What Happened Was Impossible

by E.F. Schraeder

Everyone knows the woman who escapes a massacre is a final girl, but who is the final boy? What Happened Was Impossible follows the life of Ida Wright, a man who knows how to capitalize on his childhood tragedies...even when he caused them.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2023

About the author

Active member of the Horror Writer's Association

Member of Science Fiction Poetry Association

E.F. Schraeder writes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In addition to anthologies, recent creative work has appeared in a number of journals including Mobius: The Journal of Social Change, The NonBinary Review, Strange Horizons, and others. Schraeder's short non-fiction has appeared in Vastarien: A Literary Journal (Vol. 4.1), Bloody Women, and other venues.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
I liked the twist in the story. It did stagger a bit in the middle for a few pages but overall an ok read.The characters were good and its one of those stories that you could have a follow up book. An easy breezy read. This narcissistic killer is confusing but interesting.

Thanks to the author, ghoulish books and booksirens. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snagged this from Ghoulish Books at Killer Con last month because I love Schraeder’s work, and this did not disappoint. Schraeder delivers her deliciously sardonic tone on every page, and I could not put this book down.

[Rachel M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good quick read, it did loose me in some parts though and left me not quite following the story as I prob should have been, but overall it a good story.

[Gabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from BookSirens in exchange for my completely honest opinion

It was an interesting read, but I feel like it would benefit from being a bit longer. It was pretty fast-paced, but I feel like we didn't get the time as readers to let certain events sink in before it was all over.

[Maryanne Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, What Happened Was Impossible, by EF Schraeder, was intensely fast-paced and as tight of a story I've read! I really enjoyed this book!

[History · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced and wicked fun. Loved the surreal twist and this take on the cultural fascination with sociopaths.

[Raghav · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Happened Was Impossible is a very unique book that breaks many boundaries in terms of genre and execution.

Told through multiple POVs, it starts with the suspicious suicide of Caroline Wright and develops into a possible noir-like whodunnit. The main characters around whom the story revolves are the Wright family, in particular, Ida and Jade Wright, children of the deceased.

During this section of the book, the author captures the angst of the characters while defining their personalities and, in the process, provides the reader with ample clues and red herrings to possibly solve the mystery.

However, things take a surprising turn mid-way as the book takes a time jump, pretty much revealing the mystery we started with. Now though, the story eases into the hunt and entrapment of a serial killer, thus, giving vibes of a psychological thriller.

I enjoyed the thought process behind the plot, which did catch my attention from the get-go. Nevertheless, there are times when things get a little confusing and speed through, possibly to keep the story short.

Additionally, a hint of supernatural in the plot takes it away from realism, which I would have liked more. Also, the comings and goings of multiple characters, some of whom play a limited part, require a bit of slow reading to grasp what’s happening.

Still, What Happened Was Impossible captivates with its ingenuity, and I admire the author’s choice not to take the easy way out in terms of plot construction. And a special mention for the ending… I loved it!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[SparksJoyCon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars out of 5

Firstly, I liked the unsettling concept of a sociopath (i think I used the right term for this) that everyone loves. It's something a lot of serial killers essentially had that allowed them to get away with a lot for so long. From beginning, the veil of Ida fell down in front of the reader and we saw exactly how manipulative he could be. He also could be anyone I've come across which is disturbing. At first, his POV regarding how he viewed women was grating, but when I looked at the big picture, I realized that it made sense for his character.

Now as for the negative parts, I'm not sure if there were any supernatural elements or just thematic.

Even if it was supernatural in nature, it wasn't explained well in terms of what Ida was doing. I couldn't picture it at first and had to re-read parts to make sure I got it right. I don't need hand-holding when describing actions in a book, but it does need some cohesion, and I felt like the writing had moments of going on tangents that went nowhere. Characters would be introduced that didn't really add to the story, short as it was. It seemed like the author was doing a little world building, but I didn't feel like it needed it.

If the story was longer and had more thriller elements (i.e., more investigations, more evidence to be found, etc.) , this could be more of a 5 star book. The main character definitely seemed to get more love in his characterization.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Overall I think this was an interesting read. I was very captivated at the beginning, and the premise of the story was great, but I found it got a bit lost. There were some parts where I was a bit confused as to who was talking, or what was being said (this may be just an issue with the ARC version and more clarity will be in the published book). I think had this book been a little longer the story would have been more impactful. It felt rushed at times and I didn't get a real sense of connection to any of the characters aside from Jade, and that's only because of an aspect of her core identity. One last thing was I expected there to at least be some small explanation as to why Jade was named after her Aunt Jade (who is also present in the book. Two characters who interact with the same name was another part where I occasionally got confused, but the context usually helped me sort it out). If some explanation had been given, I feel like I would've been able to connect more with the characters. It was just little details like this that I think were overlooked, that could've added a lot to the story. However, I did enjoy reading it and I would read something else written by the same author.

