Corrosion

by Jon Bassoff

A mysterious Iraq war veteran with a horribly scarred face ... A disturbed young man in a strange mountain town ... A masked preacher with a terrible secret ... Amidst a firestorm of violence, betrayal, and horror, their three worlds will eventually collide in an old mining shack buried deep in the mountains.

Corrosion, the shattering debut novel by Jon Bassoff, is equal parts Jim Thompson, Flannery O'Connor, and William Faulkner and an unforgettable journey into the underbelly of crime and passion. Drawn from the darkest corners of the human experience, it is sure to haunt listeners for years to come.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Noir, Novels, The United States Of America

252 pages, Paperback

First published December 21, 2017

About the author

Jon Bassoff is the author of nine novels. His mountain gothic novel, CORROSION, has been translated in French and German and was nominated for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, France’s biggest crime fiction award. His psycho-noir novel, THE DISASSEMBLED MAN, has been adapted for the big screen with a filming date set to begin within the next hundred years. He also wrote the screenplay for BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE, which was named semi-finalist at the New York Cinematography Awards and a finalist at the Seattle Film Festival for best short film.

His novels have been lauded by authors like Craig Johnson (LONGMIRE series), James Grady (SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR), Rob Hart (THE WAREHOUSE), Paul Trembley (A HEADFUL OF GHOSTS), S.A. Cosby (RAZORBLADE TEARS, Ramsey Campbell (THE HUNGRY MOON), Tom Piccirilli (LAST KIND WORDS), and Marcus Sakey (BRILLLIANCE Trilogy). His work has also been featured several times in New York Magazine. For his day job, Bassoff teaches high school English where he is known by students and faculty alike as the deranged writer guy. He is a connoisseur of tequila, hot sauces, psychobilly music, and flea-bag motels.

Reviews

[Mark Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Unforgettable. A bit mesmerizing. Corrosion is an incredible piece of work. It is a Darkfuse title, which means it is automatically going to be good, but for me, this was a step above. I picked it up on the kindle select program, and so glad I did. The voices of the characters pop from the page. Rich in detail, in setting, in character, plot twists, and with a unique narration that hit its mark with me. I couldn’t help but think of what effort this must have taken to write. There is a message in here that spoke to me about how the presumed back story of a character can completely change your perspective. In the field of mental health therapy, there is a technique known as “Narrative Therapy”, where one changes the narrative of their own personal history in order to rewrite themselves and give themselves a new identity. Well, this takes that to new dark depths.

There is not so much horror here as there is terror and tension and a brilliant touch of nihilism. Fans of Rust Cohle from True Detective, take note. (Sidenote: Matthew McConaughey, why oh why did you do those nauseating Lincoln Mercury commercials! I take back all those wonderful things I said and even thought about you.)

Back to the praise for the author (who I do not believe has done a car commercial).

I want to be in one of Bassoff’s English lit classes to listen in on a lecture someday. (I am pretty sure that, from my author stalking, that is what he does for his day job.) There are so many sentences oin Corrosion that I highlighted on my kindle that made me go “Damn! That is brilliant”, in both their simplicity and complexity. Any one of them could have made a whole novel, but there were dozens. For example this one: “And then silence, God hanging from a noose.”

I’ve got a pretty big man-crush on Jon Bassoff at this point, if you couldn’t tell. I plan to sneak into his house, and gather up the scrap sentences from his novels that he wrote but edited out (because I am sure they are lying all over his floor somewhere and that even these sentences are incredible.) Then, I am piecing them together for my own work. Pretty soon, BAMN! My name is Jon Bassoff. I am from Colorado, and I write Mountain Goth and I teach English and I may even put up a goodreads profile someday. (since it seems the real Jon Bassoff has not).

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this novel (in one day--yes, it was THAT addictive!), the first thing that came to my mind after my conscious thought returned was "WOW!" However, I noticed that another reviewer already came up with that (LOL!), so I'll try to elaborate a little more.

There isn't much that I can say about the storyline itself without giving away too much. This is an incredible novel that will seep into your very core as you're reading it. And when it does sink in, it will leave you thinking, "how could he have come up with this?"--in a good way! This is a book that demands your attention, and the end payoff when you "get" everything that you've just read is a feeling nothing short of breathtaking. This is superb writing! The minds of the characters are so well developed that I didn't have a moment of "that wouldn't have happened"....everything was just so flawlessly executed that--as a reader--I questioned nothing, and let Jon Bassoff's words take me where they would.

