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Apparitions
"An intensely unsettling read." -David Demchuk, author of The Bone Mother and RED X
VIOLENCE WAS HIS FIRST LANGUAGE.
After years of imprisonment, a Deaf teen escapes his father's basement. Bloody, alone, and without language, he stumbles through the Saskatchewan prairie until he lands in an isolated psychiatric facility, where he meets Felix, another Deaf teen, who eagerly teaches him Sign Language. As the two grow closer, the ambitious and cunning Felix begins to see his pupil less like an individual and more like a mind that he can mold in his own image, and as his ego grows, his plans to break free from the facility become increasingly more dangerous.
Told entirely from a Deaf perspective, Apparitions is a powerful story like no other. With prose compared to Cormac McCarthy and Jack Ketchum, this is horror literature at its finest.
VIOLENCE WAS HIS FIRST LANGUAGE.
After years of imprisonment, a Deaf teen escapes his father's basement. Bloody, alone, and without language, he stumbles through the Saskatchewan prairie until he lands in an isolated psychiatric facility, where he meets Felix, another Deaf teen, who eagerly teaches him Sign Language. As the two grow closer, the ambitious and cunning Felix begins to see his pupil less like an individual and more like a mind that he can mold in his own image, and as his ego grows, his plans to break free from the facility become increasingly more dangerous.
Told entirely from a Deaf perspective, Apparitions is a powerful story like no other. With prose compared to Cormac McCarthy and Jack Ketchum, this is horror literature at its finest.
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First published September 19, 2023
21 people are currently reading
1486 people want to read
About the author
Adam Pottle
11 books25 followersAdam Pottle's work spans multiple genres, from fiction and poetry to drama and creative nonfiction. His books include the novel Mantis Dreams, the novella The Bus, the memoir Voice, and the poetry collection Beautiful Mutants.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
May 4, 2024
4.0 Stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/dFyDuswyDnc
As someone eternally fascinated by kidnapping fiction, this book was made for me. I was immediate drawn into this dark narrative. The story was quite bleak in places and I couldn't look away.
The writing was gripping. The only aspect I didn't love was the non traditional narrative pieces, but that's more of a personal preference.
In many ways, this is more of character study than a traditional horror story. The inclusion of the deaf characters brought an interesting perspective to the narrative.
I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend to readers looking for a story that is sharp and haunting.
Video Review https://youtu.be/dFyDuswyDnc
As someone eternally fascinated by kidnapping fiction, this book was made for me. I was immediate drawn into this dark narrative. The story was quite bleak in places and I couldn't look away.
The writing was gripping. The only aspect I didn't love was the non traditional narrative pieces, but that's more of a personal preference.
In many ways, this is more of character study than a traditional horror story. The inclusion of the deaf characters brought an interesting perspective to the narrative.
I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend to readers looking for a story that is sharp and haunting.
Read
August 20, 2023N.B. I do not rate on Goodreads. That said, I'm adding this one straight to my 'Best reads of 2023' shelf, so I guess that speaks for itself. In fact, this book will stay with me long after 2023 is over.
It's the kind of book that makes you want to shout from the rooftop, like: "Hey, everyone! If you have a heart, you MUST read this book, though don't be surprised if it destroys some small part of you."
I don't intend to delve into the plot, but I will say this: You MUST read the author's notes at the beginning of the book because they set the context for the story that follows.
The book is written partly in epistolary form, and these documents provide a wider context to the plot.
If the novel fails to move you, then you simply have no heart. I'm no softie when it comes to fiction or film, and very rarely will something move me to tears. This is not a sentimental story, it is far bigger than that, but it will move you, I promise.
The fact that the main character is deaf only serves to draw you in deeper. The narrator invites you into the world of the deaf. He makes you see things through his perspective. Forces you to consider just how confusing the simplest things can be for someone with any sensory impairment. But this narrator is not just deaf, he is a sufferer of abuse too, and that abuse is so horrific, so traumatic, that you wonder how someone like him could survive. It also makes you realize just how easily someone in his position could be manipulated, and that becomes apparent as the story progresses.
Final thoughts: unique, compelling, claustrophobic, breathtaking, anxiety inducing (in the best possible way).
A quote from the novel: Most people speak in ghosts-you can't see their words, only the shape of their lips. Our language we can see. The language of beauty and love.
In other words, add this to your TBR now. You won't regret it.
It's the kind of book that makes you want to shout from the rooftop, like: "Hey, everyone! If you have a heart, you MUST read this book, though don't be surprised if it destroys some small part of you."
I don't intend to delve into the plot, but I will say this: You MUST read the author's notes at the beginning of the book because they set the context for the story that follows.
The book is written partly in epistolary form, and these documents provide a wider context to the plot.
If the novel fails to move you, then you simply have no heart. I'm no softie when it comes to fiction or film, and very rarely will something move me to tears. This is not a sentimental story, it is far bigger than that, but it will move you, I promise.
The fact that the main character is deaf only serves to draw you in deeper. The narrator invites you into the world of the deaf. He makes you see things through his perspective. Forces you to consider just how confusing the simplest things can be for someone with any sensory impairment. But this narrator is not just deaf, he is a sufferer of abuse too, and that abuse is so horrific, so traumatic, that you wonder how someone like him could survive. It also makes you realize just how easily someone in his position could be manipulated, and that becomes apparent as the story progresses.
Final thoughts: unique, compelling, claustrophobic, breathtaking, anxiety inducing (in the best possible way).
A quote from the novel: Most people speak in ghosts-you can't see their words, only the shape of their lips. Our language we can see. The language of beauty and love.
In other words, add this to your TBR now. You won't regret it.
January 5, 2025
Can you imagine to be born deaf and unable to communicate, even with signs? No one has ever taught you before.
What would it be to be isolated, unloved, neglected…Probably you have never felt this way before but Adam Pottle is about to share.
Our nameless deaf main character escapes from the imprisonment he has been living for a long time and ends up in a psychiatric institution, where he’s going to meet his bestie Felix, and together their journey begins: abuse, love, sex, injustices, naivety, queer relationships.
Do you want to join them? Come on in.
This is how the big fish eats the small one.
My impressions: wonderful start but uneven development. Too many descriptions over unimportant details forgetting about the main story.
I could classify this as human horror.
I thank you BookSirens @booksirens for giving me an advance review copy for free.
What would it be to be isolated, unloved, neglected…Probably you have never felt this way before but Adam Pottle is about to share.
Our nameless deaf main character escapes from the imprisonment he has been living for a long time and ends up in a psychiatric institution, where he’s going to meet his bestie Felix, and together their journey begins: abuse, love, sex, injustices, naivety, queer relationships.
Do you want to join them? Come on in.
This is how the big fish eats the small one.
My impressions: wonderful start but uneven development. Too many descriptions over unimportant details forgetting about the main story.
I could classify this as human horror.
I thank you BookSirens @booksirens for giving me an advance review copy for free.
