Mike Cahoon
What does it mean to be haunted nowadays? Virtually every culture in human history has a mythology concerning some incarnation of life after death. Stories about ghosts, spirits, demons and devils…they are as prevalent as any religion on earth. We have long been fascinated by the idea of otherworldly forces reaching out from beyond the veil, mysterious, often malevolent, and an ever present cultural touchstone that remains a staple in our modern media. But how do these myths and superstitions manifest in the age of the internet and smart phones and skepticism as the default setting for most normal people? Gus Moreno’s modern horror novel delves into that question in a book that is undeniably unsettling and uniquely captivating.
Using the all too real set up, This Thing Between Us hits the ground running by plunging the reader into the midst of a survivors struggle to cope with his wife’s untimely and gruesome passing. Our protagonist and point of view character is Thiago, an underachieving, second generation immigrant who lives his life perpetually as an outsider. He is a non-Spanish speaking Mexican who’s never quite fit in anywhere and never been able to make things in his life quite come together. Through a series of semi-secondary point of view flashbacks, we come to understand that the only thing in his life that truly seems to grant him some sense of belonging is his relationship to his now deceased wife, Vera. Interlaced between the current events of Thiago dealing with the fall out of Vera’s death, the retroactive unfolding and dissection of the relationship between them is truly one of the highlights of the novel. It builds in the reader a strong sense of connection with the couple and helps deepen the dread one feels as Moreno allows the events leading to her death to be revealed.
For my full review, please visit: https://mikecahoon.com/this-thing-between-us-by-gus-moreno/
Originally posted at mikecahoon.com.
What does it mean to be haunted nowadays? Virtually every culture in human history has a mythology concerning some incarnation of life after death. Stories about ghosts, spirits, demons and devils…they are as prevalent as any religion on earth. We have long been fascinated by the idea of otherworldly forces reaching out from beyond the veil, mysterious, often malevolent, and an ever present cultural touchstone that remains a staple in our modern media. But how do these myths and superstitions manifest in the age of the internet and smart phones and skepticism as the default setting for most normal people? Gus Moreno’s modern horror novel delves into that question in a book that is undeniably unsettling and uniquely captivating.
Using the all too real set up, This Thing Between Us hits the ground running by plunging the reader into the midst of a survivors struggle to cope with his wife’s untimely and gruesome passing. Our protagonist and point of view character is Thiago, an underachieving, second generation immigrant who lives his life perpetually as an outsider. He is a non-Spanish speaking Mexican who’s never quite fit in anywhere and never been able to make things in his life quite come together. Through a series of semi-secondary point of view flashbacks, we come to understand that the only thing in his life that truly seems to grant him some sense of belonging is his relationship to his now deceased wife, Vera. Interlaced between the current events of Thiago dealing with the fall out of Vera’s death, the retroactive unfolding and dissection of the relationship between them is truly one of the highlights of the novel. It builds in the reader a strong sense of connection with the couple and helps deepen the dread one feels as Moreno allows the events leading to her death to be revealed.
For my full review, please visit: https://mikecahoon.com/this-thing-between-us-by-gus-moreno/
Originally posted at mikecahoon.com.