Penpal

You can easily tell apart people who read a lot and people who spend a lot of time on reddit when you read reviews of this book. The redditors rave about it, but the readers are all too aware of its many flaws.

It was the redditors who caused me to buy this novel. In a thread that asked ‘what’s the scariest book you’ve ever read’ a great many posters mentioned this book, about a kid who is stalked for his entire childhood. It's creepy, terrifying, you won't sleep for weeks they said.

And they weren’t entirely wrong. The book is definitely creepy, and a few weeks after finishing it I find myself musing uneasily on some of the events within it, but here’s the thing; it’s not really a novel. It started life as a series of show more reddit posts, and that’s exactly how it reads. It’s all tell and no show, the characterisation is basically non existent, and the whole thing just feels unfinished. The author claims to have worked hard at turning his original posts into a novel, but it doesn’t show. I suspect most of his effort went into the vocabulary and sentence structure, because it reads like someone trying very hard to sound like a “real writer.” Even when the sections are being narrated by a five year old it reads like an adult taking themselves very seriously.

Each chapter of the book is an important event in the main characters life, but there’s nothing linking them together. It’s all ‘when I was five, this happened. When I was 9, this happened,” and so on. It feels very disjointed and the absence of any kind of bridging scenes stops you from really caring about the characters, and it stops it from feeling like an actual novel.

I mean, yeah, these scene are all creepy in a formulaic kind of way. They remind me a lot of urban legends, with each one having a “twist” ending. Problem is that the twists only work if you don’t think about them too hard, because if you do think about them you realise they make no logical sense. Any kind of realism or is pushed aside for the creepy factor and characters act in ways no sane human would so the twist endings can work.

I’m sure if you came across these stories in some dark corner of the internet late one night you would be completely freaked out by them. But packaged as a novel they don’t really work. It wasn’t a chore to read and like I said, if you don’t think about the twists are pretty effective, which is why I gave it as many stars as I did. Still, I would be careful of being taken in by the many five star reviews it has received. show less

It is extremely rare I read something solid enough to terrify me.
I mean TERRIFY. I looked at my hands while reading this at 2am and realized I was literally shaking! HOW? Me scared? The creep master ice queen? Yes friends, TERRIFIED and in fact traumatized. I loved every second of it!
This story is 100% believable, In fact I am pretty sure this is exactly what happens all the time when children go missing. Especially if you are a parent that loves your child, guaranteed this will shake you right down to your BONES, creep into your soul and become your new boogeyman that counters with some extreme paranoia.
In good news, while yes, bad things happen to children in this book, there is nothing too graphic that turns your stomach and groan show more at the author. NO.
This is extremely clever and well written. The author has sprinkled clues all over the place so its very important you pay attention. I bet you finish this book in a day or 2 because there is no way you can set it down, absolutely no way. You can feel the fear from the child's point of view when weird things start happening, but it is WAY WAY more terrifying when you read it from the adults perspective who has finally pieced it all together and the weight of this madness all comes at you full force.

Solid. Five. Stars.
In fact I need an extra star!
This landed as an immediate favorite, and I must revisit it soon!
Yes you read that right, Victoria actually wants to reread a book, despite being buried in 1,000 of waiting novels! I want to re-read to catch every last clue I might have glazed over! show less

Penpal by Dathan Auerbach is an excellent psychological thriller and hair-raising horror novel that lingers in your mind long after you've turned the last page. I had this book on my TBR list for quite some time, and finally getting around to it was well worth the wait. From the very first page, it grips you with an eerie, unsettling atmosphere that only intensifies as the story unfolds. It's a chilling descent into the unknown, and it doesn't let up until the very end.

What makes Penpal stand out is its simplicity—limited characters, yet so deeply fleshed out that you feel their fear, confusion, and helplessness. The storytelling is raw and emotional, building layer upon layer of unease. The events unravel like a puzzle, each piece show more darker than the last, leaving your brain spinning and your spine tingling. Despite the horror, the story manages to touch your heart, especially in how it captures the vulnerability of childhood and the weight of forgotten memories.

I was completely hooked and ended up finishing the book in a single day. It’s not just a thriller—it’s an experience. If you're a fan of psychological horror that messes with your mind, Penpal is a must-read. show less

Penpal started fairly ominously and I read it fairly quickly because it does keep you hooked.
Although each chapter is a (somewhat) different memory/snapshot from the protagonist's childhood and can feel pretty disjointed, they start and end the story explaining that these are little pieces of the puzzle that he didn't put together before, so it opens up intriguingly where you want to piece the puzzle together. I was expecting a twist or at least a reveal of who the Penpal was but it's left unresolved; you can take from it what you want. I felt as though there was some local paedophile who was stalking them, though it doesn't make sense why he chose Josh and not the protagonist? Why the protagonist's name is kept a secret is a mystery show more to me.
The friendship between the protagonist and Josh felt genuine and was enjoyable to read. The mother came across as caring but although she was a somewhat staple character throughout, she wasn't really fleshed out and it felt like she was a bit too far into the background.

I feel as though this book could've been so much better if it revealed a little more near the end! To me, it felt kind of confusing and like nothing came to a proper close. show less

A man is haunted by the events of his childhood and trying to understand a past he hasn’t been able to fully grasp until now. He decides to look back into his past and investigate a series of memories about strange, tragic, and downright horrifying events that occurred throughout his childhood. Through the help of his mother, memories begin to piece together to form a full picture of the interconnectedness between them. Each memory has gone on to shape the way this man’s life has unfolded, the fate of his childhood friendships, and his relationship with his mother.

Exploring the woods, going on adventures late at night, and telling scary stories are all part of growing up. Is there more to these innocent memories of youth? What show more really happened all those years ago?

PENPAL is a series of stories about a child’s past. The stories are told out of chronological order, but in the way that they were remembered when looking back. The order of the memories I learned is actually based on how the author posted the stories on Reddit. I loved that they weren’t in order and that I could connect the mysterious events and timeline on my own. Themes of darkness, feeling as though you’re being watched, and unease haunt the pages of this book. As the memories of the adventures of the man’s youth unfold, you can feel your skin begin to crawl. As a kid, sleepwalking into the woods and feeling as if you’re being watched aren’t that unsettling, but hearing the details that his mom provides to round out the facts of the stories are where the creep factor begins. I was genuinely uncomfortable several times while reading this book. I got chills and felt like someone was lurking behind me, which just made me love it all the more! PENPAL is an unsettling, captivating, and goosebump causing book! show less

The story unfolds in one-piece-of-the-puzzle-at-a-time fashion, so early insignificant details would lead to sudden, unsettling realizations pretty often, which was fun. As the events of this story fall into place, things escalate from a bit odd, to rather creepy, to very unnerving, to downright scary, to holy-sh*t horrific. I started the book late at night and stayed up until 4:00 a.m. reading it—just could not put it down. When I finished, the tragic and disturbing ending left me absolutely blown away. The narrator and characters are realistic and have depth, so I became emotionally invested in them and finally finding out what had happened made my heart plummet. I’m still thinking about what happened even though I read this days show more ago. It’s the type of book that stays with you and will color your perception of certain people and things in the future. I loved this and am buying copies to send to my friends and family. show less

ORIGINALLY POSTED: https://bibliomantics.com/2016/11/04/my-year-in-reading-cassie-las-october-2016-...

This creepypasta turned novel could have been great. Unfortunately, a non-linear narrative, way too many descriptive elements and all the filler made what could have been a superbly creepy horror story way less creepy. While I ultimately liked it and some of its chilling turns, Penpal has plenty of falts. Still curious? Read the shorter online version — which makes way more sense structurally — instead.