September 28, 2023
Wow, this book wrecked me. I've been putting off writing this review because I don't really know how to say what Apparitions made me feel. It's sad and beautiful, and powerful.
Throughout the book you are in the main character's head as he discovers the world and interacts with it for the first time. He's scared, he doesn't know how to communicate. His perspective on life comes from a place of darkness and violence, and everything is new. The narration can be a little disorienting in parts, but it feels purposeful. The writing is spectacular.
I loved experiencing the world from someone else's perspective. For example, the first time he sees a man with tattoos, he "wonder[s] if they had grown out of him like freckles and if pictures would grow out of [himself] too." But we also experienced a life of tragedy and isolation from that perspective, and that was difficult to read.
I think Apparitions is an important book. It doesn't portray Deafness as a disability, or something that needs to be fixed. Instead it does show the tragic effects that language deprivation has on an individual, and expresses the importance of communication and kindness.
TW for child abuse, sexual assault, bullying, gaslighting, animal cruelty.
Throughout the book you are in the main character's head as he discovers the world and interacts with it for the first time. He's scared, he doesn't know how to communicate. His perspective on life comes from a place of darkness and violence, and everything is new. The narration can be a little disorienting in parts, but it feels purposeful. The writing is spectacular.
I loved experiencing the world from someone else's perspective. For example, the first time he sees a man with tattoos, he "wonder[s] if they had grown out of him like freckles and if pictures would grow out of [himself] too." But we also experienced a life of tragedy and isolation from that perspective, and that was difficult to read.
I think Apparitions is an important book. It doesn't portray Deafness as a disability, or something that needs to be fixed. Instead it does show the tragic effects that language deprivation has on an individual, and expresses the importance of communication and kindness.
TW for child abuse, sexual assault, bullying, gaslighting, animal cruelty.
September 10, 2023
An incredibly raw read in the sense of its emotionality. This is a book focusing on trauma, injustice, accessibility, resource, and about a world made unequal and does not understand. Its centres on courage, overcoming, vulnerability, misunderstandings, strength and fear, love and abuse, violence and desire. It is about stepping out of the only world the MC thought existed and is reminiscent of ROOM. There is tragedy, there are horrifics, but also is also unbound beauty.
Above all, there is a through line of what it means to have, receive, and give love.
*Do check be weary of the trigger warnings as there are quite a few and scenes do get brutal
A big thank you to Dark Hart Books and Sadie for an ARC!
Above all, there is a through line of what it means to have, receive, and give love.
*Do check be weary of the trigger warnings as there are quite a few and scenes do get brutal
A big thank you to Dark Hart Books and Sadie for an ARC!
June 6, 2024
This book was absolutely heartbreaking and is written beautifully. The horrific things the narrator endures were hard to read and often made me cry. The author put it into words perfectly, “even when we endure the ugliest, most gruesome horrors, we can still find small pockets of beauty in this world.”
October 7, 2023
Imagine being a young deaf boy, sheltered from the world by a druggie mother who tries to do her best for you but fails miserably. Imagine your estranged father coming to drag you away, kidnapping you, and locking you away in a basement room with a light that never turns off and only a dirty mattress and bucket to piss and shit in. No one ever taught you to sign, to communicate. No one ever taught you anything. All you know is what's inside those concrete walls with you. And the dogs. You also know the dogs. The ones they make you fight, fight and kill before they kill you. Until one night, you are dragged out of the room and into the yard and made to stand by a hole that was dug just for you. Your father with a gun to the back of your head, and you running suddenly, running for your life. Escaping one hell just to be plunged into another. Only you don't know this new place is hell. Not yet. You'll learn that later, after you escape from there too.
A dark, horrifying look at longterm child abuse and trauma, deafness, sexual exploration, and the cult-like manipulation of someone who appears to be your savior but who instead becomes just another kind of captor.
A dark, horrifying look at longterm child abuse and trauma, deafness, sexual exploration, and the cult-like manipulation of someone who appears to be your savior but who instead becomes just another kind of captor.
October 5, 2023
"My first language wasn't Sign. It was violence. When they spoke to me — when anyone speaks to me — they speak in ghosts. That's what words are. We don't see them, but we feel them."
Many of us don't know what it's like to be deprived of language, but the main character of 'Apparitions' does — which means he's also deprived of love, knowledge, understanding, and the ability to process what goes on around him, and in people's minds. With the Deaf teenager having grown up in an extremely abusive and neglectful household, his purview finally broadens when he meets another fellow Deaf teenager, Felix, at the mental institution he's placed in. Learning Sign Language changes everything for him, and Felix does too. But with Felix's past, the tool that the nameless teen has acquired to communicate and navigate the world becomes a wrench for Felix to twist and pull to revolve around his own ambitions.
Adam Pottle deftfully uses language, including Sign Language and epistolary excerpts such as reports and diary entries to guide us through both Felix and his companion's trajectory of having to process their own trauma. Felix's diary entries can often be erratic, angry (often justly so), not entirely comprehensive, especially as a child. As he grows older, he sounds more coherent and philosophizes his goals using his Biblical views — yet his more clear-cut goals open up an unexpected side of his friend. The varying narration techniques might be a little jarring at first, but they make more sense as the book progresses. I appreciate the seemingly complex dynamics between the two; in a place where you feel alone and have but one bond with someone, their suffocating inferno can be mistaken as the sunshine that leads you to the prairies.
The author's ability to give life to the characters, whether they're merely envisioning things in their head, or experiencing something for the first time, makes the prose immersive and also emotional. From violence to a multitude of positive and negative emotions, we can see how the teenager gradually becomes a "more rounded" person exuding kindness.
This is definitely one of the most unique books I've read this year, and is a great example of well-thought out and multidimensional disability rep done well.
Thank you Dark Hart Books and BookSirens for the advance copy, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
Many of us don't know what it's like to be deprived of language, but the main character of 'Apparitions' does — which means he's also deprived of love, knowledge, understanding, and the ability to process what goes on around him, and in people's minds. With the Deaf teenager having grown up in an extremely abusive and neglectful household, his purview finally broadens when he meets another fellow Deaf teenager, Felix, at the mental institution he's placed in. Learning Sign Language changes everything for him, and Felix does too. But with Felix's past, the tool that the nameless teen has acquired to communicate and navigate the world becomes a wrench for Felix to twist and pull to revolve around his own ambitions.
Adam Pottle deftfully uses language, including Sign Language and epistolary excerpts such as reports and diary entries to guide us through both Felix and his companion's trajectory of having to process their own trauma. Felix's diary entries can often be erratic, angry (often justly so), not entirely comprehensive, especially as a child. As he grows older, he sounds more coherent and philosophizes his goals using his Biblical views — yet his more clear-cut goals open up an unexpected side of his friend. The varying narration techniques might be a little jarring at first, but they make more sense as the book progresses. I appreciate the seemingly complex dynamics between the two; in a place where you feel alone and have but one bond with someone, their suffocating inferno can be mistaken as the sunshine that leads you to the prairies.
