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A review by otterno11
Hair Shirt by Pat McEown
3.0
An eerie, disturbing, and complex tale of self deception, toxic relationships, and personal horror, Hair Shirt definitely leaves the reader unsettled, reflecting upon the unspoken fears and dark desires of the underbelly of attraction.
After the sensitive, artistic “nice guy” John, our narrator, bumps into his old neighbor and high school flame, Naomi, at a show ten or so years after they drifted apart, the pair are eager to rekindle their friendship (and romance). However, from the very beginning their relationship is fraught, as John dredges up memories of Naomi’s dead brother, Chris, another childhood friend, and the cruel humiliations and abuse he put both of them through. Naomi herself transforms these memories into a cruel, misogynistic streak that puts John on edge, but at the same time he ignores his own cringing, objectifying, voyeuristic tendencies and jealousies, leading him to remain an unreliable narrator.
As John reflects more and more on his and Naomi’s past, his guilt, fears, and baggage spiral into a twisted and surreal dream world which interacts and bleeds into “reality” in a way that highlights his mental unease, manifesting as mazes of ruined buildings, a foul mass of hair John is knitting together, and slobbering dogs with the mocking face of Chris egging John on to more cruel acts. There is a lot of creeping darkness and menace looming just out of sight, and McKeown’s art fits this style well with lots of moody, scratchy drawings and evocative urban landscapes.
The deep misogyny and self destructive tendencies both John and Naomi exhibit, often unexamined, drag one of Naomi’s friends, Shaz, down with them, leading her into several horrible and degrading situations, and leading to no clear cut conclusion. Because of this, it can be difficult to parse what exactly is happening and what the message is, but McKeown’s art really works up an evocative atmosphere.
After the sensitive, artistic “nice guy” John, our narrator, bumps into his old neighbor and high school flame, Naomi, at a show ten or so years after they drifted apart, the pair are eager to rekindle their friendship (and romance). However, from the very beginning their relationship is fraught, as John dredges up memories of Naomi’s dead brother, Chris, another childhood friend, and the cruel humiliations and abuse he put both of them through. Naomi herself transforms these memories into a cruel, misogynistic streak that puts John on edge, but at the same time he ignores his own cringing, objectifying, voyeuristic tendencies and jealousies, leading him to remain an unreliable narrator.
As John reflects more and more on his and Naomi’s past, his guilt, fears, and baggage spiral into a twisted and surreal dream world which interacts and bleeds into “reality” in a way that highlights his mental unease, manifesting as mazes of ruined buildings, a foul mass of hair John is knitting together, and slobbering dogs with the mocking face of Chris egging John on to more cruel acts. There is a lot of creeping darkness and menace looming just out of sight, and McKeown’s art fits this style well with lots of moody, scratchy drawings and evocative urban landscapes.
The deep misogyny and self destructive tendencies both John and Naomi exhibit, often unexamined, drag one of Naomi’s friends, Shaz, down with them, leading her into several horrible and degrading situations, and leading to no clear cut conclusion. Because of this, it can be difficult to parse what exactly is happening and what the message is, but McKeown’s art really works up an evocative atmosphere.