Below: Novella Review
Hello dearest reader and welcome back to Mondays with PLM. Also known as Book Review Day. I know I just made that up, but it’s canon now.
I honestly didn’t know if I would finish reading in time because I was swamped last week with a big art commission I needed to complete. Whew. It was a busy week and weekend. If you had told me this time a year ago that I would be getting paid for my digital art, I don’t know if I would have believed you.
Anyway, you’re not here to hear me go on about an art commission. You’re here for Mothman!
The Author
A paralegal during the day, Laurel Hightower is a Kentuckian (is that a term? or did I make that up?) horror author whose works include Crossroads, Whispers in the Dark, and Below. Her short fiction has also appeared in What One Wouldn’t Do, Terror in the Trench, and other anthologies. I was actually lucky enough to meet Hightower at Stokercon and get a signed copy of Below. She and I may have made a secret pact of secret things (I may have the picture to prove it) but I shan’t confirm anything.
[Hightower] definitely wants to see a picture of your dog, and often bonds with complete strangers over animal stories. A lifetime reader, she would raid her parents’ bookshelves from an early age, resulting in a number of awkward conversations about things like, “what does getting laid mean?” She loves discovering new favorite authors, and supporting the writing and reading community. — Hightower’s website
You can find Hightower on her website, Twitter, or Instagram.
The Novella
While driving through the mountains of West Virginia during a late-night snowstorm, a recently divorced woman experiences bizarre electrical problems, leaving her with little choice but to place her trust with a charismatic truck driver. But when an unexplainable creature with haunting red eyes gets between them, she is forced to make one of the toughest decisions of her life. Will she abandon the stranger who kept her safe—or will she climb down below, where reality has shapeshifted into a living nightmare? — Below Amazon page
Below follows Addy as she drives through West Virginian mountains, trying to reach friends and a horror convention (haven’t we all been there?) Unfortunately, she is plagued with bad luck. Like really bad bad luck. After a crash and as the temperatures drop, Addy must decide — how far will she go to help a kind stranger?
The Review
This novella grips you right by the throat from the very first page and does not let you go. Addy is a woman trying to find herself again after leaving her overbearing husband and she ends up in a horrific situation that truly tests her mettle. Riddled with suspense, explosions of action, and twists you’ll never see coming — this is one novella you should definitely read.
I mean for one thing: Mothman.
And another: the characters. Addy is a brilliant character, well-rounded and believable. I also enjoyed the complexity Hightower built into her relationship with her ex. Many times, a book will create an abusive ex to really drive it home why the main character had to live them. Addy’s ex wasn’t physically abusive but he was insidious, his behaviour erasing Addy bit by bit. It was terrifyingly realistic because I think a lot of people have been in that kind of relationship — where you don’t realize the other one is a wolf until you find your own self is nearly completely gone. I don’t know if that makes sense. Just know that Hightower’s characters are brilliantly done.
Next: the pacing. This was like a Hollywood action thrill ride. Hightower never lets go. And the twists? Like, I don’t want to sound egotistical but I can usually see a lot coming — whether it be horror movies or books — but I never saw what Hightower had planned. It was like riding a roller coaster. Exhilarating, breathless.
Also, fans of The Descent? You need this book.
Everyone else: you need this book.
10/10
x PLM