The author's ability to give life to the characters, whether they're merely envisioning things in their head, or experiencing something for the first time, makes the prose immersive and also emotional. From violence to a multitude of positive and negative emotions, we can see how the teenager gradually becomes a "more rounded" person exuding kindness.
This is definitely one of the most unique books I've read this year, and is a great example of well-thought out and multidimensional disability rep done well.
Thank you Dark Hart Books and BookSirens for the advance copy, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
December 25, 2025
Unlike any other book I've read. Narrated by a Deaf boy who has lived through trauma. Sometimes crushing but a solid read.
March 26, 2024
This takes the form of a disturbing memoir, veering towards auto-fiction, and can only loosely be described as horror.
Interestingly, it is written by a deaf author, and concerns a deaf protagonist who narrates much of the book.
For various reasons, it is not an easy book to read; not least, because it has a non-linear timeline, but also because it deals with subjects such as physical, sexual and mental abuse, extreme violence, homophobia, and dated attitudes towards ableism. Indeed, Pottle dealing with these elements show the power of his writing. It is a necessary piece of work.
Set in the 1970s and 80s, the young narrator is unable to express himself or even understand some of the things he experiences, from his days in a school classroom, to an institution that is there supposedly to help him. Only violence resonates. For a lot of the time, he is terrified, and runs away.
There are moments of respite however. As he learns to sign at one institution Pottle’s writing effuses relief and happiness.
I guess that it may fit into the horror genre for some readers as it indicates that the worst monsters encountered in life are often human.
It may be an uncomfortable read, but there is no doubt that it is a vital one, and that debut author Adam Pottle deserves lots of credit, and interest as to what he might come up with next.
Interestingly, it is written by a deaf author, and concerns a deaf protagonist who narrates much of the book.
For various reasons, it is not an easy book to read; not least, because it has a non-linear timeline, but also because it deals with subjects such as physical, sexual and mental abuse, extreme violence, homophobia, and dated attitudes towards ableism. Indeed, Pottle dealing with these elements show the power of his writing. It is a necessary piece of work.
Set in the 1970s and 80s, the young narrator is unable to express himself or even understand some of the things he experiences, from his days in a school classroom, to an institution that is there supposedly to help him. Only violence resonates. For a lot of the time, he is terrified, and runs away.
There are moments of respite however. As he learns to sign at one institution Pottle’s writing effuses relief and happiness.
I guess that it may fit into the horror genre for some readers as it indicates that the worst monsters encountered in life are often human.
It may be an uncomfortable read, but there is no doubt that it is a vital one, and that debut author Adam Pottle deserves lots of credit, and interest as to what he might come up with next.
December 7, 2023
Beautifully written and captivating. A sad and at times darkly sweet story interlaced with disturbing themes of violence and mania.
A horror book featuring a deaf character who has no name and sadly had never felt love. After years of violence and abuse at his father's hands he escapes and lands in an asylum. He finds another deaf boy there who teaches him sign language and how to communicate for the first time in his life. This sets him free somewhat from his internal prison. He also finds beauty and love but it takes a dark twist at the end and free falls into a demented and twisted idea of what could have been something good.
Some of this book is so gut-wrenching and sad and yet so beautiful at the same time. It will sit with me for a long time. I cannot highly recommend this book enough.
A horror book featuring a deaf character who has no name and sadly had never felt love. After years of violence and abuse at his father's hands he escapes and lands in an asylum. He finds another deaf boy there who teaches him sign language and how to communicate for the first time in his life. This sets him free somewhat from his internal prison. He also finds beauty and love but it takes a dark twist at the end and free falls into a demented and twisted idea of what could have been something good.
Some of this book is so gut-wrenching and sad and yet so beautiful at the same time. It will sit with me for a long time. I cannot highly recommend this book enough.
September 14, 2023
This book is like nothing I’ve ever read. The brilliant manner that Pottle brings the reader into a world unexperienced by anyone who was not born deaf is heartfelt, empathy-inducing, isolating, and ratchets up the dread and horror the main character experiences. The narrative voice is one of innocence thrown into trauma, but full of hope as the main character is searching for someone to love him. That innocence in the main character, brought on by the dark context of his family and the horrors that were inflicted on him, kept me rooting for him even as Pottle creates a sense of anxious momentum leading the main character into darker and darker places. He goes from being isolated and caged by his father and his deafness to being imprisoned in a cult of one, led by a mental patient with a Christ-complex that uses a shared deafness and a need to be loved to isolate even more. A deeply flawed world is slowly revealed to the main character and simultaneously to the reader, who gets a small glimpse of what it might be like to learn to navigate a world without the aid of sounds that most of us take for granted. This was a heartbreaking, beautiful, and unique read. The book will be released on September 19, and anyone who is a fan of character-driven, heart-forward horror should pick it up. Highly recommend.
October 5, 2024
4.5 Rounded Up
Definitely one of my favorite novels I’ve read this year, and has one of my favorite narrators I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with.
There’s a whole lot of heavy content in Apparitions, and yet, it also so full, thanks to the narrator, of love. Sometimes really messy, manipulated love, but also one that’s just so pure, as well.
Adam Pottle has written a novel that I feel has been sorely lacking in the world because there just aren’t enough stories being published that center people with disabilities and give them the fullness of character they so well deserve.
I loved getting to discover the world and communication and how to tell his story alongside the narrator. And I love how queerness is represented in this book, as well.
So much about Apparitions just feels so special and powerful to me. It’s just so completely emotionally resonant and such a deeply felt book. It comments on how people on the fringes are treated or ignored. It comments on the unchecked medical malpractice in psychiatric institutions. And it explores how so many of our systems set up good people to fail instead of actually giving them the help they, instead of actually listening.
Really the only issues I had were, where the story ended and a small/insignificant but noticeable continuity error near the end.
But these are just minor things, and I feel like this books deserves a whole lot more attention.
Definitely one of my favorite novels I’ve read this year, and has one of my favorite narrators I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with.
There’s a whole lot of heavy content in Apparitions, and yet, it also so full, thanks to the narrator, of love. Sometimes really messy, manipulated love, but also one that’s just so pure, as well.
Adam Pottle has written a novel that I feel has been sorely lacking in the world because there just aren’t enough stories being published that center people with disabilities and give them the fullness of character they so well deserve.
I loved getting to discover the world and communication and how to tell his story alongside the narrator. And I love how queerness is represented in this book, as well.
So much about Apparitions just feels so special and powerful to me. It’s just so completely emotionally resonant and such a deeply felt book. It comments on how people on the fringes are treated or ignored. It comments on the unchecked medical malpractice in psychiatric institutions. And it explores how so many of our systems set up good people to fail instead of actually giving them the help they, instead of actually listening.
Really the only issues I had were, where the story ended and a small/insignificant but noticeable continuity error near the end.
