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Where
In a coastal town on the Outer Carolina Banks, David Ribault and Merrill Poulnot are trying to revive their stale relationship and commit to marriage, and a slick developer claiming to be related to a historic town hero, Rawson Steele, has come to town and is buying up property. Steele makes a romantic advance on Merrill and an unusual 5 a.m appointment outside of town with David. But Steele is a no-show, and at the time of the appointment everyone in the town disappears, removed entirely from our space and time to a featureless isolated village―including Merrill and her young son. David searches desperately but all seems lost for Steele is in the other village with Merrill.
Kit Reed's Where is a spooky, unsettling speculative fiction.
Kit Reed's Where is a spooky, unsettling speculative fiction.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2015
6 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Kit Reed
195 books54 followersKit Reed was an American author of both speculative fiction and literary fiction, as well as psychological thrillers under the pseudonym Kit Craig.
Her 2013 "best-of" collection, The Story Until Now, A Great Big Book of Stories was a 2013 Shirley Jackson Award nominee. A Guggenheim fellow, she was the first American recipient of an international literary grant from the Abraham Woursell Foundation. She's had stories in, among others, The Yale Review, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Omni and The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Literature. Her books Weird Women, Wired Women and Little Sisters of the Apocalypse were finalists for the Tiptree Prize. A member of the board of the Authors League Fund, she served as Resident Writer at Wesleyan University.
Her 2013 "best-of" collection, The Story Until Now, A Great Big Book of Stories was a 2013 Shirley Jackson Award nominee. A Guggenheim fellow, she was the first American recipient of an international literary grant from the Abraham Woursell Foundation. She's had stories in, among others, The Yale Review, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Omni and The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Literature. Her books Weird Women, Wired Women and Little Sisters of the Apocalypse were finalists for the Tiptree Prize. A member of the board of the Authors League Fund, she served as Resident Writer at Wesleyan University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 24, 2015
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/05/24/b...
In a small island town on the coast of South Carolina, everyone disappears. The military, scientists, and media are all perplexed. Rewind back to a day before, when everything still seemed hunky-dory. There’s David Ribault, smarting over the arrival of a slick Northerner named Rawson Steele who has come blazing into town looking to buy up property. Davy returns that evening to the home he shares with his girlfriend Merrill, to find her and Rawson leaning close to each other on the porch, talking. Jealousies flare, tempers rise, and Davy and Merrill end up having a huge fight, ignoring the sage relationship advice of “never go to bed angry.”
It’s a decision that both of them will come to regret. Without waking Merrill or leaving a note, Davy wakes up in the dead of night for a meeting and confrontation outside the town with Rawson Steele. However, Steele ends up being a no-show. Morning has come by the time Davy decides to head back to the island, but it is already too late. Everyone in the village gone without a trace, including Merrill.
This mysterious and spooky scenario has the feel of a Stephen King story all over it, starting with an unexplainable paranormal event that disappears the entire population of Kraven Island, eventually culminating into an end with lots of panic, terror and paranoia. But that’s pretty much where my comparison ends, because Where is a very unique novel that does its own very unique thing. Kit Reed’s choice of writing style for this book is interesting, adopting an almost stream-of-consciousness narrative for most of it. Reed also makes a story decision that I personally find very bold, in that she shows both sides of the mystery and lets us see through the eyes of the missing. We get chapters from the perspectives of Merrill, her brother Ned, as well as their overbearing and unstable father, who along with all the townsfolk have been mysteriously whisked away to another plane of existence. Time moves differently in this strange new dimension, and the longer the missing are trapped, the more the feelings of helplessness and fear seem to warp their minds.
Where is a real head-trip, and it’s good at playing on readers’ fear of the unknown especially when it comes to unsolved mass disappearances. Its story even makes references to high-profile incidents like the Lost Colony of Roanoke as well as missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Coverage of such incidents make a lot of us anxious and uncomfortable, particularly when they happen in more modern times when it really hits home that neither science nor technology can prevent or explain every case, and the book is written in a purposeful way to stir up all these unsettling emotions. Through Davy’s chapters I could feel his guilt and frustration, because sometimes not knowing can be even more painful than the truth. Through Merrill’s, I could feel the rising tensions and the collective fear ultimately becoming too much for everyone to bear. Throughout the novel there is a pervasive sense of eeriness that I really enjoyed.
