OBrien stares at the shoreline of Canada twenty yards ahead of him and wonders what to do. She brings along her sister, and the trip becomes a surreal nightmare, one that digs up Lori's personal demons, the ones she feels bonds her to Edmund. Your email address will not be published. From start to finish this novella is a horrific piece that hands you a shovel on page one and tells you to start digging. GONE TO SEE THE RIVERMAN by Kristopher Triana is a descent into the bowels of depravity and singlehandedly made me stop reviewing books by star ratings and instead by how badly they make me want to take a scalding shower. Main menu. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. In her quest, she brings along her handicapped sister, and they journey through the deep, dark valley, beginning their trip upriver. The evil brought to the surface has allowed Lori to shed the connection she has to her sister, a connection that Lori sees as a burden with the silver lining of having power and control over someone who was once more successful than herself. Ill definitely be reading more of his work. . Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There will be no spoilers from me, but the appearance of the elusive River Man is well worth the wait. He asks her to retrieve a key in a cabin and deliver it to someone called the River Man. But the path from meeting him in prison to meeting him in her apartment was not typical thriller material. Triana seems to be known for splatterpunk elsewhere but this novel is more of a slow burn. As for the identity of The River Man, meanwhile, both sisters are in the dark until they finally meet him. Lori, along with her handicapped sister, Abby, embarks on this seemingly simple journey that will finally prove her devotion to Edmund. The basic premise is this. Top 5 (Actually 6) Reads of 2020 Tattered Covers & Broken Spines. But this time around, the supernatural figure of The River Man and all that he embodies lend an ethereal, haunting touch that offsets the stone-cold bleakness typical of Triana. Lori finally sees "the river man" and asks that she can be with Edmund in return for dealing with her darkest desires, her darkness involved killing her sister Abby, and when she leaves Killen and gets home, she finds Edmund who is ready to kill her and have his way with her clairetheonlybear 1 yr. ago Thank you very much! Trianas strength is compelling you to keep going, to sink deeper in darkness as you beg for a different outcome than the one you know is coming. Against her wishes, however, she is accompanied on the journey by her sister Abby. The trip referred to in the title of Gone to See the River Man is not the only narrative that unfolds through the novel. She brings along her handicapped sister on her quest and on the way their personal demons start to resurface. After Lori and Abby complete their journey, Loris motivations have completely shifted; whereas she initially claimed to be interested in Edmond out of fascination, she now plows forward with delusions that Edmond will love her, he will make her a whole person and the horrific acts shes committed on her family will be justified. Readers will close the novels cover in amazement of the disturbing journey Kristopher Triana has taken them. She has no idea of the horror that awaits her. In both the opening and closing acknowledgements Kristopher Triana thanks the late English singer/songwriter who penned the melody referenced in the title: deep thanks to Nick Drake for his sombre song River Man, which was the launching impetus for this cosmic horror. He quotes this passage, which closes the song: Cult singer Nick Drakes sad and whimsical River Man is a million miles away from the monstrous interpretation which appears in this powerfully written short novel which is so gripping it could be read in one sitting. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32B_iUm0Kxy95mcsPfr-QQ, Interview: Casey Tebo and Robert Kurtzman. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. By Kristopher Triana 2021 Splatterpunk Awards Lori an aspiring true crime writer is engaged in correspondence with a convicted serial killer named Edmund Cox. But damn its fucking great. As you would expect, things are not all they seem, and youll consistently shift opinion over its arc as to who the most deplorable characters actually are. Change). This movie predates the more advanced CGI that would be used these days. Her obsession is with Edmund Cox, a man of sadistic cruelty who butchered more than twenty women. Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston Massachusetts. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The biggest loose end of all being the character of River Song. Stalkers. You can buyGone To See The River ManfromAmazon UK&Amazon US. Or even serial killers. Hit the buttons below to follow us, you won't regret it Janine has enjoyed horror from an early age, frightening herself with ghost stories and learning the craft from Stephen King. By the end, he is a man who has been humbled, making his death somewhat tragic, given his personal development over the course of the film. 20th August 2020 The main character is one of the most messed up and complex protagonists I've read in a while. Killers, of all people, made her feel alive. She even visits him in prison, where he makes a peculiar request. This is one of those books that even after reading 80% or more, I did not have the faintest idea how it was going to end with the shrouding of some of the plot twists, including a few real shockers; truly outstanding. Although theres a genuinely uncomfortable use of racial slurs, its a necessary evil, as it demonstrates the inner workings of one of the characters and, given the context, how it shapes the future choices they make. Her favourite authors and influences are quite obvious when you read her work. She will do anything to get close to him, so when he gives her a task, she eagerly accepts it. Even her obsession with Edmond comes back to gaining an advantage over another woman. Through a series of short, sharp and sometimes shocking chapters, we start to learn more about the siblings through present time snapshots as well as flashbacks. Exactly what Nick Drake would have made of this association can only be guessed any song, regardless of subject matter, is going to take on a rather different aspect after being filtered through Trianas world of murder, mutilation and irredeemably dysfunctional families. I dont believe the location of this novel is ever specified, but it has a distinctly Appalachian feel. It is clear that Lori, the main character, is highly damaged. Outstanding, a novel with genuine bite. . The girl next door gone to see the river man the wasp factory the troop. The trip quickly becomes a surreal nightmare, one that digs up . If you're a fan of southern gothic horror it's worth a read. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Lori has a rather morbid hobby, she writes to serial killers and has an impressive collection of letters from previous correspondences. Stalkers. What I didnt like: Not much really. Through an exchange of letters, downtrodden Lori establishes an unhealthy relationship with a brutal serial killer. Or is he a manifestation of her mental and moral decline? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I is for Internet (featuring my short story Transgef). Published by Cemetery Dance Publications | Grindhouse Press, Written by Kristopher Triana2020, 145 pages, FictionReleased on March 12th, 2020. And all of this before we even encounter the titular River Man. Edmond has entrusted Lori to find a key from his old river shack and bring it to a mysterious River Man. With a map of the river and not much else, Lori eagerly takes up this request. Shes willing to do anything, even travel into the woods near where Edmund lived, to find the River Man and deliver a key. So Cold the River. Prior to these flashbacks, the dynamic between Lori and Abby is one of caregiver (Lori) and dependent child (Abby) but their relationship was not always this way. Edmund tells her she must go to his cabin in the woods of Killen and retrieve a key to deliver to a mysterious figure known only as The River Man. A troop of scouts on their last trip unfortunately at the same time a diseased man escapes from a lab and makes it to the island where the unlucky troop is camping. Well then. This, Cox explains, she must take to The River Man. Edmond is not Loris first or only murderous pan pal (she collects letters from murders like baseball cards), but he is the first to take their relationship to the next level. She hopes her mum never reads a certain story about a hole in a tree The book is about a woman who is obsessed with an imprisoned serial killer whom she writes letters. She will do anything to get close to him, so when he gives her . Why you should buy this: At one point, in our review group chat, fellow reviewer Ben asked what I would rate it and I replied that it would depend on if Triana stuck the landing. What starts out as a simple errand soon has Lori questioning how far shes willing to push herself for a man shes never met. He has appeared in anthologies with some of Horrors heaviest hitters. Bored with the same old thing, I decided to start up a secondary book club for horror aficionados like myself. He gives no more information about this personage: no proper name, no address, no explanation as to what he would want with the key. Gone to See the River Man encapsulates the mindset that would see a crime against humanity as a virtue worthy of swoon. As she asks Edmund at one point, [t]he people we make suffer stay inside of us longer and more deeply than those who we bring joy, dont you think? Edmund has other admirers, including a woman named Niko, but Lori positions herself on a higher tier: Niko was just one of those bizarre people who became romantically infatuated with a killer who has been sensationalized by the media. Its incredible to comprehend how such a dark book can be inspired by such a beautiful melancholic folksong. Lori quickly realizes this may not be a simple journey after all and the sisters find far more than they ever could have bargained for. Danny was great in that. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I read a book: Fire in His Blood, by Ruby Dixon. For more information, please see our His work has been published in multiple languages and has drawn praise . When young Edmund later got a chance to see more conventional pornography in Playboy, he found the images uninteresting: Theys borin. Lori is just such a fanatic. Gone to See the River Man Kindle Edition by Kristopher Triana (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 2,734 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $2.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover $19.95 Other new from $19.95 Paperback $12.87 Other new and used from $8.62 Super fans. Nonetheless, the novel does make good use of its inspiration, its supernatural aspect rooted not merely in folk horror but specifically in acoustic guitar folk horror. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. If you like horror, splatterpunk, otherwise dark stories and dont mind gore, give this a read. Blog Inizio Senza categoria gone to see the river man ending explained. FULL BRUTAL (2018) is a prime and unforgettable example. All he says is that, if Lori follows his directions, she and The River Man shall meet. When not writing, reading or reviewing, Janine can be found at home with her husband and daughter, planning their next trip to Walt Disney World and drinking obscene amounts of coffee. I will admit to having something of a strong disposition when it comes to disturbing content. And the key is just the beginning of what is required of Lori to prove shes worthy of a madmans love. Steve Stred is the author of a number of novels, novellas and collections. Lori is a depraved protagonist, but the depths of this depravity only gradually become apparent over the course of the story. Readers will close the novel's cover in amazement of the disturbing journey Kristopher Triana has taken them. Thats what I like to hear. Abby discovers Loris abuse one night and when she confronts Lori, Lori pushes her over a cliff, leaving her brain damaged for the rest of her life. Truthfully, when this book was released, I completely missed it. The actors were also filmed from strategic vantage points so the bent part of. These teenage scenes are fascinating, once again the shrouding is superb, as everything moves into a shocking direction as the secrets are slowly, almost innocently, revealed by Lori. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy-adventure children's novel inspired by Chinese folklore. Its pretty eerie coming from Nick Drake when you know that he did in fact kill himself and you consider that this song may have been written during a time of rumination about where his own soul would go after death. 4.0 (439 ratings) Try for $0.00. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In his 2014 hit James Bay wants to hold back the river to stop for a second and focus on important things. Who allowed you ladies out of the house the man said angrily. Or even serial killers. Gone to See the River Man is one of three books by Kristopher Triana to appear on the 2021 Splatterpunk Award ballot see also Blood Relations and They All Died Screaming and once again it is built around the core theme of warped relationships Protagonist Lori forms the trunk of an entire family tree of relationships gone wrong. When the pair meet, Edmund gives Lori a mission, or a test, and this lies at the dark core of Gone to See the River Man. The end of each chapter leaves you wanting more and the use of jumping timelines keeps things fresh with each page. Pete idolises Abby, while Lori envies her attractiveness particularly when Abby enters a romantic relationship with a boy Lori herself desires. A tall man with a dark expression hauled the man off her and another took the purse and held out her hand to her to return it.
Emergency Solutions Grant Arkansas 2022,
Paul Brown Auction Kings Sister,
Articles G