But these are just minor things, and I feel like this books deserves a whole lot more attention.
April 29, 2024
Thank you so much to Sadie from Dark Hart Books for providing me with an arc!
This book was definitely a sad and heavy read. Going into it, I was expecting more of a traditional horror story, but it ended up focusing more so on the horrors that humanity can inflict on others, especially towards those who are in a position to be easily manipulated.
I thought the writing was good and the characters felt realistic and had depth. I will have to keep an eye out for more from this author!
This book was definitely a sad and heavy read. Going into it, I was expecting more of a traditional horror story, but it ended up focusing more so on the horrors that humanity can inflict on others, especially towards those who are in a position to be easily manipulated.
I thought the writing was good and the characters felt realistic and had depth. I will have to keep an eye out for more from this author!
October 2, 2023
“In giving me language, Felix gave me love. My blood glowed. The world shimmered with incredible potential — even dust pulsed with life.”
📚
Apparitions is a recent horror release that chronicles the devastating effects of abuse, deprivation, and violence. Told via both a first-person narrative and epistolary format, the storyline follows an unnamed Deaf teenager as he’s torn from his mother’s home and imprisoned in his father’s basement. Kept prisoner in this small, foul space for years, he is cruelly neglected, viciously mistreated, and denied learning, language, understanding, and meaningful human contact.
After escaping, he wanders through Saskatchewan before being placed in a psychiatric facility, where he meets another Deaf teen named Felix. Thrilled to find a companion who can teach him Sign Language, he quickly becomes dependent on, influenced by, and inseparable from Felix, whose ambition, cunning, and manipulation may actually be the last thing he needs.
This novel is an absolutely gut-wrenching journey that reads like real horror. All the protagonist knows is cruelty and savagery; because he has been treated in a subhuman manner, he responds in-kind, misunderstanding interactions and literally fighting for survival anytime he feels threatened. Isolation, dread, and terror intensify throughout as, without knowledge, communication, or agency, the main character is constantly at the mercy of those surrounding him. While this produces an utterly dark, overwhelming, and depressing situation, the story also shines with moments of beauty and hope — instances that show the protagonist’s true nature, which is loving, empathetic, and courageous.
A compelling and breathtaking work, Apparitions sears itself into the reader, evoking intense feelings of anxiety, sorrow, and fear in the face of oppression and inequality. It is a brutal account of circumstance, inhumanity, dispossession, and trauma as well as a beautiful tale of yearning, strength, love, desire, and perseverance. A unique, disorienting, and captivating odyssey, it’s the ultimate exercise in empathy, and an awe-inspiring opportunity to walk in another’s shoes.
Thank you to Dark Matter INK for sending me a copy of this powerful, beautiful novel. It was an incredible and indelible read.
📚
Apparitions is a recent horror release that chronicles the devastating effects of abuse, deprivation, and violence. Told via both a first-person narrative and epistolary format, the storyline follows an unnamed Deaf teenager as he’s torn from his mother’s home and imprisoned in his father’s basement. Kept prisoner in this small, foul space for years, he is cruelly neglected, viciously mistreated, and denied learning, language, understanding, and meaningful human contact.
After escaping, he wanders through Saskatchewan before being placed in a psychiatric facility, where he meets another Deaf teen named Felix. Thrilled to find a companion who can teach him Sign Language, he quickly becomes dependent on, influenced by, and inseparable from Felix, whose ambition, cunning, and manipulation may actually be the last thing he needs.
This novel is an absolutely gut-wrenching journey that reads like real horror. All the protagonist knows is cruelty and savagery; because he has been treated in a subhuman manner, he responds in-kind, misunderstanding interactions and literally fighting for survival anytime he feels threatened. Isolation, dread, and terror intensify throughout as, without knowledge, communication, or agency, the main character is constantly at the mercy of those surrounding him. While this produces an utterly dark, overwhelming, and depressing situation, the story also shines with moments of beauty and hope — instances that show the protagonist’s true nature, which is loving, empathetic, and courageous.
A compelling and breathtaking work, Apparitions sears itself into the reader, evoking intense feelings of anxiety, sorrow, and fear in the face of oppression and inequality. It is a brutal account of circumstance, inhumanity, dispossession, and trauma as well as a beautiful tale of yearning, strength, love, desire, and perseverance. A unique, disorienting, and captivating odyssey, it’s the ultimate exercise in empathy, and an awe-inspiring opportunity to walk in another’s shoes.
Thank you to Dark Matter INK for sending me a copy of this powerful, beautiful novel. It was an incredible and indelible read.
October 22, 2023
"With so many ways to say the same thing, he signed, they can talk their way out of trouble. But signing-- it's harder to lie when you speak with your body."
Apparitions is a wonderfully horrific dark tale of a Deaf boy going through a life of torture and manipulation. This is a story of trusting someone when trust is the last thing you want to give. This is the definition of vulnerability, of betrayal, of frustration, and misunderstanding.
Imagine with me if you will what it would be like to be thrown into a land where you can not communicate, where the world is so foreign that you have to go along just to stay out of trouble. You can't read, can't speak, can't understand where you are or why you are there. Imagine the loneliness and the judgemental looks. Surrounded by people yet totally alone.
This book is filled with insights from a perspective that will leave you in awe. Open your mind and empathize.
"What do you do if the way you're built is against the rules?"
Go back, read that again, and just think about it. How many people live that reality? Who feel that the way they are built, both mentally and physically, are against the rules? That they are an insult to the way people are "supposed" to be. The thought makes me feel hollow.
"Everyone has a different reality, Felix signed, and the best world accepts them all."
Don't get me wrong, this is not a book of sunshine, rainbows, and hope. It is brutal, it is devastating, it is isolation. This is a story of grabbing on to the first thing that connects with you and being glad for a moment that you have a friend.
"I was alone. No one knew where I was. No one knew who I was. I didn't know who I was. Looking in the mirror solved nothing."
Apparitions is a wonderfully horrific dark tale of a Deaf boy going through a life of torture and manipulation. This is a story of trusting someone when trust is the last thing you want to give. This is the definition of vulnerability, of betrayal, of frustration, and misunderstanding.
Imagine with me if you will what it would be like to be thrown into a land where you can not communicate, where the world is so foreign that you have to go along just to stay out of trouble. You can't read, can't speak, can't understand where you are or why you are there. Imagine the loneliness and the judgemental looks. Surrounded by people yet totally alone.
This book is filled with insights from a perspective that will leave you in awe. Open your mind and empathize.
"What do you do if the way you're built is against the rules?"
Go back, read that again, and just think about it. How many people live that reality? Who feel that the way they are built, both mentally and physically, are against the rules? That they are an insult to the way people are "supposed" to be. The thought makes me feel hollow.
"Everyone has a different reality, Felix signed, and the best world accepts them all."