As for where the book stumbles, the aforementioned quirks in the writing style could pose possible obstacles for readers; I personally found the 13-year-old Ned’s chapters very difficult to read because he uses bad grammar, bad punctuation and run-on sentences galore. Where is also a very short novel and I didn’t feel enough time was given to develop the characters or story. Someone like Merrill’s arrogant and power-hungry father was given an intriguing chapter where we were able to glimpse his very disturbed mind, but for the most part he came across like a caricature. I didn’t get a good feel for any of the characters which is a shame, because without the emotional connection in what should be a very emotional tale, this book falls a bit flat. The ending also came very abruptly, leaving me hanging on this mystery that doesn’t really offer a solution or much closure.
Still, right up until the ending, I was really enjoying this book. I wish the ultimate payoff could have been more satisfying, but I also can’t deny that for the most part Where is a very eerie and atmospheric novel. The build-up of tension alone makes this one a worthy read, and be prepared for some chills if you find you get spooked by unexplained phenomena or stories about strange mass disappearances.
In a small island town on the coast of South Carolina, everyone disappears. The military, scientists, and media are all perplexed. Rewind back to a day before, when everything still seemed hunky-dory. There’s David Ribault, smarting over the arrival of a slick Northerner named Rawson Steele who has come blazing into town looking to buy up property. Davy returns that evening to the home he shares with his girlfriend Merrill, to find her and Rawson leaning close to each other on the porch, talking. Jealousies flare, tempers rise, and Davy and Merrill end up having a huge fight, ignoring the sage relationship advice of “never go to bed angry.”
It’s a decision that both of them will come to regret. Without waking Merrill or leaving a note, Davy wakes up in the dead of night for a meeting and confrontation outside the town with Rawson Steele. However, Steele ends up being a no-show. Morning has come by the time Davy decides to head back to the island, but it is already too late. Everyone in the village gone without a trace, including Merrill.
This mysterious and spooky scenario has the feel of a Stephen King story all over it, starting with an unexplainable paranormal event that disappears the entire population of Kraven Island, eventually culminating into an end with lots of panic, terror and paranoia. But that’s pretty much where my comparison ends, because Where is a very unique novel that does its own very unique thing. Kit Reed’s choice of writing style for this book is interesting, adopting an almost stream-of-consciousness narrative for most of it. Reed also makes a story decision that I personally find very bold, in that she shows both sides of the mystery and lets us see through the eyes of the missing. We get chapters from the perspectives of Merrill, her brother Ned, as well as their overbearing and unstable father, who along with all the townsfolk have been mysteriously whisked away to another plane of existence. Time moves differently in this strange new dimension, and the longer the missing are trapped, the more the feelings of helplessness and fear seem to warp their minds.
Where is a real head-trip, and it’s good at playing on readers’ fear of the unknown especially when it comes to unsolved mass disappearances. Its story even makes references to high-profile incidents like the Lost Colony of Roanoke as well as missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Coverage of such incidents make a lot of us anxious and uncomfortable, particularly when they happen in more modern times when it really hits home that neither science nor technology can prevent or explain every case, and the book is written in a purposeful way to stir up all these unsettling emotions. Through Davy’s chapters I could feel his guilt and frustration, because sometimes not knowing can be even more painful than the truth. Through Merrill’s, I could feel the rising tensions and the collective fear ultimately becoming too much for everyone to bear. Throughout the novel there is a pervasive sense of eeriness that I really enjoyed.
As for where the book stumbles, the aforementioned quirks in the writing style could pose possible obstacles for readers; I personally found the 13-year-old Ned’s chapters very difficult to read because he uses bad grammar, bad punctuation and run-on sentences galore. Where is also a very short novel and I didn’t feel enough time was given to develop the characters or story. Someone like Merrill’s arrogant and power-hungry father was given an intriguing chapter where we were able to glimpse his very disturbed mind, but for the most part he came across like a caricature. I didn’t get a good feel for any of the characters which is a shame, because without the emotional connection in what should be a very emotional tale, this book falls a bit flat. The ending also came very abruptly, leaving me hanging on this mystery that doesn’t really offer a solution or much closure.
