The Suiting

by Kelley Wilde (Pseudonym), Reb MacRath

The Suiting is the first of four novels written by Reb MacRath as Kelley Wilde from 1988-1993. Published in hardcover by Tor Books in 1988, it won a Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel and was optioned for film. For this special Anniversary Edition, the original version has been extensively rewritten for greater clarity, speed and impact.

Bad Luck Made to Measure, Real Terror in Every Stitch

While running for life from a loan shark, Jean-Paul Bouchette leaves a custom-tailored suit in an unlocked Toronto subway locker. An hour later, as Bouchette is killed, a timid clerk named Victor Frankl finds the suit and takes it. No, he doesn't mean to steal it. He just wants to try it on. It's far too big, but his fate's cinched when he begins to wonder: what if he works out and grows till it fits? Grow he does, with astonishing speed until the suit seems custom-made. Now the suit itself seems to dictate the additional changes he makes: he wears his hair longer and grows a mustache, puts new swagger in his walk, makes winning moves on the ladies. Unknown to Victor, he's now a marked man in a game with an old evil that needed a ringer for Jean-Paul Bouchette.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this is I needed a book set in Toronto for a challenge. If I didn't need one I would have chucked this. It was difficult to follow and annoying to look up the French phrases in the back. Guess my French was a tad rusty. A good idea but delivered horribly.

[Wayne's]

A confused mess of a story.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off a bit confusing, got interesting around halfway through and then fell to pieces by the end. A real piece of crap.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean-Paul Bouchette , is on the run from a loan shark. He leaves his custom suit in a subway locker, shortly after he is killed. Victor Frankl finds the suit and takes it. At first it doesn't fit him, but he becomes obsessed with making himself fit into the suit. He soon finds the suit has a sinister curse on it and it won't let him go. A truly gripping horror story. I love books like this. This is the first book i have read by Reb MacRath i look forward to reading more of his books.

[Frankenoise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this novel. It's an interesting story, and reads like a film noir at times, but it isn't for everyone. For starters it's very Canadian and has a lot of French in it. There's even an Appendix in the back for translations, but who wants to keep turning to the back every time a French phrase is spoken!?

To sum up the main character is Victor and he happens upon a cursed suit that was worn previous by a gangster named Bouchette. Now this name has a long Canadian history of murderers and rapists going back to 1680. Once Victor puts on the suit it begins to change him from a weak shy man to a muscular French speaking asshole.... that eventually turns killer.

Story goes on with Victor changing until he meets up a few times with the previous mentioned gangsters rival Cole. Cole thought he had killed Bouchette because when he happens to see Victor they now almost look the same. In the end Cole tries to kill Victor. Won't spoil the ending but it wasn't too surprising.

Some odd moments in this story, including the suggested killing and rape of an 8 year old girl, but it was written very well and was fast paced. Just wasn't 100% my style of story telling. The book I own has a sticker that states "Horror in Toronto". It's a bit misleading because some of it takes place in Montreal too and I'd call it a Body Horror novel more than just straight horror.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not perfect, of course. But the bold tempo arrests the reader with delight.

[Ralph · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book starts off as oddball. Quirky. Outre. Entertaining. But later it becomes darker, then ends with depravity and murder. A disturbing glimpse into what?--insanity? homophobia? Something else altogether because the point of the book seemed to elude me completely?

I almost gave the book 1 star, which is unusual for me, because if a book is poorly written, I don't finish it and don't rate it at all. That wasn't the case with this book. The author apparently has a vivid imagination and the writing and editing were competent. And I did read the book from cover to cover. But the ending was unpleasant and unsatisfying. So, altogether, I'll call it 1.5 stars. Wouldn't recommend it.

[Kelly Grote · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully horrific book! I am now terrified of watermelon knives. :) Go read it! :)