For those of you looking for a deep novel that will completely encompass your life for several hours, this is it.

Highly recommended!

[Ellen Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars! Corrosion is horror noir, a seedy tale of identity and secrets.

Truth time: I almost DNFed this before the halfway mark. The story took it's sweet time to churn, and for a short novel, I struggled to get into it. (Also fair warning: The dialogue is sans quotation marks. Heads up if that's a dealbreaker for you.) However, I'm glad I continued. Perseverance is a virtue, or blahbitty blah blah or something. But this isn't a story about virtue. No. OHHHHH no.

I was beginning to think that there wasn't a single righteous person in the world. I was beginning to think that everybody had secrets, terrible secrets.



I hesitate to say too much about the plot? It doesn't rely on huge twists or massive reveals, but I was impressed by the quiet way the main character was allowed to evolve. There wasn't some big door slamming, face-punching revelation that Joseph Downs was not Joseph Downs, that he was in fact Benton Faulk. This isn't a man playing pretend at stealing someone's identity. Benton Faulk in his mind became Joseph Downs. Just as he changes again at the end, this is who he fundamentally believes himself to be.

Our main character is NOT a nice dude. He's not an antihero, or a villain you can root for. He's a nasty dude who does bad things. His soul is in a constant state of corrosion.

TITLE DROP!



Anyway. Plot wise, the second half was when things really started to click for me. Excellent use of a super extended flashback sequence (I guess that's what you'd call it? Is it even a flashback if it goes on for over a chapter? Cause I mean that's not a flash.)

Really, it's not a scary sort of horror. I wanted to be scared out of my pants (disclaimer: not wearing pants. It's as hot as the devils ass-crack here), but I found this pretty light on the traditional scares. It's a more gritty, pulpy, bottom of the sand-pit kind of horror story. The fear is in what the characters might do, what people are capable of. It's a very creative and unusual fit into the horror genre, and I appreciate that.

Memories get mixed up memories change one person remembers it one way somebody else remembers it a different way.

I'm glad I stuck this out. It took a while, but once I got fully into Corrosion, the pages sped on by. It's not my favorite horror novel ever, (and don't ask me to pick one, because oh my god, I could never), but I am glad that I read it.

Horror noir is a genre that has so much to offer, and this strange little book fits right in.

[Paul Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corrosion is the masterfully written début by Jon Bassoff, a cross between No Country for Old Men and Sin City, but a hell of a lot darker and dirtier.

Written in first person from three perspectives the author mixes tough narrative with disturbing thought and it’s a runaway success. Like Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men there are no quotes around the spoken work but it’s distinctively clear what’s going on and it works really well. First person when done right can be a thrilling reading experience, being inside the mind of a character brings a certain intimacy and conversely, done wrong can kill the interest very quickly. The question is can you stand being in the slightly disturbed minds portrayed in this book, its well worth finding out.

The first character we meet is Joseph Downs an Iraq war veteran, horrifically burnt by an IED, his car breaks down just outside a small Colorado town and he’s stuck there for the foreseeable future. While in a bar he violently intervenes in an argument between a woman and her husband and pretty soon she’s knocking on his hotel room door, playing Joseph like a cat plays with a mouse and when she hands him a gun, things get plenty serious. Being in the mind of Joseph Downs bought back memories of Marv from Sin City and he is a dark, absorbing and completely consuming character. His thoughts always return back to his ultimate destination, a place known as the Mountain and we see as he resists until he can’t stay away.

The second character we meet is Benton Faulk, sometime in the past, a 16 year old boy with a mother on her deathbed and a crazy father desperately trying to save her. It’s fascinating to be with this boy as his balance of rational thought slowly wastes away. The third character is the masked Reverend Wells, a preacher who takes a hard-line view on the sinful and it’s gripping as we see how these characters are linked together.

What’s with Joseph Downs, an undoubtedly brutal past and the desire to get back to the mountain, what extremity is Benton Faulk heading for? And the Reverend, another one with secrets, what’s his story?

Highly recommended, the plot is enthralling, the first person narrative puts you right there in the story with these flawed characters and I shall certainly be on the lookout for more from Jon Bassoff.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a few minutes I wished that I were dead but then I worried about hell and what it would bring.

I would describe myself as an avid reader of noir and dark fiction. I feel like I've read lots of great work in these genres. But every now and then I find something that takes me by surprise. Author Jon Bassoff has been on my radar for a while and I've finally made it to his work with this pitch black, mind-blowing debut noir.