Still, right up until the ending, I was really enjoying this book. I wish the ultimate payoff could have been more satisfying, but I also can’t deny that for the most part Where is a very eerie and atmospheric novel. The build-up of tension alone makes this one a worthy read, and be prepared for some chills if you find you get spooked by unexplained phenomena or stories about strange mass disappearances.
August 5, 2015
I really dug this odd book! A smart and challenging story about a small island town whose citizens vanish. The voices of the different characters (and juggling all those voices) I thought was very well done and added a deeper sense to the dislocation, fear, and frustration.
June 18, 2015
Mon avis en Français
My English review
The first thing that I can say about this novel is its unusual appearance. Indeed, if we focuse on the spine of the volume, we can see different lengths of the pages, giving a very pretty appearance to the novel. I confess that this kind of esthetic change is always a point that attracts me a lot even if it does not really do anything with the story. Besides, let’s talk a little more about that… I’m always quite intrigued by small town stories and the disappearance of all the people, even though it is a fairly common theme, is always really interesting.
We follow several characters alternately here without it being too consistent. Either we really have three different characters but two are truly and primarily emphasized. David is the companion of Merrill but since the arrival of a stranger in the city, Steele, his relationship with his half is not really rosy. Wanting to settle the case during an appointment, David joins the man to explain himself, but Steele never shows up and when our hero decides to go home, he realizes that all the inhabitants of the city have disappeared. But our man is determined to find his beloved and to understand what happened at all costs.
Alternatively, therefore we follow Merrill and through her, the inhabitants of the city. They find themselves in a strange place that no one understands the location or the purpose. Highlighting the fears of the population, everyone reacts rather violently but our heroine is determined to take it all calmly. Trying to do the best with respect to her son Ned (the third point of view that we can follow from time to time), Merrill will try to find a way to save him from her father and to find a way out from this unpredictable location.
The story is quite intriguing and I admit that I was curious to see what exactly this disappearance and mysterious village were. So I waited impatiently for the end but I think I was disappointed by the lack of answers we receive. There is also no real action here as it is mainly tracking the feelings of the characters in the changes they undergo. So it’s true that at the end of history I’m a little confused and I would have liked to understand a little more overall. But that does not change the fact that the story is very intriguing and we remain curious throughout the chapters. A different book.
My English review
The first thing that I can say about this novel is its unusual appearance. Indeed, if we focuse on the spine of the volume, we can see different lengths of the pages, giving a very pretty appearance to the novel. I confess that this kind of esthetic change is always a point that attracts me a lot even if it does not really do anything with the story. Besides, let’s talk a little more about that… I’m always quite intrigued by small town stories and the disappearance of all the people, even though it is a fairly common theme, is always really interesting.
We follow several characters alternately here without it being too consistent. Either we really have three different characters but two are truly and primarily emphasized. David is the companion of Merrill but since the arrival of a stranger in the city, Steele, his relationship with his half is not really rosy. Wanting to settle the case during an appointment, David joins the man to explain himself, but Steele never shows up and when our hero decides to go home, he realizes that all the inhabitants of the city have disappeared. But our man is determined to find his beloved and to understand what happened at all costs.
Alternatively, therefore we follow Merrill and through her, the inhabitants of the city. They find themselves in a strange place that no one understands the location or the purpose. Highlighting the fears of the population, everyone reacts rather violently but our heroine is determined to take it all calmly. Trying to do the best with respect to her son Ned (the third point of view that we can follow from time to time), Merrill will try to find a way to save him from her father and to find a way out from this unpredictable location.
The story is quite intriguing and I admit that I was curious to see what exactly this disappearance and mysterious village were. So I waited impatiently for the end but I think I was disappointed by the lack of answers we receive. There is also no real action here as it is mainly tracking the feelings of the characters in the changes they undergo. So it’s true that at the end of history I’m a little confused and I would have liked to understand a little more overall. But that does not change the fact that the story is very intriguing and we remain curious throughout the chapters. A different book.
May 1, 2015
This reminds me of The Prisoner, but the spy-thriller way. It's the atmosphere. Everything is up for grabs when a town and its people are kidnapped. Where they are and what's going on is the rest of the book.
Some books have genre trappings, but they're really telling a relationship story. This one is both. It's spooky and crammed with relationship stuff. The characters are in an impossible situation, and they react like real people might.
