Harry O. Morris

Toplin is weird. I enjoyed it, a lot, in fact-but I'll be damned if I can put my finger on why.

Part of the reason, for sure, is because it's different. Yes, there is an unreliable narrator but he's so far away from the usual unreliable narrator, they're not even in the same ball park. There is a sense I had while reading of being off balance, of not quite "getting it"; I'm sure it was done on purpose and I enjoyed that feeling. There was also a terrible sense of bleakness and isolation-they show more were both almost suffocating, yet I couldn't tear myself away.

After having read this, I think I know why there isn't a lot written about this story. It's hard to get across how it made me feel and why I liked it. It's certainly not for everyone and it's not your average, every day horror story either. In a way, I question whether it's even a horror story at all. It's certainly horrific at times, but is that enough to make it "horror"? I often felt bad for a lot of the characters and then I wondered if I was supposed to feel bad for them? Am I supposed to be ashamed of or for them? Should I feel afraid of them or do I pity them? Is this guy mentally ill or is he a fucking psycho? Or both?

If anything, this book makes you come to terms with how YOU are feeling and if you're comfortable feeling it. And that right there-a book that makes you examine yourself and your feelings, usually rates pretty high in MY book, and this one is no exception.

*I received an ecopy of Toplin from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is it.* show less

Harry keeps coming to visit Nicole so often, she had to write a book about him, and here it is. A twisted tale like NO other!

THE HALF-FREAKS defies neat genre labels; part character study, part weird tale, part awkwardly funny, it's hard to describe. Despite Harry vehemently stating often that he's no psycho like Norman Bates, (Nah! Nah!) he is still living with his mother, but he isn't a murderer. Or is he?

When his mother dies, Harry is forced to take part in the world, dealing with the show more hospital morgue and a less than savory funeral director. It's all way over his head..but not far enough so that he's going to let himself be ripped off.

Despite many disgusting traits, (this book delves deeply into them), there was something about Harry I found compelling. Even during his most repulsive actions, my eyes were glued to the page to see how it would all end up. I've been a fan of Nicole's work for a while now, and if this was any other author, I might have put this book down during an especially revolting moment Harry was having...with himself. But I trusted the author to bring it all home, which she did, just not in the way I expected.

Overall, THE HALF-FREAKS is guaranteed to be like nothing you've ever read before. Take that as a dare, if you will. I did!

Highly recommended!

Find out more and pre-order a copy, here: https://vastarien-journal.com/the-half-freaks/

*Thanks to Grimscribe Press for the paperback ARC of this novella in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.* show less