Don't get me wrong, this is not a book of sunshine, rainbows, and hope. It is brutal, it is devastating, it is isolation. This is a story of grabbing on to the first thing that connects with you and being glad for a moment that you have a friend.
"I was alone. No one knew where I was. No one knew who I was. I didn't know who I was. Looking in the mirror solved nothing."
July 27, 2024
I'm at a loss for words to describe what this book did to me, which feels fitting. Written words and spoken sounds cannot come close to capturing what this book is.
This book was a practical lesson in the extremes of human emotions. Nothing about this book was moderate; the despair was all-encompassing and suffocating; the hope was soaring and vibrant. Part of me wants to scream about this book at the top of my lungs from every pedestal I can find, another part of me wants to hide it away into the deepest recesses of my mind and never let it see the light of day. This was a beautiful book. This was a horrible book.
I loved the book and I cannot recommend it enough, but be warned that this book was brutal. The tagline is "violence was his first language," and the content warnings seem unending. PLEASE pay attention to these warnings.
This book was a practical lesson in the extremes of human emotions. Nothing about this book was moderate; the despair was all-encompassing and suffocating; the hope was soaring and vibrant. Part of me wants to scream about this book at the top of my lungs from every pedestal I can find, another part of me wants to hide it away into the deepest recesses of my mind and never let it see the light of day. This was a beautiful book. This was a horrible book.
I loved the book and I cannot recommend it enough, but be warned that this book was brutal. The tagline is "violence was his first language," and the content warnings seem unending. PLEASE pay attention to these warnings.
August 4, 2024
Equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying.
A fictionalised memoir of a child who was deaf from birth, with family that did not teach him language of any form, and subsequently imprisoned him in a basement for most of his formative years.
This is the story that begins with his escape, and subsequent institutionalisation where he finally learns a form of language and communication, and is manipulated and moulded by a fellow deaf teen he meets.
It’s heavy stuff. Pottle firmly grounds you in the deaf first person perspective. The passages before he is finally taught sign language are harrowing (as are many of the passages afterward).
This is a horror novel, but there aren’t any ghosts or werewolves, the monsters in this book are all human. Do not take the content warning at the start of the book lightly.
This is essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in psychological horror.
A fictionalised memoir of a child who was deaf from birth, with family that did not teach him language of any form, and subsequently imprisoned him in a basement for most of his formative years.
This is the story that begins with his escape, and subsequent institutionalisation where he finally learns a form of language and communication, and is manipulated and moulded by a fellow deaf teen he meets.
It’s heavy stuff. Pottle firmly grounds you in the deaf first person perspective. The passages before he is finally taught sign language are harrowing (as are many of the passages afterward).
This is a horror novel, but there aren’t any ghosts or werewolves, the monsters in this book are all human. Do not take the content warning at the start of the book lightly.
This is essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in psychological horror.
December 20, 2024
Some really nasty shit in here, but this is a very good story and Adam Pottle is a talented writer. The prose was succinct yet descriptive, skillfully translating the visual language of Sign to English orthography, so it's kind of like the book itself is an interpreter for the reader—really makes me think about language, text and the medium of communication, which is supported in text by the intercutting of Felix's diary entries and Dr. Pearl's psychiatric notes on Felix's file.
CW:
CW:
September 25, 2023
Equally engaging and disturbing.
Apparitions is the definition of psychological horror. Due to his neglectful upbringing, the protagonist is incredibly vulnerable. Each new character had me scared on his behalf - would they help him or take advantage of him? I felt pretty invested in his fate: there were several tense points where I wanted to look away but couldn't.
I especially enjoyed reading Deaf characters written by a Deaf author. Pottle does a fantastic job at pulling you into the protagonists head so that you see through his eyes.
Thank you for the chance to check this book out for free! I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
Apparitions is the definition of psychological horror. Due to his neglectful upbringing, the protagonist is incredibly vulnerable. Each new character had me scared on his behalf - would they help him or take advantage of him? I felt pretty invested in his fate: there were several tense points where I wanted to look away but couldn't.
I especially enjoyed reading Deaf characters written by a Deaf author. Pottle does a fantastic job at pulling you into the protagonists head so that you see through his eyes.
Thank you for the chance to check this book out for free! I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
June 3, 2024
Apparitions is an incredible true story of survival against all odds. The narrators lived experiences are unimaginable. I am grateful he was able to tell his story, and even more grateful that a deaf author such as Pottle was the one to do it, and to do it such justice. I will definitely be reading more of Pottle’s work asap.
October 17, 2023
This is psychological horror at its finest. Combined with the original manner of presentation, it's not a book I'll forget for a very long time. It took me utterly by surprise: the story is not simple, but its impact makes it as emotionally intoxicating as visceral. It's very heavy and sad, but the pay-off, both in mind and soul, is worth it; you'll be stuck staring into space long after you're finished. Highly recommended!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 19, 2025
Hmm…. Too hard to review really as too close to home with deaf family members. An uncomfortable read for me.
January 14, 2024
Such a heartfelt book… Makes me appreciate everything I have!
October 10, 2023
Apparitions tells the story of two deaf boys who desperately hold onto each other for support in a world not built for them, where only they can truly understand each other. It's also a story of how having so much love trapped inside you while being misunderstood can make you turn out one way, or the other. . .
This is told entirely from the deaf perspective, so if you're one of those readers who can't stand books without quotation marks, give this one a pass—or, understand that there are none because there is no spoken dialogue to be heard from this point of view. This stylistic choice, to me, was skillfully done.
I also loved the tight control of revealing information. This book was a brilliantly crafted epistolary narrative, told in part through the transcribed signs of the narrator whose name only exists in sign, and through the various collected writings, ravings, and files related to Felix Jimson, the other deaf boy.
The narrator was kidnapped from his mother by his father, and held captive in a basement room until he escaped as a teenager, only to end up in a mental hospital. Felix also is estranged from his mother, but his left him and his dad of her own volition. Both boys have daddy issues, but one wishes love and peace for his father, hoping he'll stop being so mean and xenophobic, while the other becomes obsessed with killing his father.
The relationship between these two boys is conflicting due to the power dynamic. Stuck in a Canadian mental hospital in the year 1980, the narrator learns how to sign from fellow patient Felix, and even eventually gets his name from him. Felix gives him the gift of language, gives him the words for love, peace, sex, and everything else, including some free tips on what to know to get by as a Deaf person in a hearing world. His observations on the world are often insightful and true, to a degree. However, Felix is in the hospital for a reason himself: he's a paranoid schizophrenic who takes this opportunity to explain his understanding of God to a willing listener, warping the narrator into being a devoted apostle of his new gospel.