Writer Kit Reed has a gift for names. I think most writers don't think about it very much. I'd love to ask Kit how she came up with the names "Rawson Steele" and "Kraven Island." Rarely, a name is perfect. You get a sense of the character just from the name. Reed nails that both times with those two names.
Kraven Island is how you name an island. Don't go to Kraven Island. Reed may have come up with the best name for an island. Everyone else, just clock out.
Some books have genre trappings, but they're really telling a relationship story. This one is both. It's spooky and crammed with relationship stuff. The characters are in an impossible situation, and they react like real people might.
Writer Kit Reed has a gift for names. I think most writers don't think about it very much. I'd love to ask Kit how she came up with the names "Rawson Steele" and "Kraven Island." Rarely, a name is perfect. You get a sense of the character just from the name. Reed nails that both times with those two names.
Kraven Island is how you name an island. Don't go to Kraven Island. Reed may have come up with the best name for an island. Everyone else, just clock out.
August 7, 2015
I enjoy novels that are open-ended and based more around mood than plot, but Where left me cold. Boring characters wander through an extended Twilight Zone episode, and along they way they participate in an prolonged series of red-herring developments. I have always enjoyed Kit Reed short stories, but this novel was an over-extended journey to nowhere. (I didn't see that pun coming, but I am leaving it in.)
June 17, 2015
This is a strange little book that left me guessing throughout. I really can't explain clearly what it's about, but I think the best description would be determination and redemption. It has a serious science fiction thing going for it with a mild dystopian undertone. If you're in to thrillers this would be a good read.
May 31, 2015
A very strange and very good read. Liked it a lot.
April 3, 2016
https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2015/0...
Please note that I am reviewing an excerpt provided by Netgalley, the first 10 chapters of this book.
I have to start by mentioning that the bit I have read could clearly use some editing. There were mainly issues with verb tenses switching to present while the book is narrated in past tense and also some repetitions.
Examples from the first chapter:
It bothers him that nobody else got this warning vibe, not even his old friend Ray Powell - retired lawyer, runs Kraventown from behind the scenes.
And right in the next chapter:
It bothers him that nobody else got that warning vibe, not even meticulous Ray.
There is also repetition concerning why Davy took up architecture (this is just in the first chapter, there is more later) and then this: Davy snapped around in a full 360, glaring. Pretty sure the author means 180 degrees, as a 360 would land the character in precisely the same spot.
Now, onto the writing. I wish I had some sort of basis for comparison, but the fact is I have never read anything like this. To be frank, the style did not particularly appeal to me. I can't put my my finger on why exactly. Heck, maybe other folks will find it brilliant, but I am a simple gal and just prefer more clean, straight forward writing.
In the excerpt I read we are introduced to three voices: Davy, his girlfriend Merrill and her brother Ned.
When I read the first chapter I was like... What the heck is this? It felt like Davy was trying to act all tough, I don't even know what kind of attitude that was, but that first bit when the new guy comes in town and I didn't even get a feeling of who anyone is - that first chapter is riddled with mind games where the two characters seem to try to ascertain that they are the top dog in the business; in all dialogue and his own thoughts, the main character wants to come out on top of his rival, always outsmart him. He obviously developed quite a grudge towards the guy and I could not really tell why since they never even met. It's like he hated the idea of him, not exactly the guy? I don't know.
As for the story, in those first ten chapters a lot seemed to be said but not much to be going on, maybe because I felt like I was being told every single thought that went through the characters' minds, which did not necessarily mean I felt more connected to them.
Davy went out to meet the stranger and, when the guy does not show up, he tries to go back home and cannot, everything is blocked by uniformed agents. You see, everyone on his island has disappeared and so the place is pretty much under quarantine. Then we hear from Merrill and Ned in the place where they wake up, whatever it is. Nifty descriptions, for sure, just a bit chaotic, in a jumbled sort of way.
The cover is just gorgeous. The book is definitely very different from everything else I have read. I just don't know if I enjoy it yet, it really depends on the rest of the narrative. So I will rate this excerpt halfway, at 2.5 stars.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free excerpt of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Please note that I am reviewing an excerpt provided by Netgalley, the first 10 chapters of this book.
I have to start by mentioning that the bit I have read could clearly use some editing. There were mainly issues with verb tenses switching to present while the book is narrated in past tense and also some repetitions.
