Housewife of Horror

Creature

Hunter Shea

Publication date – September 6^th 2018

Flame Tree Press

“Yep, better it was a figment of her imagination, a bit of spoiled gruel. If the shadow wanted to stay in the kitchen, let it”

What can I say about ‘Creature’......

It’s never a good idea to go to a cabin in the woods now is it.

Amazing book! I was totally enthralled from the start, the characters, the setting, the relationships, and of course, the monster; all wonderfully knitted together in this fantastic book. This was a thrilling read from start to finish. Exciting, emotional, intriguing – The dream sequences especially.

I found myself very involved, I felt like I was there, part of the family. The relationship between Kate and Andrew, Kate with her illness, and Andrew taking care of her, it was really something. It brought up quite a lot of emotion within me, I really felt for them, really cared for them. They are such a beautiful couple.

Andrew wants to do something perfect for his wife Kate, so he surprises her by taking a leave of absence from work and whisking her away on a summer vacation in her ideal lakeside cottage in Maine, surrounded by beautiful woodland and the neighbours a good few miles away. They won’t be disturbed, not by the neighbours anyway.

I really loved that this book wasn’t so much about the horror, and more, a lot more about the characters, specifically Andrew and Kate. The daily struggles of balancing home and work life. Andrew, working a job he hates (we all know that struggle) so much to pay the bills and take care of his wife. And Kate, suffering with a debilitating autoimmune disease (Lupus and Ehlers-Danlos), struggling every second with her pain, not just physically, but emotionally. She has a constant battle with her inner demons as they manifest themselves into her reality.  It was the little things, the tenuous relationship with her mother, who favours her brother Ryker, as well as her close bond with Ryker and his wife Nikki. I loved the little nicknames they have for each other, Andrew referring to Kate as ‘Crip’ was adorable I thought.

I appreciated how deep into their personal lives we were taken, the anger Andrew feels at times towards Kate for being ill, and then at himself for feeling that way. It really hit home how difficult it must be living in a situation like that, how frustrating and crushing it must get. How helpless you must feel sometimes when all you want is for the person you love to be well and happy, and how terribly difficult it must be to see them suffer. And it goes without saying, how much of a waking nightmare at times it must be for the person suffering.

The part of the book I found most disturbing was not the monster and the carnage it created, but Nikki, Kate’s sister in law. For me, she was the most terrifying aspect; her change in personality was truly shocking. The nastiness and hate that came from within her when her husband was killed was horrific. What was even more frightening to me was how true this is, after such a traumatic experience, seeing her husband die in such a way, I could very much understand her anger and resentment of Kate.

I am very grateful I was given the opportunity to read this book prior to its release date. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

5/5 – I’d struggle to give it anything less

Lesley-Ann (Housewife of Horror)