And this is where the conflict arises. Because it is ultimately love and the desire for true connection that drives the actions of these boys, whether they be violent or not. But because of Felix's mental illness, the way he goes about trying to receive and maintain love, both on small and large scales, is psychologically manipulative. The narrator's ignorance and innocence prevent him from seeing this, though we, the reader, and the doctors in the novel, are all too aware of what's going on. It makes scenes where they are forcibly dragged apart even harder to read. It's hard not to root for these boys and hope they can stay together, even knowing Felix is so messed up and needs help that the system just won't be able to provide. It's understandably hard for the narrator to feel any need to walk away from the person who gave him the gift of language and was the first person to really show him love after a childhood of hate and violence.
Overall, a truly horrific novel that expertly portrays the intersections of disability, sexual orientation, and mental health, Apparitions was a reading experience unlike any other I've had so far.
Thanks to BookSirens and Dark Hart Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book. I am leaving my honest feedback here voluntarily.
This is told entirely from the deaf perspective, so if you're one of those readers who can't stand books without quotation marks, give this one a pass—or, understand that there are none because there is no spoken dialogue to be heard from this point of view. This stylistic choice, to me, was skillfully done.
I also loved the tight control of revealing information. This book was a brilliantly crafted epistolary narrative, told in part through the transcribed signs of the narrator whose name only exists in sign, and through the various collected writings, ravings, and files related to Felix Jimson, the other deaf boy.
The narrator was kidnapped from his mother by his father, and held captive in a basement room until he escaped as a teenager, only to end up in a mental hospital. Felix also is estranged from his mother, but his left him and his dad of her own volition. Both boys have daddy issues, but one wishes love and peace for his father, hoping he'll stop being so mean and xenophobic, while the other becomes obsessed with killing his father.
The relationship between these two boys is conflicting due to the power dynamic. Stuck in a Canadian mental hospital in the year 1980, the narrator learns how to sign from fellow patient Felix, and even eventually gets his name from him. Felix gives him the gift of language, gives him the words for love, peace, sex, and everything else, including some free tips on what to know to get by as a Deaf person in a hearing world. His observations on the world are often insightful and true, to a degree. However, Felix is in the hospital for a reason himself: he's a paranoid schizophrenic who takes this opportunity to explain his understanding of God to a willing listener, warping the narrator into being a devoted apostle of his new gospel.
And this is where the conflict arises. Because it is ultimately love and the desire for true connection that drives the actions of these boys, whether they be violent or not. But because of Felix's mental illness, the way he goes about trying to receive and maintain love, both on small and large scales, is psychologically manipulative. The narrator's ignorance and innocence prevent him from seeing this, though we, the reader, and the doctors in the novel, are all too aware of what's going on. It makes scenes where they are forcibly dragged apart even harder to read. It's hard not to root for these boys and hope they can stay together, even knowing Felix is so messed up and needs help that the system just won't be able to provide. It's understandably hard for the narrator to feel any need to walk away from the person who gave him the gift of language and was the first person to really show him love after a childhood of hate and violence.
Overall, a truly horrific novel that expertly portrays the intersections of disability, sexual orientation, and mental health, Apparitions was a reading experience unlike any other I've had so far.
Thanks to BookSirens and Dark Hart Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book. I am leaving my honest feedback here voluntarily.
January 3, 2026
Una de las últimas publicaciones que el sello Dilatando Mentes ha lanzado a finales del año 2025 ha sido la novela APARICIONES de Adam Pottle y de la que en esta entrada os hablaremos de nuestras impresiones.
La historia que podemos leer en este libro es notablemente particular, quizás de las más singulares de mi vida como lector. Y como suele pasar en este tipo de ocasiones, es debido a que su narración suele estar elaborada de una manera diferente a otras del mismo género. Así funciona esta novela, que además obliga a mirar de frente a aquellos que normalmente evita. Su trama camina inexorablemente entre la violencia, el abandono y la soledad, pero también por la ternura, la necesidad de afecto y la belleza que puede surgir incluso en los lugares más oscuros.
La historia sigue los pasos de un adolescente sordo que escapa tras años de encierro y abusos, sin nombre, sin identidad y sin palabras para describir su dolor. Herido, llega a un hospital psiquiátrico en las praderas canadienses, donde conoce a Felix, otro joven sordo que le enseña a comunicarse y le ofrece una aparente amistad. Pero esa ayuda pronto se convierte en manipulación, ya que Felix busca moldearlo a su imagen, atrapándolo en una nueva forma de control. Entre la libertad y la sumisión, el protagonista deberá luchar por sobrevivir y descubrir su propia voz en un mundo que nunca lo ha escuchado.
Al seguir la vida de un adolescente sordo privado de toda forma de lenguaje y afecto durante sus primeros años, la novela se convierte en una experiencia emocional extrema, tan desgarradora como luminosa.
Pottle adopta una perspectiva narrativa profundamente íntima a través de la mente del protagonista que se convierte en el único puente entre el lector y el mundo. De hecho, no tiene nombre durante la mayor parte del libro, carece de palabras, de signos, e incluso de categorías para comprender lo que le ocurre. Su realidad está moldeada solo por la brutalidad de quien lo mantiene encerrado, aislado en un espacio reducido donde las paredes son su universo. Su primer idioma no es uno que se pueda traducir y su manera de interpretar la vida nace del miedo, del castigo y de la supervivencia.
Estas primeras páginas son particularmente duras de leer. El autor logra que el lector sienta la desorientación de un niño que no puede comunicarse con nadie y que ve la violencia como única forma de relación humana. La narración puede resultar confusa por momentos, pero hay una intención clara detrás, que no es otra que la de reproducir lo que significa crecer sin palabras ni referencias, atrapado en un encierro literal y simbólico. Y en esa misma oscuridad también se encuentra una prosa de una delicadeza inesperada, gracias a su autor escribe con una sensibilidad que contrasta con la brutalidad de lo que describe.
Disfruta de la reseña completa en nuestro espacio web: https://distopolis.com/resena-de-apar...
La historia que podemos leer en este libro es notablemente particular, quizás de las más singulares de mi vida como lector. Y como suele pasar en este tipo de ocasiones, es debido a que su narración suele estar elaborada de una manera diferente a otras del mismo género. Así funciona esta novela, que además obliga a mirar de frente a aquellos que normalmente evita. Su trama camina inexorablemente entre la violencia, el abandono y la soledad, pero también por la ternura, la necesidad de afecto y la belleza que puede surgir incluso en los lugares más oscuros.
La historia sigue los pasos de un adolescente sordo que escapa tras años de encierro y abusos, sin nombre, sin identidad y sin palabras para describir su dolor. Herido, llega a un hospital psiquiátrico en las praderas canadienses, donde conoce a Felix, otro joven sordo que le enseña a comunicarse y le ofrece una aparente amistad. Pero esa ayuda pronto se convierte en manipulación, ya que Felix busca moldearlo a su imagen, atrapándolo en una nueva forma de control. Entre la libertad y la sumisión, el protagonista deberá luchar por sobrevivir y descubrir su propia voz en un mundo que nunca lo ha escuchado.
Al seguir la vida de un adolescente sordo privado de toda forma de lenguaje y afecto durante sus primeros años, la novela se convierte en una experiencia emocional extrema, tan desgarradora como luminosa.