Examples from the first chapter:
It bothers him that nobody else got this warning vibe, not even his old friend Ray Powell - retired lawyer, runs Kraventown from behind the scenes.
And right in the next chapter:
It bothers him that nobody else got that warning vibe, not even meticulous Ray.
There is also repetition concerning why Davy took up architecture (this is just in the first chapter, there is more later) and then this: Davy snapped around in a full 360, glaring. Pretty sure the author means 180 degrees, as a 360 would land the character in precisely the same spot.
Now, onto the writing. I wish I had some sort of basis for comparison, but the fact is I have never read anything like this. To be frank, the style did not particularly appeal to me. I can't put my my finger on why exactly. Heck, maybe other folks will find it brilliant, but I am a simple gal and just prefer more clean, straight forward writing.
In the excerpt I read we are introduced to three voices: Davy, his girlfriend Merrill and her brother Ned.
When I read the first chapter I was like... What the heck is this? It felt like Davy was trying to act all tough, I don't even know what kind of attitude that was, but that first bit when the new guy comes in town and I didn't even get a feeling of who anyone is - that first chapter is riddled with mind games where the two characters seem to try to ascertain that they are the top dog in the business; in all dialogue and his own thoughts, the main character wants to come out on top of his rival, always outsmart him. He obviously developed quite a grudge towards the guy and I could not really tell why since they never even met. It's like he hated the idea of him, not exactly the guy? I don't know.
As for the story, in those first ten chapters a lot seemed to be said but not much to be going on, maybe because I felt like I was being told every single thought that went through the characters' minds, which did not necessarily mean I felt more connected to them.
Davy went out to meet the stranger and, when the guy does not show up, he tries to go back home and cannot, everything is blocked by uniformed agents. You see, everyone on his island has disappeared and so the place is pretty much under quarantine. Then we hear from Merrill and Ned in the place where they wake up, whatever it is. Nifty descriptions, for sure, just a bit chaotic, in a jumbled sort of way.
The cover is just gorgeous. The book is definitely very different from everything else I have read. I just don't know if I enjoy it yet, it really depends on the rest of the narrative. So I will rate this excerpt halfway, at 2.5 stars.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free excerpt of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 23, 2015
Smooth and stubborn like a Southern belle, Kit Reed's 2015 novel Where resists easy analysis. It's definitely sf, as long as you let that stand for speculative rather than science fiction. Its setup is something Robert Charles Wilson might have come up with—but unlike a Wilson novel, Where never offers any explanation, any mechanism or rationale, for the events that occur. They must be accepted as they come.
Merrill Poulnot and her architect boyfriend Davy live on Kraven Island, one of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. It's the kind of place where Residents get license plates that proclaim their status, but you can live there for decades without ever being considered one. Merrill's a Resident; Davy is not. Which hasn't been a problem, until the night when they argue—over the new guy in town, a slick Northerner named Rawson Steele—and, contrary to so much relationship advice, they both go to bed angry.
Which wouldn't be a problem, except that the next morning Merrill and the rest of Kraven Island's population (about a hundred, all told) have vanished without a trace, while Davy, who had an early-morning appointment on the mainland, is one of the few left behind. The nearby military base has locked down the island, and Davy can't even get home, because unlike Merrill he's not a Resident.
We do find out what happened to Merrill, and her little brother Ned, and their father, retired judge Hampton Poulnot, and it's pretty bizarre—but where they ended up ends up raising more questions than answers...
I've been an admirer of Kit Reed's work since I picked up a copy of Other Stories and ... The Attack of the Giant Baby back in the year it came out (I still have that paperback). This novel was a little frustrating for someone who likes his threads more neatly tied off, and its abrupt end is softened only slightly by an associated short story, included after the fact.
Sometimes, though, you just don't get an answer, and in the end I was willing to accept that from Where. So if you can tolerate a little ambiguity... well, you'll like this book too. Maybe.
Merrill Poulnot and her architect boyfriend Davy live on Kraven Island, one of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. It's the kind of place where Residents get license plates that proclaim their status, but you can live there for decades without ever being considered one. Merrill's a Resident; Davy is not. Which hasn't been a problem, until the night when they argue—over the new guy in town, a slick Northerner named Rawson Steele—and, contrary to so much relationship advice, they both go to bed angry.