[M.R. Pin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery Thriller... In the mind of a killer?

Yeah, that's the feeling you get after a while... Although... I got as confused as the characters... Is this the killer? Is that one? Or that one?? Who is it?!?!

This short read does get interesting after a while, but it takes its own time, slow and steady, but somehow at first is a bit confusing and maybe not that easy to follow... There's a lot of character, a lot to follow, two of them with the same name which gets rather confusing at some parts... Is this Jade the aunt or the kid? My question all throughout the first half...

Second half was more to my liking, more thrilling, more weird somehow? The story goes from a normal mystery novel to psychic events and all that! But not in a (very) confusing way...

Overall I believe that it would need a bit of a polish specially around the characters but it's a nice nerve racking story!

This book was freely provided by BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

[Jay Kulpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lean, mean, fleet read - one I wouldn't mind if it had more meat on it's bones. A series of snapshots around a life shaped by serial murders, with an almost epistolary multi-narrator format, What Happened Was Impossible worked best for me because whenever characters were moving from suspicions to dread - but there's always questions. There's a sprinkle of the possibly supernatural and a blessedly no-nonsense "Scooby Gang"... of genuine adults just tired of a killer's BS.
Again, a sleek, fast read with zero fat, I'll probably revisit soon because the clues were there but the mysteries the characters were left with feel very real.

(I received an advance copy and am under no obligation to review - but its worth writing about)

[ania | hellishreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

i definitely expected something else from the description re: final boy which is a shame cos the story in itself was interesting!

i don’t see ida as a final boy (although the term is used in a clever way at one point) but it was interesting following him from childhood to adulthood, his way of manipulating the people around him, how he sees women, and how that informs his choices. he’s definitely not a nice dude that’s for sure lmao

it was super quick to get through and the choices for chapters following specific characters was fun! definitely will have to look into the authors other works 👀

// arc courtesy of booksirens.

[Emily Stiffler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens and Ghoulish Books for the chance to review this book! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5/5 stars—
I can’t put my finger on exactly what I didn’t like about this book, but I know that it got a little confusing for me halfway through. I feel like the vibes of the story shifted in an unexpected way. It was not necessarily bad, but it just got confusing for me.

I did, however, really enjoy the writing and the way the story was laid out. For example, each chapter focused on a different character perspective.

I am definitely interested in reading more by this author!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ida's Mother commits suicide and young boys who resemble him are disappearing from the swimming pool he works at.

E.F. Schraeder's novella is a fast paced tale following the life of Ida after his Mother's suicide. Its told from a number of different points of view, including interviews and diary entries. There's lots to unpack in this book, but there's a nice sense of humour throughout as well as the mind bending horror.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Krystan Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by Ida’s background. I believe it could have been beneficial for this story to be longer and to have a bit more detail. I found myself wanting more nuggets of the psychopathic tendencies of the main character. A couple parts seemed rushed which was a bummer and it got a bit confusing at the end. Overall a very solid original concept for a book and was a super fast read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Anastacia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is an interesting book on many levels. Imagine a man that can control people, like Firestarter and Sole Survivor. Now imagine a crack team with a psychic trying to convince the police and public it's happening. The man is also charming and good looking, like Damien in the Omen. Fun times. This book is told in multiple perspectives, and I was engrossed.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn't get it! This story felt rushed and didn't really make sense to me. I feel like the concept of using numbers for psychic powers could have been really interesting if there were any explanation at all. I appreciated receiving this free ARC through BookSirens but I was a bit let down by the story.

[Lucian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast read. A interesting mixture of horror, science fiction, and crime. I enjoyed that we never fully understand how certain events came about. Ida Wright is a terrifying sociopath who loves attention, whether positive or negative. The lengths he will go for this attention says everything about who he truly is. A very strong 3.5 for me.

[Gwen Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost put this book down and didn't pick it back up. I didn't get hooked until halfway through, but once I was hooked I needed to finish the story. The pacing is staggered and the characters are a bit flat in the beginning. However, the climax had a good pay off.

[Kayli Scholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful mixture of true crime and horror. I loved the voices and pacing. So well done!

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start was slightly confusing, the perspectives switching constantly and without letting you know who you were reading. The story was enjoyable but felt rushed (it is a v short book).

[Joan Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank You E. F. Schraeder and BookSirens.

This book was an entertaining short story about a Dysfunctional Family with a sociopath brother. I felt it could have been more developed in some parts. The writing style was not that smooth and there were a few editing issues. The story concept was fascinating. It's a solid 3.5.

Some vibes of the Television show Dexter.