Pottle adopta una perspectiva narrativa profundamente íntima a través de la mente del protagonista que se convierte en el único puente entre el lector y el mundo. De hecho, no tiene nombre durante la mayor parte del libro, carece de palabras, de signos, e incluso de categorías para comprender lo que le ocurre. Su realidad está moldeada solo por la brutalidad de quien lo mantiene encerrado, aislado en un espacio reducido donde las paredes son su universo. Su primer idioma no es uno que se pueda traducir y su manera de interpretar la vida nace del miedo, del castigo y de la supervivencia.
Estas primeras páginas son particularmente duras de leer. El autor logra que el lector sienta la desorientación de un niño que no puede comunicarse con nadie y que ve la violencia como única forma de relación humana. La narración puede resultar confusa por momentos, pero hay una intención clara detrás, que no es otra que la de reproducir lo que significa crecer sin palabras ni referencias, atrapado en un encierro literal y simbólico. Y en esa misma oscuridad también se encuentra una prosa de una delicadeza inesperada, gracias a su autor escribe con una sensibilidad que contrasta con la brutalidad de lo que describe.
Disfruta de la reseña completa en nuestro espacio web: https://distopolis.com/resena-de-apar...
November 26, 2023
Apparitions, by Adam Pottle, is a novel about a nameless Deaf teen—a survivor of extreme child abuse—who befriends an emotionally troubled Deaf youth named Felix while in a psychiatric institution in Saskatchewan. Felix teaches "John Smith" Sign Language while confined there, finally giving him a voice and providing agency. But Felix may not be the benevolent saviour "John" thinks he is.
This is an ambitious piece of writing. First and foremost, Pottle is a gifted writer. He unquestionably understands vocabulary and how to use words to convey both action and emotion. His ability to construct poignant phrases, like "My first language wasn't Sign. It was violence," reveals a storyteller who is contemplative yet intentional. He wants to affect as well as educate. Entertain along with illuminate. It's inviting; I want to invest my time.
The work is fiction, but the novel's overall structure is quite lyrical, almost poetic in its cadence; this is endearing, but it also creates an issue on a technical level for story comprehension. I occasionally lost my focus on who was speaking and, more importantly, HOW they communicated, as the subject of Deafness is integral to the story. I would have preferred a more clearly differentiated narrative voice: "spoken language" from "Sign" and both from "thought."
The most challenging aspects of the story for me—and I'm sure for many others—were the scenes of child abuse: unadulterated degradation and torture. This is well-articulated horror, but not to the degree of a Saw movie. It's less sensationalist entertainment and more illustrative commentary on brutality and dehumanization, especially as it relates to the most vulnerable in our society.
The novel is set in the past, predominantly in the 70s and 80s, and deals with some heavy issues, especially in keeping with the time frame(s). Subject matters such as ableism, sexual orientation and exploration, religious abuse, unethical medical practices, and mental illness are all on top of the overarching themes of gross child abuse, criminality, and violence. Pottle's writing is exceptional here, never coming across as dated or clumsy, maintaining the flavour of the specific eras in which the narrative voice exists. You can see where the author's diligent research mixes with thoughtful exposition to enrich his story.
With his novel Apparitions, Adam Pottle gives his readers much to experience and unpack. It's not always an easy, palatable endeavour, but it is undeniably emotionally engaging. A passion for inventive storytelling and a strong desire to create a space within contemporary fiction for the Deaf community—for Deaf characters—makes his work compelling, entertaining, and invaluable.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is an ambitious piece of writing. First and foremost, Pottle is a gifted writer. He unquestionably understands vocabulary and how to use words to convey both action and emotion. His ability to construct poignant phrases, like "My first language wasn't Sign. It was violence," reveals a storyteller who is contemplative yet intentional. He wants to affect as well as educate. Entertain along with illuminate. It's inviting; I want to invest my time.
The work is fiction, but the novel's overall structure is quite lyrical, almost poetic in its cadence; this is endearing, but it also creates an issue on a technical level for story comprehension. I occasionally lost my focus on who was speaking and, more importantly, HOW they communicated, as the subject of Deafness is integral to the story. I would have preferred a more clearly differentiated narrative voice: "spoken language" from "Sign" and both from "thought."
The most challenging aspects of the story for me—and I'm sure for many others—were the scenes of child abuse: unadulterated degradation and torture. This is well-articulated horror, but not to the degree of a Saw movie. It's less sensationalist entertainment and more illustrative commentary on brutality and dehumanization, especially as it relates to the most vulnerable in our society.
The novel is set in the past, predominantly in the 70s and 80s, and deals with some heavy issues, especially in keeping with the time frame(s). Subject matters such as ableism, sexual orientation and exploration, religious abuse, unethical medical practices, and mental illness are all on top of the overarching themes of gross child abuse, criminality, and violence. Pottle's writing is exceptional here, never coming across as dated or clumsy, maintaining the flavour of the specific eras in which the narrative voice exists. You can see where the author's diligent research mixes with thoughtful exposition to enrich his story.
With his novel Apparitions, Adam Pottle gives his readers much to experience and unpack. It's not always an easy, palatable endeavour, but it is undeniably emotionally engaging. A passion for inventive storytelling and a strong desire to create a space within contemporary fiction for the Deaf community—for Deaf characters—makes his work compelling, entertaining, and invaluable.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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April 17, 2024Absolutely fascinating psychological horror.
A Deaf, unnamed, narrator, escapes an abusive father just to be sent to a psychiatric hospital where he meets the fascinating Felix, the first person to give language. The two fall quickly into an (sexual) abusive relationship blurring the line between romantic and messianic.
The narrative is intercut by the slightly older narrator in jail preparing for his father's trial and different excerpts of Felix journal as well as doctors notes to help grasp the larger narrative.
The narrator is twofold: an abused teen who grew up sheltered without being able to communicate with the world, who is also a child who was forced into violence (whose first language is violence) who knows better than most the harsh realities of the world and suffers from PTSD.
Felix is someone who we quickly distrust, he's presented as an arsonist and there are early hints of him abusing the narrator. Yet this is a novel about disability. There's a reason why this is set in a psychiatric hospital in the 1970s (although it is still true now, I suspect part of the temporal setting is to limit technology use in the story). Felix is presented as schizophrenic and while he is clearly set on the path of becoming a cult leader, he is very lucid on disability and how the world perceives it. I would say this is something has shaped him. He's more sympathetic to the other patients than any of the doctors. I would say this is a time when psychiatry was violent but psychiatry is still a violent institution to this day. The narrator's early inability to communicate and past trauma landed him there in forced restraints and chemical straight jacket (again he is a teen).