Which wouldn't be a problem, except that the next morning Merrill and the rest of Kraven Island's population (about a hundred, all told) have vanished without a trace, while Davy, who had an early-morning appointment on the mainland, is one of the few left behind. The nearby military base has locked down the island, and Davy can't even get home, because unlike Merrill he's not a Resident.
We do find out what happened to Merrill, and her little brother Ned, and their father, retired judge Hampton Poulnot, and it's pretty bizarre—but where they ended up ends up raising more questions than answers...
I've been an admirer of Kit Reed's work since I picked up a copy of Other Stories and ... The Attack of the Giant Baby back in the year it came out (I still have that paperback). This novel was a little frustrating for someone who likes his threads more neatly tied off, and its abrupt end is softened only slightly by an associated short story, included after the fact.
Sometimes, though, you just don't get an answer, and in the end I was willing to accept that from Where. So if you can tolerate a little ambiguity... well, you'll like this book too. Maybe.
January 3, 2025
I’m fairly certain the “Where” in the title refers to the questions you’ll be asking when you finish reading this, like “Where is the plot?” and “Where’s the actual ending?”.
Probably would have been more aptly titled “Why”, as in “Why did I stick with this book all the way to the end?”
Probably would have been more aptly titled “Why”, as in “Why did I stick with this book all the way to the end?”
July 11, 2015
Davy is an architect that lives on Kraven Island with his girlfriend Merrill. He's furious when a slick businessman, Rawson Steele, comes to the island. Steele has been charming everyone in the town and Davy suspects he's trying to buy up land and steal his girlfriend. Steele insists on meeting with Davy on the mainland. On the way to the meeting, the island is suddenly changed forever when almost everyone on the island, including his girlfriend Merrill, disappears. Can he find her and the missing people?
This book has all the elements for a great mystery thriller, but somehow is not able to put the elements together into a compelling story. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view. The author also shows a totally different perspective to this mystery and relates another set of characters' struggles to solve the mystery. This is a great structure and could have produced a great story.
Unfortunately, the characters are not particularly likeable and I did not believe a true love existed between the characters of Davy and Merrill. Since I did not care for the characters, I focused on the mystery and kept waiting for the big reveal to the disappearance and was quite disappointed. I would not recommend this book to other readers.
This book has all the elements for a great mystery thriller, but somehow is not able to put the elements together into a compelling story. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view. The author also shows a totally different perspective to this mystery and relates another set of characters' struggles to solve the mystery. This is a great structure and could have produced a great story.
Unfortunately, the characters are not particularly likeable and I did not believe a true love existed between the characters of Davy and Merrill. Since I did not care for the characters, I focused on the mystery and kept waiting for the big reveal to the disappearance and was quite disappointed. I would not recommend this book to other readers.
July 25, 2015
The residents of a small island community are gone - breakfast still on the table - not a trace of where they could have gone. One resident happened to be off-island. The narrative moves back and forth between his search for clues to the whereabouts of his friends - especially his girlfriend - and the r3esidents themselves. yes, we see where they are, but it's still a mystery. They're trapped in a featureless white reproduction of their community. It's a potentially interesting setup, but the conclusion was disappointing for me. There was just too much that remained unexplained.
May 22, 2015
I received an excerpt ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Alarming and ominous, the disappearance of the town of Kraventown's entire population is disturbing, to say the least. With his partner Merrill gone, Davy must try to find out what has happened. Merrill's voice from an unknown, barren world makes the reader aware that something is dreadfully wrong. I await the rest of the book.
Alarming and ominous, the disappearance of the town of Kraventown's entire population is disturbing, to say the least. With his partner Merrill gone, Davy must try to find out what has happened. Merrill's voice from an unknown, barren world makes the reader aware that something is dreadfully wrong. I await the rest of the book.
January 20, 2016
This was so disappointing. What a waste of time. Premise was good and setup was good and then it just turned into some internal monologues and bickering and never went anywhere. SPOILER: you never find out where they went, how it happened, who did it, why, etc. So unsatisfying! It's like the writer was in a rush or ran out of ideas and just wrote a final paragraph to sum it up and hopefully explain away why there are no answers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2015
Just a little too weird and it didn't really explain anything. Most of the characters were a loss and I hated being in their heads. Interesting premise - just not a good experience for me.
