The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine: An eShort

by Peter Straub

Peter Straub masterfully weaves  horror and suspense into a love story unlike any the ballad of Ballard and Sandrine.
 
Ballard and his considerably younger lover Sandrine have been brought together by a shared erotic obsession of the darkest kind. As they travel down a remote part of the Amazon River on a luxurious yacht, they spend their days indulging in their macabre pastime. Through a haze of pain and pleasure, the lovers are witness to a series of increasingly sinister portents, dreams and visions that haunt their claustrophobic and disturbing world. With Peter Straub’s signature, breathtaking twists and an astonishing climax, you’ll never forget The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Audiobook, Short Stories, Novella, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2011

About the author

Peter Straub was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Gordon Anthony Straub and Elvena (Nilsestuen) Straub.

Straub read voraciously from an early age, but his literary interests did not please his parents; his father hoped that he would grow up to be a professional athlete, while his mother wanted him to be a Lutheran minister. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School on a scholarship, and, during his time there, began writing.

Straub earned an honors BA in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965, and an MA at Columbia University a year later. He briefly taught English at Milwaukee Country Day, then moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 to work on a PhD, and to start writing professionally

After mixed success with two attempts at literary mainstream novels in the mid-1970s ("Marriages" and "Under Venus"), Straub dabbled in the supernatural for the first time with "Julia" (1975). He then wrote "If You Could See Me Now" (1977), and came to widespread public attention with his fifth novel, "Ghost Story" (1979), which was a critical success and was later adapted into a 1981 film. Several horror novels followed, with growing success, including "The Talisman" and "Black House", two fantasy-horror collaborations with Straub's long-time friend and fellow author Stephen King.

In addition to his many novels, he published several works of poetry during his lifetime.

In 1966, Straub married Susan Bitker.They had two children; their daughter, Emma Straub, is also a novelist. The family lived in Dublin from 1969 to 1972, in London from 1972 to 1979, and in the New York City area from 1979 onwards.

Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. At the time of his death, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn (New York City).

Reviews

[Dave Edmunds · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The world had closed on her, as a steel trap snaps shut on the leg of a bear."

Initial Thoughts

I've been reading Peter Straub like a man possessed for the past year and now I've only three more entries left. And they're all fairly short. Sad times, particularly with the author's passing last year, as there really is no one like him writing in the supernatural/suspense genre. There'll be a massive gap in the market in terms of the sheer literary quality he could bring to the table. And a massive gap in my life.

The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine is a novella that scooped Peter the 2011 Bram Stoker award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction. The guy literally has more awards than I have books on my TBR. That comes down to the guys pure talent and ability to articulate a scene in fine detail. Sometimes the quality and variety in his prose are pretty breathtaking.

But it's worth bearing in mind that "Long Fiction" in this sense does not mean a doorstop of a novel. This one is barely ninety pages and could easily be read in one sitting. I'm guessing it means long in comparison to a short story. Anyway, the point is it won an award, so my expectations were fairly high going in.

The Story

How do I describe a story that is presented as a nightmarish fever dream where the reader's own interpretation plays a big role? Pretty tricky, but I'm going to have a stab at it.

Things start innocuously with a couple sharing a cruise along the Amazon River. We have Ballard, a sixty year old "fixer" for a large corporation, and his much younger partner Sandrine. It's revealed that this is not the first time the pair have enjoyed this vacation, making it somewhat of a regular event.

The story takes place over a period of twenty five years on a mysterious yacht where the crew take care of Ballard and Sandrine but you never actually see them. Natives can be seen from the shore and there is the presence of something dangerous lurking in the river itself.

But if that seems strange, you ain't seen nothing yet. During the course of the narrative you see the couple at various ages and time seems to warp between three separate timelines at least that begin to bleed into one another. As certain aspects of their lives were revealed I realised that there was something dark and insidious linking the two to each other and I just had this funny feeling that things were not going to end well.



The Writing

The style in this one is Straub at his most experimental. It's told in an unchronological order that is used expertly to build tension and kept me in a state of suspense as I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Straub gives you just enough to prevent things from becoming annoying and I had a feeling of being trapped in a nightmare reality.

Due to the length of the piece the only aspect that didn't work for me was the characters as they weren't developed enough to become compelling. For this reason the terror of what was surrounding them didn't hit home as perhaps intended. The story is very ambitious and perhaps a few extra pages would have been of benefit to flesh things out. Yep that's me giving advice on how Peter Straub could improve his writing? Maybe I better rethink that!

