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AUTHOR INFO: Ronald Malfi is the award-winning author of several horror novels, mysteries, and thrillers, including the bestselling horror novel Come with Me. He is the recipient of two Independent Publisher Book Awards, the Beverly Hills Book Award, the Vincent Preis Horror Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, and his novel Floating Staircase was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Maryland and tweets at @RonaldMalfi
Publisher: Titan (July 19th, 2022) Page count: 448 Formats: ebook, paperback
Black Mouth was my first book by Malfi. I'm intrigued. The story follows childhood friends who reunite in their hometown. Jamie Warren returns to bury his mother and care for his developmentally disabled brother Dennis. Mia meets a strange junkie who reminds her of things she'd rather forget. Clay wants to stay away from trouble, but life and Mia's e-mail convince him to revisit the horrors of his childhood.
They have been running away from the memories of a tragic summer and unnamed darkness. Years ago, a one-eyed homeless man taught them magic. But unfortunately, accessing the well of power required a terrible deed. I won't tell you if they have committed it, not to spoil the story. Anyway, escaping the mysterious man's influence came at a high cost. Four of them decide to hunt the monster and confront their pasts.
Malfi excels at writing atmospheric, quiet, and unsettling horror. It's not scary but disturbing in a subtle way. I liked Malfi's rich prose, but I had to be in the right mood to read it; it's pretty dense and descriptive. The narrative kept me tensely off-balance and remained surprising until the memorable ending.
The characters are great, complex, and believable, if not always sympathetic. Take Jon - a not-fully recovered alcoholic filled with anger and remorse for being out of his disabled brother's life. Dennis, in turn, is physically imposing and supernaturally sensitive. But not able to deal with the world outside. Clay suffers from vitiligo, making him an outsider for most of his life. And Mia... Mia is cool and no-nonsense but emotionally wrecked.
The titular Black Mouth is the collapsed coal pit. The location, the village mystery, and the haunting is explored with imagination and care for details. Malfi plays with familiar horror elements but twists them here and there to create something fresh and deeply unsettling.
The narrative follows a dual timeline - a present-day story and past events. I liked the structure - it slowly revealed things hidden in memories and reasons for characters' behavior.
As mentioned earlier, dense prose and detailed descriptions make Black Mouth a slower and moody read. Overall, I enjoyed it, but saying I couldn't put it down would be a lie. Sometimes, I had to encourage myself to finish the story.
Black Mouth is an intriguing book about friendship, overcoming personal demons (alcoholism, drugs), and giving yourself a second chance. Fans of slow-burn psychological horror and rich prose will be thrilled. Readers who prefer "louder" books will still enjoy it, but only when they're in the right mood.
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