January 6, 2018
Terrible book. Interesting concept but poorly executed - you never really understand the point. I feel like I wasted 2 days of my life reading this
February 20, 2020
ARGH! I was so mad at the end of this book! What a waste of time!
This book had a really interesting set up, and the beginning hooked me in. A Mysterious Stranger comes to town, people seem to like him except for One Guy who distrusts him. What is he up to? Then this inexplicable thing happens . . . and stays inexplicable.
The book got worse and worse as it went along. People's entire personalities change, the faceless mob of the town--a town where everyone knew each other and cared about each other--remain formless and completely unconvincing (don't tell me that everyone just cowered in their boring houses day after day, I just don't believe it), the Mysterious Stranger gets even more annoyingly strange (can't the guy answer even one question?), characters appear and then are never mentioned again, and then THE BOOK ENDS.
Yup, they just come home and no one can ever explain why or what happened. No idea what ultimately happened to anyone, especially Ray the guy in town who everyone loved who is murdered (I guess? the Crazy Old Man comes out of his house covered with blood and says Ray is dead) and no one seems to care that he doesn't come back. I mean, I guess Ray doesn't come back--the book ends so suddenly that there's no reaction from the other characters or what the rest of the world thinks.
When I got to the last page I was sure that some pages of the book had been torn out. That was IT? THAT's the end??? I was robbed of my evening reading this (it's only 221 pages and I read fast). I kept going to see how it ended and instead the book just . . . stopped.
I don't need everything tied up in a bow but I do need something to think about and something to wonder about or marvel at. And I'm not even going to mention how annoying it was that some of the chapters were in third person and some were in first person which was jarring and unnecessary, and that the characters in the Place kept referring to "they" and "them" as their captors but never explained who "they" might be, or why they did this, why they didn't take the guy with the brain injury, why there were cameras everywhere (who would be watching them and why? there was nothing to do), and why Mysterious Stranger needed his cell phone so badly . . . just ugh.
One star because I loved Earl and his mother. They were the best thing in the whole book and the only thing that rang true. I wish the whole book had been about them.
This book had a really interesting set up, and the beginning hooked me in. A Mysterious Stranger comes to town, people seem to like him except for One Guy who distrusts him. What is he up to? Then this inexplicable thing happens . . . and stays inexplicable.
The book got worse and worse as it went along. People's entire personalities change, the faceless mob of the town--a town where everyone knew each other and cared about each other--remain formless and completely unconvincing (don't tell me that everyone just cowered in their boring houses day after day, I just don't believe it), the Mysterious Stranger gets even more annoyingly strange (can't the guy answer even one question?), characters appear and then are never mentioned again, and then THE BOOK ENDS.
Yup, they just come home and no one can ever explain why or what happened. No idea what ultimately happened to anyone, especially Ray the guy in town who everyone loved who is murdered (I guess? the Crazy Old Man comes out of his house covered with blood and says Ray is dead) and no one seems to care that he doesn't come back. I mean, I guess Ray doesn't come back--the book ends so suddenly that there's no reaction from the other characters or what the rest of the world thinks.
When I got to the last page I was sure that some pages of the book had been torn out. That was IT? THAT's the end??? I was robbed of my evening reading this (it's only 221 pages and I read fast). I kept going to see how it ended and instead the book just . . . stopped.
I don't need everything tied up in a bow but I do need something to think about and something to wonder about or marvel at. And I'm not even going to mention how annoying it was that some of the chapters were in third person and some were in first person which was jarring and unnecessary, and that the characters in the Place kept referring to "they" and "them" as their captors but never explained who "they" might be, or why they did this, why they didn't take the guy with the brain injury, why there were cameras everywhere (who would be watching them and why? there was nothing to do), and why Mysterious Stranger needed his cell phone so badly . . . just ugh.
One star because I loved Earl and his mother. They were the best thing in the whole book and the only thing that rang true. I wish the whole book had been about them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2019
I had a very difficult time giving Where a star rating because I am so bewildered by this book. I'm sure there's a theological allegory in here, but the writing is so dense and the timespan so meandering, it's lost on me. Here are a few of my possible theories for fun:
Merrill and the rest of the islanders all have something they need to atone for; a secret sin, a long hidden regret. The mysterious, blank place where they are trapped is purgatory, but instead of continuing to heaven or hell their choices bring them back to earth.