I loved the way language shaped the story, with the narrator learning sign language and his thirst for more words, the frustration of not being able to speak what he knows and is clear in his head, the language barrier which made Felix all the more easy to succumb to as the only person to teach and guide him. I am not smart enough to explore and explain all the ways language was transgressive in this book but trust me on this
A Deaf, unnamed, narrator, escapes an abusive father just to be sent to a psychiatric hospital where he meets the fascinating Felix, the first person to give language. The two fall quickly into an (sexual) abusive relationship blurring the line between romantic and messianic.
The narrative is intercut by the slightly older narrator in jail preparing for his father's trial and different excerpts of Felix journal as well as doctors notes to help grasp the larger narrative.
The narrator is twofold: an abused teen who grew up sheltered without being able to communicate with the world, who is also a child who was forced into violence (whose first language is violence) who knows better than most the harsh realities of the world and suffers from PTSD.
Felix is someone who we quickly distrust, he's presented as an arsonist and there are early hints of him abusing the narrator. Yet this is a novel about disability. There's a reason why this is set in a psychiatric hospital in the 1970s (although it is still true now, I suspect part of the temporal setting is to limit technology use in the story). Felix is presented as schizophrenic and while he is clearly set on the path of becoming a cult leader, he is very lucid on disability and how the world perceives it. I would say this is something has shaped him. He's more sympathetic to the other patients than any of the doctors. I would say this is a time when psychiatry was violent but psychiatry is still a violent institution to this day. The narrator's early inability to communicate and past trauma landed him there in forced restraints and chemical straight jacket (again he is a teen).
I loved the way language shaped the story, with the narrator learning sign language and his thirst for more words, the frustration of not being able to speak what he knows and is clear in his head, the language barrier which made Felix all the more easy to succumb to as the only person to teach and guide him. I am not smart enough to explore and explain all the ways language was transgressive in this book but trust me on this
January 24, 2026
[4,5/5⭐️] “Apariciones” es una novela muy dura y perturbadora, de esas que no se leen a la ligera. Aunque pueda parecer terror sobrenatural, lo que realmente da miedo aquí no son fantasmas ni presencias extrañas, sino las personas. El verdadero horror es humano, y eso es lo que hace que la historia resulte tan incómoda.
La novela empieza de forma algo confusa. El estilo narrativo es fragmentado y cuesta entender qué está pasando o hacia dónde va la historia. Sin embargo, esta confusión tiene sentido: acompaña el estado mental del protagonista. Conforme avanzan las páginas, tanto él como el lector van encontrando respuestas y todo empieza a encajar.
La historia se construye a través de distintos tiempos narrativos, informes y fragmentos del diario de Félix, otro personaje fundamental. En el centro de todo está nuestro protagonista, un personaje sin nombre ni identidad propia, cuya historia es especialmente triste. Además, es sordo, y este rasgo no es en absoluto anecdótico: el autor consigue que el lector sienta ese silencio constante y opresivo, un silencio que no protege, sino que aísla y aumenta la angustia. Esa falta de voz, de identidad y de un lugar en el mundo lo convierte en una figura extremadamente frágil.
Es una lectura que se sufre, pero que engancha muchísimo. Tiene escenas extremadamente duras y desoladoras y, aun así, es imposible dejarla. Por muy mal que lo pases en algunos momentos, la necesidad de saber qué va a ocurrir y hasta dónde son capaces de llegar los personajes para conseguir lo que desean te empuja a seguir leyendo sin parar.
“Apariciones” es un relato brutal sobre la obsesión, la pérdida de identidad y los límites morales del ser humano. No es una novela fácil, pero sí muy potente, de esas que dejan huella y se quedan rondando en la cabeza mucho tiempo después de terminarla.
La novela empieza de forma algo confusa. El estilo narrativo es fragmentado y cuesta entender qué está pasando o hacia dónde va la historia. Sin embargo, esta confusión tiene sentido: acompaña el estado mental del protagonista. Conforme avanzan las páginas, tanto él como el lector van encontrando respuestas y todo empieza a encajar.
La historia se construye a través de distintos tiempos narrativos, informes y fragmentos del diario de Félix, otro personaje fundamental. En el centro de todo está nuestro protagonista, un personaje sin nombre ni identidad propia, cuya historia es especialmente triste. Además, es sordo, y este rasgo no es en absoluto anecdótico: el autor consigue que el lector sienta ese silencio constante y opresivo, un silencio que no protege, sino que aísla y aumenta la angustia. Esa falta de voz, de identidad y de un lugar en el mundo lo convierte en una figura extremadamente frágil.
Es una lectura que se sufre, pero que engancha muchísimo. Tiene escenas extremadamente duras y desoladoras y, aun así, es imposible dejarla. Por muy mal que lo pases en algunos momentos, la necesidad de saber qué va a ocurrir y hasta dónde son capaces de llegar los personajes para conseguir lo que desean te empuja a seguir leyendo sin parar.
“Apariciones” es un relato brutal sobre la obsesión, la pérdida de identidad y los límites morales del ser humano. No es una novela fácil, pero sí muy potente, de esas que dejan huella y se quedan rondando en la cabeza mucho tiempo después de terminarla.
May 23, 2024
Almost a perfect book. Absolutely incredible.
I knew I was going to enjoy it and probably rate it 5* after just a few pages. This is an utterly brutal story, but incredibly beautiful and heartening at the same time.
It is truly a book of contradictions, in the best way possible.
Although it is written from the perspective of a deaf person that has basically no language and a very limited understanding of concepts, the prose just flows superbly. The author uses a limited set of words to express the main character's feelings and reasoning and it actually works better than having every single word at his disposal.
You will find yourself loving and hating most of the characters in the book at the same time, which is another powerful contradiction. No one is completely evil or completely holy, even if some of them are almost crossing the line.
You will also find yourself being completely disgusted with the actions of some characters, while also empathizing with them and justifying their acts.
You will wallow sadness and misery, while also finding that a ray of hope is just around the corner.
And while sometimes the story is hard to stomach, its beauty always shines through.
It's brutal, but heartwarming. Read it!
(I didn't particularly like the ending, but I'll admit that it fit the novel perfectly and it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.)
I knew I was going to enjoy it and probably rate it 5* after just a few pages. This is an utterly brutal story, but incredibly beautiful and heartening at the same time.
It is truly a book of contradictions, in the best way possible.
Although it is written from the perspective of a deaf person that has basically no language and a very limited understanding of concepts, the prose just flows superbly. The author uses a limited set of words to express the main character's feelings and reasoning and it actually works better than having every single word at his disposal.
You will find yourself loving and hating most of the characters in the book at the same time, which is another powerful contradiction. No one is completely evil or completely holy, even if some of them are almost crossing the line.
You will also find yourself being completely disgusted with the actions of some characters, while also empathizing with them and justifying their acts.
You will wallow sadness and misery, while also finding that a ray of hope is just around the corner.
And while sometimes the story is hard to stomach, its beauty always shines through.
It's brutal, but heartwarming. Read it!
(I didn't particularly like the ending, but I'll admit that it fit the novel perfectly and it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.)
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