Back up the mountain, shotgun over one shoulder, bride over the other. And now, forever, snow falling, wind howling, boots crunching, breath wheezing, devil laughing.

I don't want to talk too much about the story but it treads some familiar waters in regards to content but in an original and creative way that makes it totally addictive and compulsively readable. From its fiery, crackerjack prose, its parallel POV structure, its evolving narrarator, and its heavy themes, this is sly sneaky, and nimbly controlled work that is constantly surprising as the revelations are slowly revealed. And most importantly, it's a brave examination of its troubled protagonists. This one puts Bassoff even more on my radar in a major way.

I used to not believe in God, his father has said, but now, I'm a changed man, a true believer. Only a Supreme Being could create such misery and mayhem.

[11811 (Eleven) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a dark read and most of the darkness I didn't see coming until BAM! -- Bludgeoned by darkness!!!

The prose was excellent. The no quotes thing may throw some people but it didn't bother me personally. If Cormac McCarthy can get away with it then I see no reason why this guy can't.

Excellent pacing, characters, and a near brilliant story. This got a lot of hype when it was released and it deserves it.

[Frank Errington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've long been a believer in strong opening lines and Jon Bassoff delivers in this, his first published novel. "I was less than 20 miles from the Mountain when the engine gave out, smoke billowed from the hood, and Red Sovine stopped singing."

Corrosion is full of good writing and features one of the most twisted, demented protagonists I've ever encountered. I truly believe we are a product of our environment, "And the boy, eight maybe nine years old, cowlick in his hair, grinning goofily, unaware of his future, unaware of the death and despair that would surround him for the rest of his days, unaware of the sickness that would destroy his mother, the corrosion of her body, the corrosion of his father's mind, the corrosion of his own soul."

As I read Corrosion, my mind kept coming back to the new HBO series "True Dectective." It's gritty, it's real, and it pulls no punches. The writer asks, "Truth? What is truth?" When is the truth also not the truth? " My name is Joseph Downs. I served my country proudly."

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of Corrosion especially when the author took us back seven years in Part Two and then tied it all together in Part Three and Part Four was just like a big slice of pie with your coffee.

I certainly look forward to more from Jon Bassoff. Corrosion is available now from Darkfuse Press in both paperback and ebook formats through Amazon.com.

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this a while ago and I just remember it being confusing due to the no quotes. The prose was original yet chaotic, jumping from here to there with an unnatural, but quick flow.

For me this read stayed too drab and I sometimes lost interest or just wanted to move on. That's not to say that this author is lacking in talent. Far from it.

For a new writer, there was a certain depth to this read that some seasoned writers have yet to accomplish.

Corrosion is a disturbingly dark read that is sure to make you think.

"Memories get mixed up memories change one person remembers it one way somebody else remembers it a different way"

Check out www.horrorafterdark.com for reviews and more~

[Kim (Wistfulskimmies Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Joseph Downs. He is on the way to the Mountains when his pickup breaks down. He is forced to seek refuge in the nearest town while his truck is fixed. Horribly scarred while doing service in Iraq- peoples reactions to him are varied. But is Joseph all he seems?

This was a truly unique book. I must admit it took me a while to get used to the strange narrative but once I did, there was no stopping me. The story was gritty, and visceral and will stay with me for a long time I think. That's partly why I have left this review for a couple of days, as I was still inwardly digesting the story. I loved the characters, they had an edge and a rawness that appealed to me. The pace was unrelenting, and forced me to read it in three sittings! All in all, this is a belter of a debut, and would be thrilled to read more from this author.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as the beginning chapters of this novel get you inside the head of a violent and obviously whacked individual, it in no way prepares you for the descent into craziness as the novel progresses. Hard to say much about the plot without totally spoiling the progression. There's the introduction to a killer, some killing, some creepy backstory, and then the killer resumes his (present day) killing, until a denouement of sorts, and then a surprise ending. Throughout the language is intense, concrete, and visceral. And the narration from within insanity is totally convincing and chilling. What is so scary about this narration is that it seems totally real and plausible: there are people out there in the world just like this, of that I have no doubt, and Bassoff has given life to one on the page.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And now, forever, snow falling, wind howling, boots crunching, breath wheezing, devil laughing.”

Extremely creative and dark. Corrosion is a disturbing journey following a small cast of characters and the insanity that envelops them, both before and after, their worlds collide.