It's a metaphor for not waiting too long to live your life. If you love something or someone, you have to take action and address it while it's in front of you.
Things are not always what they seem. Your friends or family may be civil and kind, but mass fear leads to mob hysteria. Rely only on yourself; you will be betrayed.
Don't trust strangers, because they could be the devil. Or Jesus. One of those. Or not.
You can read Karin's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Merrill and the rest of the islanders all have something they need to atone for; a secret sin, a long hidden regret. The mysterious, blank place where they are trapped is purgatory, but instead of continuing to heaven or hell their choices bring them back to earth.
It's a metaphor for not waiting too long to live your life. If you love something or someone, you have to take action and address it while it's in front of you.
Things are not always what they seem. Your friends or family may be civil and kind, but mass fear leads to mob hysteria. Rely only on yourself; you will be betrayed.
Don't trust strangers, because they could be the devil. Or Jesus. One of those. Or not.
You can read Karin's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
March 30, 2024
2.5
When I got to Merril's first POV after the - removal - I was super excited about this. The concept zapped me right into the story. However, I was getting sick of Davy, then ultra sick of Rawson, then sick of the unkown. This had a lot of potential for me, but ultimately, it felt unresolved.
When I got to Merril's first POV after the - removal - I was super excited about this. The concept zapped me right into the story. However, I was getting sick of Davy, then ultra sick of Rawson, then sick of the unkown. This had a lot of potential for me, but ultimately, it felt unresolved.
July 15, 2019
I liked it overall although it was a touch too mysterious for me. It was like a good, but not classic, Twilight Zone episode.
December 17, 2019
DNF after Chapter 2Don't like the writing style -- why does it sometimes switch between past and present tense? Nothing else to distinguish itself or make me want to keep reading.
March 20, 2022
Five things:
- Ambiguous ending
- Roanoke colony-esque story
- Community dynamics
- Multiple POV
- Island setting
- Ambiguous ending
- Roanoke colony-esque story
- Community dynamics
- Multiple POV
- Island setting
July 1, 2023
I don’t like sci-fi, so I probably shouldn’t have read this book in the first place. It had potential to be really good, but it didn’t flow in a way that could captivate a reader - specifically me.
Read
June 20, 2025DNF
March 14, 2017
Didn't hold my interest.
November 21, 2015
Please check out my review of WHERE, just posted on THE FUTURE FIRE: SOCIAL, POLITICAL, & SPECULATIVE CYBER-FICTION:
http://reviews.futurefire.net/2015/11...
While you are at it, check out the magazine itself. Here is a description from the home screen:
The Future Fire is open to submissions of beautiful and useful short stories of Social-political and Progressive Speculative Fiction; Feminist SF; Queer SF; Eco SF; Multicultural SF; Cyberpunk. An experiment in and celebration of new writing, we shall publish issues whenever we have enough stories to fill them, approximately four times a year.
Here is a link:http://futurefire.net
http://reviews.futurefire.net/2015/11...
While you are at it, check out the magazine itself. Here is a description from the home screen:
The Future Fire is open to submissions of beautiful and useful short stories of Social-political and Progressive Speculative Fiction; Feminist SF; Queer SF; Eco SF; Multicultural SF; Cyberpunk. An experiment in and celebration of new writing, we shall publish issues whenever we have enough stories to fill them, approximately four times a year.
Here is a link:http://futurefire.net
October 8, 2015
The story premise is what attracted me to this book, however, after getting you all into the story it pretty much let you down by not explaining or giving you any idea of what actually happened. I suppose the author was trying to clue you into this by periodically having one of the characters say "there are some things you will never know". The ending was very anti-climatic. I would not recommend this to anyone who does not like to feel the story isn't finished at the end of a book.
June 17, 2015
I picked this up to find out about the speculative elements, and started reading because I really enjoyed the cadence and tone. Funnily enough, as the speculative parts emerged, I became less and less interested, and ended up not caring about the characters. A quick read, but I'm not exactly sure what I think.
September 10, 2015
I cannot believe that a publisher spent money on this book. The author does not know how to write good mystery, build interesting dialogue, or create a connecting plot. Awful writing. Don't waste your money or time.
August 4, 2015
Yeah I gave up on this because it kind of sucked. Cool premise though.
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