I have two previous experiences of reading books by Daniel Kraus that should have forewarned me.
The sounds and voices that narrate this story are scarier than anything you’ll imagine in your head.Boy, is this book dark. But what can I say about the power of spoken words? Scowler may prove to be more frightening as an audiobook. This is not a book for marshmallows like me, and I would recommend it for true horror fans only-those of you who can read Stephen King and shrug. Ry's memories of the suffering he and JoBeth endured, and the events that led to his father Marvin's incarceration, are horrific and only heighten the panic of their current situation. The countdowns, both before and after the impact, begin each chapter and add to the suspense. Shortly thereafter, the explosive crash of a meteorite on the family farm lends a surreal, otherworldly quality to all the events that follow. A stranger's appearance outside their home foreshadows the vise of terror that will grip 19 year old Ry Burke, his mother, JoBeth and sister, Sarah. There are some very dark places the author explores in the psychotic mind of a father and the rapidly deteriorating sanity of a son. Really, I could only listen to this in small increments because the story had me so rattled. I am not a horror fan and to Daniel Kraus' credit, his writing was so descriptive and chilling that at times, I felt ill.
I was also looking for something outside my comfort zone and Scowler definitely fit that bill.
The fact that it's on the YALSA reading list was my main reason for selecting it. That said, while I certainly applaud the merits of the audio performance and the novel's extraordinary writing, Scowler was not a story I enjoyed, and had I been reading it rather than listening to the audiobook, this is one book I would have put down early on. The way he vocalized each individual's distinctive personality-from the deep gritty sound of Marvin Burke, to Sarah's soft, slurry tenor and the exaggerated voices of Ry's toys-added a masterful layer to a story already rife with physical and psychological trauma. The narrator was the amazingly talented Kirby Heyborne, who did a truly remarkable job bringing these characters to life.
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