Some good turns in this one that kept me on my toes. Brutality. Betrayal. Madness. A super solid debut novel from Jon Bassoff. 4+ Stars. Highly Recommended.

[Heath Lowrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not too often a new novel comes along that you can call "psycho-noir" and not be wildly inaccurate. True psycho-noir is a rare and darkly beautiful thing; well-done psycho-noir even more so.

CORROSION, by Jon Bassoff, is a well-done psycho-noir. No, it's more than that-- it's a bit of a masterpiece, really, probably the best I've read since Allan Guthrie's SLAMMER. It's devious and disturbing, with an underlying sense of dread that keeps your guts in an uproar and absolutely refuses to let you stop reading.

Bassoff tells a sort of a duel story here, first with the horribly disfigured Joseph Downs, an obviously disturbed veteran of the war in Iraq. Joseph gets involved with the wrong woman (a tried-and-true standard starting point for noir stories) and it inevitably leads to violence and depravity. But Bassoff takes a left turn after that, subverting the old noir tropes and focusing on Joseph's fragile psyche after being betrayed.

The second part of CORROSION skips backwards a few years and tells the first-person story of Benton Faulks, a lonely, messed-up kid dealing with his dying mother, a father going slowly insane, and his insatiable lust (love?) for an older woman who wants nothing to do with him. Reading Benton's slow descent into a kind of madness that makes even his father look sane is hard; when Benton begins acting out his fantasies of being a sort of super-hero soldier, it's horrifying.

Savvy readers will probably guess the connection between these two narratives early on. But it's still fascinating to see the way Bassoff plays it out, to see the way he ties the threads together and allows his tale to loop around on itself. Some reviewers have compared his style and his themes to Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner and Jim Thompson, and I suppose that's all true. But Bassoff has a style of his own, obsessions deeper and darker than those three brilliant influences would probably have dared to go.

For true modern psycho-noir, you can't do much better than this one.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever had one of those recurring nightmares that sometimes incorporates slightly different elements? That’s kind of what Corrosion by debut author Jon Bassoff is like. A horribly scarred war veteran saves a damsel in distress, and then does the unthinkable in the name of “love,” only to be rejected by said damsel. A young man leaves his isolated mountain home in search of his father, a mental patient. A curbside preacher in a mask warns of the horrors of eternal damnation. What do they have in common? Each has past issues that have created a slight blip on their mental radar. Each has sinned, been rejected, and may actually be a part of each other in a twisted and “dog-eat-dog” way.

Jon Bassoff built a bleak world around each of his characters, dingy towns, dingy hotel rooms, satellite characters that feel unkempt, slightly slimy and damaged. I felt I was crawling through the underbelly of life. Each section of the book featured one of the three above mentioned personalities. All revere the word of God, is that coincidence or something else? Are these lost souls dealing with their own Hell on Earth? I would suggest you buckle in for this one, because the twists that creep up on you could give you whiplash trying to absorb it all! Mr. Bassoff’s mind is a creative and fertile ground for the dark and strangely haunting. You’ve been warned!


Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Publisher: DarkFuse
ISBN-10: 1937771806
ISBN-13: 978-1937771805
Number of Pages: (Paperback) 252 pages
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery-Thrillers
Author's Website

Amazon

For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

[Rob Twinem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly effective tour de force told in the first person which is brutal in its execution. The language is highly emotive and the imagery, although at times disturbing, tells a story of impending horror and mental deterioration. Joseph Downs is a damaged and wounded Iraqi war veteran infatuated with the complex Lileth. Benton Fault, superficially sane, sees his world collapsing and develops an unhealthy interest in Constance Durban. The development of these themes and the coming together of the central characters, expertly done in the hands of Jan Bassoff,creates a wonderful, uneasy, edgy, unforgettable read...and one of my favourite books of 2013!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

For his first book Jon hit this one out of the park. I enjoyed this book a lot, with the twist and turns of the story. And how smooth the story flowed. It's going to be hard for Jon to top this one with his next book. But I'm looking forward to it. I don't want to say anything about the story and spoil it for someone. Just that you need to read it. I have been really impressed by these new authors that DarkFuse been publishing. I rarely give out 5 stars, only to books that totally blow me away. That being said I gave Corrosion 4 1/2 stars.

