If you're looking for a brisk, entertainingly chilling read, you'd do well to pick up a copy
I needn't have been wary. Nope, not in the slightest. I'll get to the point (hopefully forgoing my usual verbal diarrhoea in the process); Rachel's work as a comic writer stands her in good stead for the transition to prose. The writing in 'Husk' is lean and to the point, with no messing about or dwelling on anything that needn't be there. Instead, Rachel's twisted imaginings (I don't think she will be offended by my saying so) are conveyed with a punchy, almost sparse enconomy. For the most part eschewing more traditional terrors and steering well clear of traditional genre tropes, instead, 'Husk' focuses upon what, to me at least, is the real stuff of horror: addiction, guilt, and hopelessness, all underpinned with a crushing sense of inevitability.
A debut novella that promises of great things to come, with 'Husk,' Rachel Deering almost makes this whole writing thing look pretty damn easy, and certainly leaves me wanting more. If you're looking for a brisk, entertainingly chilling read, you'd do well to pick up a copy