"In this climate, nothing not on ice or in a freezer, not even a corpse, could ever truly get cold."

Final Thoughts

This was a strange, sordid and pretty unsettling mystery that definitely verges on being a horror. As always with Straub, it's atmosphere, tension and manipulation of detail that creates that horror as oppose to outright gore.

If you're a fan of this author or weird fiction in general then you're going to have a good time with this. At points there's some absolutely beautiful writing as the two main characters descend into darkness. I'd just liked to have seen a bit more of it.

A worthy four stars for the master of literary horror. Thanks for reading and...cheers!

[Vicki Herbert - Vacation until Jan 2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food for thought...

THE BALLAD OF BALLARD AND SANDRINE: An eShort
by Peter Staub

No spoilers: 3 1/2 stars. While I found this story to be interesting right up to the end, I like my stories to be explained a tad bit more than this one was...

Ballard met Sandrine when she was 15 years old. Ballard's job was fixing stints in jail and ruinous shame for his clients. Sandrine's father was one of his clients...

Now, here's food for thought...

Ballard and Sandrine share a lust for pain, and they began exploring their mutual interests when Sandrine turned 18...

While on a business trip in China, Ballard overheard two men discussing a special yacht that cruised the Amazon...

And...

He promptly booked passage for himself and Sandrine...

Ballard and Sandrine are the only paying passengers aboard the yacht... but there are many unseen Amazon natives aboard... all are no taller than 4 ft...

The native crew is never seen by the couple. As they see to the couple's needs, they fade into the woodwork when not required...

the evidence of their existence is the excellent service they provide as well as the exquisite meals they prepare for the couple...

The crew anticipate and provide everything the couple desires with only one shipboard rule: they must never go below deck for any reason...

And you know they're going to do just that...

I liked this little novella (about 95 pages) but I would have liked some things explained a bit more and like other reviewers, I believe it would have been a top-notch story if it was a little longer.

Reading this story was like watching an episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery or reading a CREEPY or EERIE horror magazine because at the end of the story you can almost imagine the bubbled dialog over their heads: AIEEEEEE!!!

[Maciek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of Peter Straub and have read all of his books, and this is easily his worst story/novella - by a long shot. I should have expected bad things from the asinine title (Ballad of Ballard? Really?)

There's no music in Ballad; in fact, there's not much of anything. The story, as it is, is concerned with the eponymous couple of Ballard and Sandrine, who are on a ship in the middle of a journey down the Amazon. The narrative begins in 1997 and switches between different time periods several time to give us a background of their relationship, but both characters are barely drawn and fail to attract any interests. Essentially, Ballard is implied to be a lawyer who specializes in keeping mobsters out of jail, and Sandrine is a much younger daughter of one of the gangsters. They don't really do anything - mostly talk and engage in sadomasochism, though only barely. The journey and the ship is the most interesting part of their story - it's never made clear how they got on the ship and where they are going, if they will ever be able to get off at all. The crew is mysteriously absent despite the ship being fully operational and their meals being served on time; there's speculation of strange, mysterious forces at play. But in the end nothing is developed and nothing matters, as ultimately there's nothing engaging in the story to which there is no real point. If this was an attempt at magical realism, then I'm afraid it failed really hard.

This novella is especially disappointing considering the fact that Peter Straub has written excellent novellas before, such as The Buffalo Hunters and Mrs. God, both collected in Houses without Doors. He has written excellent novels, most of which I reviewed - and would recommend that readers try his atmospheric horrors and thrillers instead of wasting their time on this unrewarding effort.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure I got this...could be me. Seems to me to be a story of metaphysical bondage...two lovers trapped in a time and place that is no longer temporal in a linear way - unable to escape the past even as the future seems to be very much in question. A very strange book - may have to read it again and see if I can pick out things that I may have missed.

[Char]

I've listened to an hour and a half and I don't like it, am not enjoying it and don't pretend to understand it. I'm cutting my losses.

[Corey Woodcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

EDIT: Im currently a month and a half out from having read this novella, and I’m still being creeped out by it, and bringing it up whenever I can. This thing is disturbing on a cellular level. So I feel the need to adjust my rating from 4 to 4.5. This book is such a huge WTF all around, and I continue to be floored by Straub’s mind; the guy is so creative and is able to create certain kinds of psychedelic hellscapes that really stick with me, all delivered with some of the best and most interesting prose I have ever read. Original review below:







First I have to say that I get why people are one-starring this—it is not for everyone. But I love these kinds of stories. What kinds of stories? Let me elaborate, hopefully only for a little while, since I just read this in one sitting.