[Pete Kahle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutally beautiful. Sparse and efficient writing. This is one of the best novels I have read in the past few years. Hard to believe it's a first novel. Jon Bassoff is now on my short list of my must-read authors. I can only hope my writing comes close to affecting readers the way this novel has inspired me.

[Anish Kohli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choices aren’t made. There is no free will.

Maybe that’s the truth, because I thought I was making a conscious choice while I picked up this book, it was actually providence, smiling upon me and blessing me with a BRILLIANT piece of storytelling that I so desperately wanted. There is no free will, indeed.

In my relentless pursuit of a SPINE TINGLING horror novel, trolling the web, I came across this one guy’s Blog, who divined Corrosion as one of THE BEST HORROR book in the recent times. Well, that and the GR description of the book were enough to pique my interest and I picked it up.

While it is NOT a horror novel per se, it definitely is Horrifying because it reinforces the idea that Monsters don’t sleep under your bed, they sleep inside your Head.

Written in the 1st person, this debut novel from Jon Bassoff is an absolute masterpiece. So well written that it has no flaws. The writing style is smooth as silk. The characters are well shaped and they jump off of the pages. The writer will reel you in and get you hooked hopelessly, without you realizing. For me, a new and budding SK fan, Jon’s style of writing seemed pretty close to SK and it's a good thing as it gets you really into the thick of things.

I can’t really tell you much of the story without ruining it but here is the lay out.

The story follows 3 different characters in different timelines.

2010: Joseph Downs, a military veteran stuck in a town due to car troubles, where he unwittingly gets involved in something with someone that will bring his world crashing down.

2003: Benton Faulk, a young boy living in the mountains, is dealing with his personal losses which are upsetting his fragile psyche.

2011: Reverend Wells, a masked preacher and devout follower of the good lord above, holds strong opinions regarding sin and sinners.

The author brings these characters and timelines together and coalesces the story in a seamless manner, fashioning out of the darkest recesses of his mind, one of the BEST stories I’ve read.

The cruelty of Man is only equaled by the cruelty of God.

This is the singular truth that rings loud and clear throughout the book. The author takes on the dark side of things and deals with them magnificently. Take the author’s hand and descend into a world of rot and ruin, madness and misery and pain and suffering.

I have personally found, that the best of authors, at times are quite unable to justify the title of the book in terms of story, but NOT Jon and NOT Corrosion.
This is actually a story that talks about corrosion. Talks about the corrosion of soul and mind. Of how much or how little it takes to tip us over the edge. Of how sometimes life kicks you in the teeth. When your demons take control and express themselves. When madness seeps through the barriers of sanity. The lack of the morality and of what is left when stripped of the very thing that makes us human.

Calls to mind a dialogue of the beloved Joker, “ Madness is like Gravity, all you need is a little Push. ”
Hallelujah to that.

Don’t miss out on this splendid piece of writing

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best debut novels I have ever read. 4 1/2 stars.

Corrosion employs one of my favorite narrative devices, the interweaving stories of seemingly unrelated folks. Each section of the novel can proudly stand on its own, but the middle and last sections are devastatingly effective and chilling.

Adding a shelf for psycho-noir and hoping to read more of Bassoff in the very near future. The finest offering by Darkfuse ebook club to date.

[Keith Deininger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very good writing and a very cool twist. Dark and brooding and psychological. Definitely check this one out!

[Gatorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another terrific book from Bassoff, this one his debut novel, about a disfigured former Marine named Downs whose truck breaks down in a small town where he proceeds to find trouble, lies and betrayal waiting for him. We then meet a character named Benton Faulk, and from there the story takes a wild and unexpected turn as the two converge in a way I did not expect. Bassoff is one of the best out there, and he is a master at writing offbeat, dark and utterly fascinating stories that never seem to go where you think they will. This is no exception. Rather short but certainly doesn't lack a punch. 4.5 stars. Highly recommended, as are all his books.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

An author's first published novel, while obviously being good enough to be published, is a starting point and, when looking back at their career, not typically something that would be considered their best. With that in mind, I shudder to think of what Jon Bassoff's career has in store for him (and us).

Corrosion is a beautifully written study of nihilism. More than that, though, it's a study of responsibility. Benton Faulk, the youngest incarnation of the protagonist, is very clear a troubled boy. His story is nothing but a series of terrible choices that warp his mind more and more. But, did Benton wind up as the twisted man Joseph Downs? Did he have to end up as the Preacher? Perhaps that was his destiny. Or perhaps, had his father been less obsessed with his experiments and paid attention to his son, he may have been able to get the boy the help he so obviously needed. Maybe if the police in Silverville had done more than give Benton a slap on the wrist when his problems started, perhaps if they'd dug a little deeper into his home life, things may have turned out differently. Later, what would have happened is Sheriff Baker followed his gut instinct a little more? So who is responsible for Benton Faulk, and Joseph Downs, and the Preacher?

