Omg I loved this. I can’t even explain, it hit me right in the feels. Scary, satisfying, and cathartic 🥹.

 

Energy: Enduring. Hopeful. Imaginative. 

 

🐩 Tail Wags: Becky as a main character (so relatable). Cinematic writing (effortlessly played out in my mind’s eye). The pacing and ratio of mysteries to reveals. The slashings and gore (just enough detail to be scary, not enough to be cheesy). The balance of funny sarcastic moments to horrific ones without feeling campy. Vindicating story for introverts and neurodivergents. Bizarre yet oddly satisfying ending.

 

Scene: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Set in Scotland near Edinburgh

Perspectives: Our main character discovers a set of VHS tapes in their house wall while renovating and sets about trying to view them, leading to a series of life-changing events and realizations. 

Timeline: 1984 and current (2010s or 2020s).

🔥 Fuel: Mysteries. Murderous intentions. Emotional stakes. Compelling characters. Romantic tension. Pacing. Blast from the Past. What happened on the children’s show from the 1980s? What will be on the VHS tapes hidden in the walls? Why is Becky’s childhood photo on a missing poster? 

📖 Cred: Magical surrealism

 

Home renovation. Missing poster. Nursery rhymes. Subliminal edits. Rotten eggs. Lighthouse. VCR. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Self-mutilation. Dementia (on page; parent). Loss of parent (as toddler). Ableism (dismissing, ignorance, antagonizing). Domestic abuse (physical attacks). Murder, body horror, gore, dismemberment. Infidelity, betrayal (on page). Sexual content (on page; descriptive). Vomit. Corpses. Gun violence (police). Panic attacks (on page).

 

Rep: Scottish. British. Cis. Hetero. Ambiguous skin tones. Autism spectrum.

 

📚 Format: Kindle Unlimited

 

My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶

🤩 Potential Fav of 2024