Ballard is a “fixer” of sorts (perhaps a bit like the Wolf in Pulp Fiction), and though this is only really mentioned in passing I do feel it is significant; Sandrine is his younger lover, and they both enjoy very alarming sadomasochistic sex. The majority of this book takes place on a yacht, floating endlessly down the Amazon. Perhaps for decades. Perhaps in some terrifying time loop that they cannot get out of… Each stairway leads back to the dock. The Yacht changes names. Strange, unidentifiable food is served by a crew that seemingly doesn’t exist.

I don’t pretend to understand the full implications and scope of this text. I do know that I found it incredibly unsettling and disturbing, and these images will be trapped in my head for a long time to come. The writing style is pure Straub, which I love—complete with nearly perfect prose, literary references, and the kind of creeping psychological horror that only he can do. It’s profoundly disturbing in a way that very few can pull off; think David Lynch meets Cronenberg.

I’m going 4 stars instead of 5, because I did find the ending completely impenetrable. That doesn’t mean I’m not still searching for answers, or even considering reading this thing again sometime soon. Don’t look for any kind clear cut answers here. None are offered. But if you’re interested in getting your wheels turning, and entering a psychological hellscape of a novella, this may be worth checking out.

[Krystin | TheF*ckingTwist · Rating 1 out of 5]

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I don't even know what the fuck I just read. Like they were on a boat? And an old dude - Ballard - admittedly falls in love with a CHILD when her dad was his client, but now she's old enough to consent so they're in a really disgusting relationship.

I feel like I was in Peter Straub's vicarious fantasy and it was gross and dumb.

Then Sandrine keeps making eyes at Ballard's boners, like a ridiculous amount, and then there was a big bug in a cage, and maybe a toucan? Something about the mob? Maybe a yacht?

Whatever.

This is weird and gross and being told about some pervert's constant erections got old real fast.

An egregious waste of my time and I have no desire to write a serious review.

The vibe for this one:


⭐ | 1 star

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winner of the 2011 Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction, this 96-page novella focuses on the characters of Ballard, an older gentleman, and his lover, the younger Sandrine, and their strange and unsettling sado-masochistic relationship. Told without regard to following time and place, the reader is slowly, disturbingly, shown a portrait of Ballard and Sandrine’s relationship across a series of cruises down the Amazon, with each section of the tale both hazily shedding more light on prior events and bringing to the forefront new questions.

The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine may require more than one reading to begin to truly plumb its depths, but even one reading will leave little doubt that, in this psychological horror story, the ambiguity of not knowing is even more troubling and horrific than the knowing.

[Nicholas Kaufmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing, brilliantly written, hallucinatory novella whose overarching themes run the gamut from memory to time to destiny to, ultimately, as the very first line announces, consumption. The imagery, the characters, and the strange predicament in which they find themselves are vivid and compelling. Are Ballard and Sandrine stuck for years on a boat with a changing name, never quite remembering how long they've been there, or what they've eaten, or what books they've read before? (Like many of Straub's works, this one is rife with literary allusions, not the least of which is the name Ballard.) Or is this their purgatory, a never-ending voyage down the Amazon river of their own eternity? As always, the journey proves more important the destination. Go forth, then, and swallow this astonishing novella in a single bite.

[Cody | CodysBookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rest in peace, Peter Straub!

This novella had been sitting on my Kindle for 8 or 9 years, gathering metaphorical dust… ridiculous, right? In honor of the maestro’s passing I thought I’d give this a shot, and—I loved it! Take that with a grain of salt, though, I also loved Straub’s debut novel Marriages.

The horror here isn’t necessarily what is said but what isn’t said. Much is left to the reader’s imagination: Straub gives just enough to get the reader going, but this is a work that requires active reading. Then again, what Straub doesn’t? Told over the span of 25 years, this is one I feel I need to reread a couple times, maybe even more, to really get at what Straub is offering. But I’ll still give it a full score. What a strange novella!

[Guillermo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every so often, I'll come across a book and wonder what I just read. When this happens, I either put the book down and go for a walk, or I turn to the first page and try again. I went for a walk today.

The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine tells the story of two lovers - an older man and the daughter of his client - throughout the decades. Think Memento, if Memento ended with the beginning, as well.

Normally, I'll rehash some of the events for summary purposes, but I don't know what I read, so I can't. I know that they're on a boat. That Sandrine is a bit independent. That they both fell in love with each other the moment they met each other. That Ballard might have something to do with the mob. That, on the yacht, an invisible bird-speaking servants run the show. And thrown in there is a giant bug in a cage, which they might be eating, or they might be eating toucan.