Certainly his choices are his own, but they are the choices of a damaged mind, damaged to such an extent that Benton Faulk should not be walking free. He should be locked up somewhere. But no one really tried to dig any deeper into exactly what he was doing, and so he's left to wander and seed his particular brand of evil across the country. Is Benton truly responsible for his actions, or are they the fault of a society that would rather not dig too deep, would rather assume that a troubled boy will grow out of this odd phase, would rather let a monster run free than face the fact that maybe, just maybe, they created that monster?

[Majanka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...

What impressed me the most about Corrosion is the bleak, lifeless world author Jon Bassoff creates in his novel. The world is made of small, run-down, damaged towns filled with the most despicable of characters: the low-lifes, people without goals or imagination, the ones destroyed by society. In a few descriptive sentences, Mr. Bassoff makes this world come to life, giving his book a very depressing setting, and positioning an even more depressing characters in the middle of it.

The first part focuses on a mysterious Iraq war veteran, Joseph Downs. His face is horribly scared, and he falls head over heels for a girl who saved from her abusive husband in a local pub. They begin an affair, and the veteran falls for her. But the girl may be more than she seems like, and betrayal lurks around every corner…

The second part talks about a young boy, who’s father has travelled deep down the alley of mental illness. His mother has become ill, and her father hides her for the outside world, and for the boy as well, until they make a horrific discovery. The young boy, Benton, slowsly descends into madness, like his father before him, and falls for an older woman who wants nothing to do with him.

I figured out what was going on about halfway through, but nevertheless, it was an amazing experience to see how it all played out. In some ways, this book is a masterpiece. It’s well-crafted, has an amazing plot, and offers a bleak yet fascinating world.

The writing is relentless, fast-paced, and simply beautiful. There’s horror behind the horror, like a silent spectator behind the events, and who will only reveal the real, full story in bits and pieces, torturing the reader a little along the way.

A most impressive novel. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

[Vincenzo Bilof · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jon Bassoff is an excellent writer. I like to think this is a mass-market version of a Cormac McCarthy novel, and I hope there are more books written like this one.

I don't have many good things to say about this book. Even as a writer whose characters are often negative and unsympathetic, I still struggled, and since the story was extremely obvious... I continued reading mostly because I enjoyed the way Bassoff wrote.

Bassoff did an excellent job shifting voice when he wrote from the perspectives of different characters. Readers who want a dark, gritty read will find a lot to like here. I hope this book continues to do well, because I think it will help readers go back and find authors like McCarthy and Faulkner.

This author has a tremendous amount of talent. I could see myself picking up works from this author later on... most of my favorite authors-their first novels weren't their best works. I think Bassoff has a long literary career ahead of him, and I am excited to pick up his next book, despite how I felt about this narrative. In the future, readers will likely check out his masterpiece, and then come back and find this one, and they will see the start of a brilliant career.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

Joseph Downs is a scarred Iraqi vet who becomes infatuated with a married woman, Benton Faulk is a troubled teen whose life is unravelling after his mothers death and his fathers incarceration to the asylum. Their stories come together in an unexpected way.

WHAT I LOVED

- Well developed and intense characters.

- The first person perspective was used really well, as the story progressed the unreliability of the narrator cranked up the tension and kept me guessing where the story was really going.

- The raw writing style, hard to believe this is the authors debut novel.

NOT SO KEEN ON

- This was an extremely bleak and disturbing read. For me, at times it was difficult to both put it down and then pick it back up again.

A great read by a new author and definitely one to keep tabs on for future work. Now I'm off to find my 'happy place'.

[Still]

I can't do it.

I am unable to finish this book.

This author is someone with something to say but I'll be damned if I care what it is.

Since I wasn't able to make it beyond page 102, it would be unfair of me to rate this novel.

[Caroline Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finishing this novel I feel like I need a shower. Gritty, dark, violent and messed up. But I feel that the author was aiming for this reaction. Full credit for originality and cleverness. The twist had me blindsided and I found myself re-examining previous pages. I did find some of it confusing and I'm not a fan of leaving out quotation marks for speech.

Many readers have given a better rating but I'm going by my enjoyment and ability to relate to the characters.

[Keith Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Joseph Downs, a horribly scarred army veteran, enters the decaying town of Stratton nothing will be the same again for its residents.

Corrosion is unusual. Very unusual. There’s a bleak theme that runs throughout the book, which is split into three distinct parts. Pretty much everything that is described is in decay, whether that’s physical, mental or moral. If this book were a colour it would be black. If it were a smell, it would be that of putrefaction.

Here’s an example of the writing from the opening scene:

The town was called Stratton, and it wasn’t much. Just brick buildings and rotting bungalows and poorman shacks all dropped haphazardly by God after a two-week bender.

The story, written in the first person, starts well and immediately creates a strong interest. It’s clear we’re in the mind of a person who has a different outlook on life to the rest of us.

Joseph Downs, the protagonist, is heading towards his cabin, a solitary place miles from anywhere. But his truck breaks down twenty miles from Stratton. It’s immediately clear he’s an ex-soldier, injured somehow, perhaps in combat. He walks into town and has a drink. His arrival creates a stir, and not just because he’s a stranger. Downs is horribly scarred. To the point where it’s difficult to look at him, difficult to pull your eyes away.

Then Lilith enters the bar, a wild beauty. Her husband follows and starts to beat on her. No-one helps. Except Downs.

He’d only intended to stay in the run down town as long as it took to fix his truck, but he’s captivated by Lilith. She repays his kindness in her own way and Downs explains his story – he’d been injured by a roadside bomb whilst on patrol in Iraq and invalided out of the army. But Downs starts to fall for her as they spend the next few days together, waiting for the truck repair.

The only problem is the husband is in the way. So Lilith suggests Downs can fix the ‘problem’ for the both of them, perhaps collect some insurance money too. And that’s when it begins to go wrong for Downs. Throw in a mystery stranger who follows and watches Downs and there’s plenty of intrigue as well as suspense too.

The author steadily unfolds the story through the three parts, finally drawing it together in a conclusion that’s very satisfying and unexpected. Downs is not what he seems, but then neither are the other major characters in Corrosion.

From a technical perspective the author refuses to use speech marks to indicate dialogue. I don’t believe I’ve come across this before. Oddly, it works. What could have been painful, Bassoff uses neatly and serves to further emphasise the prose.

If you want a cheerful, perky read, this isn’t for you. Just the opposite. It’s gloomy and morose at best, dark and disturbing at times. Best read on a dark winter’s day. This is not a criticism, far from it, just remember the central theme is decay. I thoroughly enjoyed Corrosion, although I did feel a bit grubby afterwards...

[Jürgen Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wenn es ausnahmsweise mal ein Buch aus meinem heimlichen Lieblingsgenre "Country-Noir" ins Feuilleton einer grossen Tageszeitung schafft und dort auch noch sehr gute Kritiken bekommt, dann darf ich mir dieses Werk nicht entgehen lassen. Elmar Krekeler hat in der "Welt" diesen eisenharten Roman wohlwollend besprochen und zur Lektüre empfohlen. Als eingefleischter Noir Leser kann ich nur mit dem Kopf nicken und mich seiner Meinung anschliessen.

Das Adjektiv "eisenhart" passt einerseits zur heftigen Geschichte und andererseits weil der verflixte Rost dem Metall habhaft werden kann. Wenn man ihn gewähren lässt, frisst er sich langsam aber unaufhaltsam vorwärts bis er alles überzogen und zersetzt hat. Im übertragenen Sinne kann man das auch für die Psyche der Menschen sehen. Wenn sich dunkle Schatten auf das Gemüt legen und man diese gewähren und wachsen lässt, kann sich eine geistige Verwitterung ausbreiten und die Seele ernsthaft anknacksen. Unbehandelt können tumorartige Hirngespinste wachsen bis sich der Wahnsinn hartnäckig im Kopf festgesetzt hat. Krampfhaft. Unverrückbar. Endgültig.