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nasty little shocker that reminds one just how masterful Straub is at evoking the ineffable. I am not entirely sure that what I read here made sense; except to say that, on a deeply visceral level, the truly disturbing images he evokes will flicker in my mind’s eye for a long time to come, like a strobe light in hell. “If you were experiencing a little difficulty with a dragon, Ballard was the man for you.” One could very well say the exact same thing about Straub.

[Joanna Calder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, as with so many of Peter Straub's works, I am not 100% sure what to make of this. I note that other reviews on Goodreads either give it 5 stars or 1 star - folks love it or hate it. It's sure not easy to understand or know what the point is. It bears a second reading (it's only a novella), but for now I'll rate it **** . Beautifully written, gruesome, confusing as heck.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Ballard, a wealthy businessman, and Sandrine, his much younger lover, are cruising down the Amazon River in a mysterious yacht. The crew is never seen, blank-eyed natives watch the boat from the river’s shores, and there seems to be a dangerous predator in the river. The dimensions of the yacht don’t make sense, the delicious food is unidentifiable, and it’s not clear how long Ballard and Sandrine have been on the boat.

Presumably, they’re taking a vacation somewhere out of the reach of Ballard’s clients and Sandrine’s husband, but as the story goes on, it seems that they’re also moving through time as they travel down the mighty river. We see the couple at various ages during the trip, always appearing a little uncomfortable with their feelings of disorientation and déjà vu.

Add to this eerie situation the unusual and revolting sexual fetish that brought Ballard and Sandrine together, and you’ve got quite an unsettling little horror story.

The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine is only 96 pages long, making this a novella that can easily be read in an evening. Straub succeeds in alarming the reader right from the start — why is Sandrine lying naked on a cold trenched metal workbench? The flutter in my stomach never went away and it only intensified as further disconcerting and indecipherable discoveries were made.

There is some beauty in The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine — they’re floating through the lush Amazon, after all — but these glimpses are too brief to alleviate the disturbing feelings of imminent doom. I love the idea of a time-travel yacht trip down the exotic Amazon River, and I would have even enjoyed the terror if it hadn’t been for the aforementioned sexual fetish. It’s intricately linked to the story and the plot relies upon it, but it was too much for my delicate senses. Less sensitive readers are more likely to enjoy The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine explores unconventional relationship taboos whilst attempting to add horror and shock to the mix. Ballard is an older gentleman, making his living by keeping his rich clients out of jail. Sandrine is actually the daughter of one of Ballard's clients, who ends up becoming smitten with Ballard due to their shared cutting obsession. Sandrine is convinced to wait until she is of age for them to fully explore the sexual high points of sadism, and the two become a vicious couple. The novella intersperses these facts as our characters embark on a seemingly endless journey down a mystical Amazon on a tessaract yacht. What follows are glimpses of Ballard and Sandrine as they explore their fetish amidst the mysterious crew and temporal shifts that seem to place them at the center of an odd time loop. Things become stranger when Sandrine attempts to take a little shore leave, completing a cycle that seems to end her up as the main course they have been eating all along. Peter Straub's tries to mix shock, suspense, science-fiction, and drama into this novella, but only seems to serve up a helping of confusion. One is led to believe that our couple is trapped on this endless yacht, forever missing their past selves while eating their future selves for dinner. Overall, not the most linear or well-constructed books I've read.

[Ricky Orr · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a short - 93 pages - story about an older man and a younger woman who were lovers on a yacht on the Amazon. The story moved through different times in their lives, over 25 years, but always on the yacht. It had something to do with what they were eating, the fact that the yacht had impossible dimensions, and that they never ever saw any of the crew that were servicing them.

I didn't understand what this was about at all - hence a rating of only 1.

[Francesca Calarco · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not a good read; it's as simple as that. The Ballad of Ballard and Sardine seemed interesting enough on paper, and I had heard good things about Peter Straub, but this book was not the best introduction to his work (I hope).

Traveling like a parabola through time, the narrative shifts backwards and forwards through three specific years as the two main characters flow down a river on a mysterious boat. Neither Ballard nor Sardine are especially interesting. One is a creepy old man and the other is a young girl with daddy issues. They have a sadomasochistic relationship that is very uncomfortable to read. Ultimately, Ballard groomed a young Sardine when she was a teenager, and now they are trapped in this toxic, hazy cycle.

While these elements could have made for a compelling tale, nothing interesting happens plot-wise, the characters are stagnant, and no greater meaning is ever revealed. In addition to being unsettling, it is plain boring. Weird and bad things happen for shock value, and that's about it.

While I honestly cannot recommend it, of course, read it for yourself and decide.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Years ago I was a huge Peter Straub fan however he has really gone downhill in recent years. He does not produce much these days and what he produces is confusing and not very well executed IMO.

This story really is a short story that again has no defined ending. To make this into a specialized limited edition book is really silly. Don't waste your time purchasing this tale, wait for it to be added to an anthology collection.

What happened to the great Straub stories of old? I miss him.

[Priscilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know exactly what I thought. I never quite caught on to what was happening. Too many weird factors, the story was never resolved. Would not recommend it.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books that I've read this year.
It definitely makes my top 10 list for this year's reads, possible even my top 5. That's really saying something since I pretty much followed Boy's Life with this one....
I get it. This is one of those stories that people either love or hate.
I love it.
Did I completely understand it? I don't think so, but does that truly matter? The more I think about it, the more I 'get'.
It's short, coming in around 100 pages, and I've read other people's reviews that they wanted more detail. More detail and explanation would have meant more pages, and maybe I personally wouldn't have enjoyed it so much if it had been too much longer.
Does everything have to be explained to the reader? No, not in my opinion. I actually enjoy putting some thought into what I read (when I'm in the right mood). Many people don't. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There's no right or wrong way to read. The right way is to enjoy it. Period. No hard rules.
There are times I just want to crack open a book and mindlessly read. Zone out, and read something simple.
I lucked into being in one of my moods of seeking depth when I randomly chose to read this book.
If you're in a depth seeking mood, try this one.
If you just want to turn off your mind, seek out something else.
Either way, I do highly recommend this book, but only when you want something like what I've described. I really wish I had read it in one of my book groups to get my friends' thoughts/feelings/opinions...

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, I didn't understand the ending, either. But, oh well. Sometimes the quality of a journey makes up for a lack of destination. THE BALLAD OF BALLARD AND SANDRINE is the kind of storytelling I associate with David Lynch. It's dreamy, atmospheric, bizarre, creepy, and, frequently unsettling. The horror story as art. Perhaps not immediately satisfying, but the kind of tale I expect will linger with me a long time.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird and not in a good way

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So short ... So creepy

Say what you will about Peter Straub and how he crafts his stories, but I have been unfulfilled lately with my reading choices. So I chose Peter's works because he's from the generation that I identify with as being well educated and gifted with the ability to really craft a great story. The Brits still know how to write well, also. Anyway, Peter's stories may not progress like you expect them to, but he is a wonderful writer with the gift to draw the reader in with his deft use of the English language. This story was so creepy because of the way he revealed its secrets to the reader. It's a nasty little tale of the savage yearnings that still exist in our civilized hearts and the savage ways of primitive people who still exist in a (mostly) civilized world (sort of).

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this little gem while using my local library's new access to ebooks. It's very short, fantastically written and extremely dark. The first word that comes to mind is not a word but perfectly describes it--ICKY. I know it sounds odd to enjoy a book that can only be described that way, but I really, really did. Peter Straub has a way of saying things without flat out saying them, that somehow comes across as way more perverse than just flat out being explicit. It's like watching hardcore porn with black black stockings over your eyes--everything is a bit dark and vague but no less filthy and no less adept at getting the point across. Loved it and as always, made me love Straub more.

[Megan Blosser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.

[Midas68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A confusing WTF Mind Fooker. But one that really held me by my plums. I've read it a few times and still wonder if adding more coherence would make it Great or Ruin what it is. I don't know. I would suggest reading it when you feel really uncritical and relaxed as the WTF's might just bugger ya the wrong way early and send ya packin heat(WTF ever that means)

4 Head Scratches outta a head full of lice or rice.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't hate it....but I didn't love it either. It is a weird story overall with special attention on relationship taboos with two characters who aren't really likeable at all. There is something going awry on their trips, timelines, and really everything around them. Sometimes it seems like it should be scary, but I tended to not be able to buy into the fear. It is a short read so worth the time!

[Ellie Larkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As intrigued as I was by the mysterious premise, this was a big miss. While I liked some of the horror bits, it was too confusing to follow despite being so short. I will definitely try another Peter Straub novel in the future, but I would skip this particular book.

[ladybug · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this a zero, I would absolutely do so. It was boring, uncomfortable and pointless. Barely finished it.

[wally · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this one last night, started it in my tree stand, finished on the couch, good story, 4-stars, i really liked it.