Die Kurzbeschreibung klingt ehrlich gesagt nicht besonders Originell und wie ein Stoff der schon hunderte Male in Film, Fernsehen und Literatur verwendet wurde. Ein körperlich schwer lädierter Soldat kehrt aus dem Irakkrieg heim und schlägt sich knapp an der Armutsgrenze durchs Leben und durchs amerikanische Hinterland. Eine Sprengfalle hat seine verheerende Wirkung für immer in seinem entstellten Gesicht hinterlassen. Als sein Auto ausgerechnet in einem gottverlassen Kaff irgendwo im Nirgendwo von Colorado verreckt, bleibt ihm nichts anderes übrig, als ein paar Tage in dieser verlorenen Siedlung zu verbringen. Das die Werkstatt einen gebrauchten Motor eines ausgedienten Leichenwagens in seinen Pick-Up einbaut kann als unheilvolles Omen für den weiteren Verlauf der Geschichte angesehen werden.

Die Erzählung nimmt eine Wendung, die ich so nicht erwartet habe und macht diese finstere Geschichte zu etwas Eigenständigem. Das Leben einiger Figuren erscheint wie eine Qual in der Knechtschaft des wartenden Todes. Existenzen in Trümmern und Menschen die nie Hoffnungen für ein besseres Dasein hatten. Eine Flucht aus seiner abgedrehten wie schrecklichen Welt bietet der amerikanische Autor Jon Bassoff nicht. Allerdings verzichtet er darauf Handlungsstränge bis zum Ausfransen zu erzählen sondern beschränkt sich auf knackige 240 Seiten.

Dies ist keine erbauliche Lektüre und für genrefremde Gelegenheitsleser kaum geeignet. Es ist Spartenliteratur für die hartgesottene Schar der Romane Noir Leser und dürfte da auf viel Wohlwollen stossen.

[Gino Sorcinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corrosion by Jon Bassoff is a mind-bending book. I read Corrosion a little over a year ago and it stayed with me for many days after I finished it. I felt an intense pit of dread in my stomach while reading this book that started during the early pages and continued throughout. The book alternates between the storylines and perspectives of three different narrators: a disfigured Iraq war veteran (Joseph), a disturbed young man growing up in a horrific household (Benton), and a masked preacher (Reverend Wells). All three share a connection that does not become clear until later in the book. Spending an entire book seeing the world through the lens of these people left me with a raw, unsettled feeling.

Benton, the disturbed young man whose unstable behavior ramps up as the book moves along, is terrifying. Bassoff does a masterful job of making him complex and somewhat sympathetic. We see his living conditions and we understand why he is the way he is, but being inside of his head is beyond scary. We know he is capable of doing something terrible and likely to do it, even to those who show him kindness. We wait and hope that it doesn't happen. I don't want to give away too much, but I'm sure you can guess by the cover of the book that things don't end well for many characters.

Bassoff's writing style adds the surreal, unstable narrative perspective. He doesn't use quotation marks for dialogue. He focuses on the dark and ugly details of unpleasant people and places. Chapters are short and can be read in a matter of minutes. This kept me reading at a frantic pace, forcing me to continue even though reading Corrosion was painful at times.

If you are looking for a basis of comparison, I have never read a book like Corrosion. One of the blurbs at the front of the book compares it to Cormac McCarthy's Child of God and Donald Ray Pollock's The Devil All The Time, though I've never read either of those books so it is difficult for me to say if the comparison is accurate. If you like very dark fiction, this is well worth your time. I recommend it and look forward to reading other books by Bassoff.

[David Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brutal and I mean that as a compliment. I read Factory Town first and I really liked it. One of the things I liked about Factory Town was how dark and desolate the prose is and how it creates this oppressive atmosphere but then I read Corrosion. Whoa. This may seem like a bad thing to some people but I do mean it as a compliment. Amongst the nihilistic setting I saw the beauty in the way Bassoff flips phrases, and the way violence lives around in the air during every scene kept me glued to the pages. Bassoff writes a convincing schizo psychopath with a severe personality disorder. Being inside the main characters head was uncomfortable and enthralling.I just wanted to share a couple of many quotes I highlighted in the book.

" I used to not believe in God, his father had said, but now, I’m a changed man, a true believer. Only a Supreme Being could create such misery and mayhem."

"It doesn’t work that way. You can’t whore yourself to God. God is no pimp. You’re right about that, she said, laughing. He’s worse than a pimp. A pimp beats you for money. God beats you for adulation."

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of horror and more hardcore noir. If you like Donald Ray Pollock, Brian Evenson, or even Tom Piccirrilli's Choir Of Ill Children (who blurbed the book) I think you'd enjoy this book. I am definitely a certified Bassoff fan now as I am a certified fan of the authors I just listed in comparison. I am already looking forward to Bassoff's next book!