Animus

by Ed Kelleher, Harriette Vidal

A seemingly innocent child--the spawn of hell and a demon seed conceived by the most diabolical powers ever imagined--realizes his unsuspecting parents' worst nightmares. Original.

Genres: Horror

300 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1993

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Bellamy, 8, only wants her father's approval, but all she ever manages to get is resentment and anger. After she tells her imaginary friend, Bobo that she wishes someone would teach her father a lesson, he mangles his face with a razor while shaving, without even realizing - believing he sees a small, dark-haired boy in the mirror behind him.
Now 25, Catherine is married to Ian Bishop and they live a rather affluent life in New York. One day, Catherine realizes Bobo has come back after all these years. She tells her husband that Bobo was always real to her, but went away after her father's 'accident.'
Ian is a cold and cruel man, only concerned with his reputation and what having a 'crazy' wife might do to it, so he sends her to a shrink - Janet.
"In Jungian psychology, Animus is the inner force that exists in each person. In a woman, it's Animus, the masculine aspect of her being. In a man, it's Anima, the feminine aspect of his being. Your Animus, for example represents the classic masculine traits: strength, courage, the hunter instinct. A man's Anima represents the classic feminine traits: intuition, compassion, the emotions."
"In a sense, Bobo might be your Animas - your masculine drive trying to communicate with you. As a child, a person's Animus often takes form as an imaginary playmate. As a child, when you felt unloved, even threatened, you sought out Bobo, your Animus. Now, as an adult, you may be doing the same thing subconsciously."
Ian assaults Catherine one night, resulting in her pregnancy. However, it's not going to be a regular baby she gives birth to. After all these years, Bobo will finally be real - and he's got it out for anyone who's been bad to Catherine...
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I was surprised how much I liked this, it was a super quick and easy read, and definitely held my attention. I can't wait to try something else from this author.

[Jason Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a ton of fun in the beginning but lost its steam when the second act rolled around. This had a ton of tropes, which I wasn't too shocked by (considering this is a Zebra book) but I didn't enjoy. The imaginary friend stuff was entertaining but ultimately didn't do much to build tension and offered no real payoff. There was a moment in this that was really cool and then something else pretty cool happened, but by then, it was almost too late to care. I did enjoy much of the authors' writing, even if they utilized some old school writing tropes such (characters' thoughts being italicized, indenting every single sentence in spooky parts, etc.). I appreciated the way they got the point across in a way that made sense, without being too much or too little. This gets a 3/5 for being decently entertaining, but not offering much else.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent demonic child or evil manifestation book. You be the judge. A little girl grows up with a very strict father. He seems to blame her that his wife died during child birth. When she turned eight, a vicious accident deforms her fathers face. All the while talking to her imaginary friend, Bobo. She grows up and marries a pompous art gallery owner who comes home one night and has sex with her against her will. Turns out, that night no one was wearing protection, so she becomes "with child". When the boy child turns eight is when the fun begins.

I found this book in the horror section of a local bookstore and I must admit, I bought it for the cover. I never read anything by these authors before. Didn't know what to expect. I was more than happy at what I found. This one untangled nice and slow. Making you want more. When we finally get to where we're going, it really gets wild. I would say seek this one out.

[Joshua Hair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did not at all go the way I expected, but it was a nice surprise. The story revolves around a woman named Catherine who went through a rather traumatic experience as a child. The only thing that got her through it was her imaginary friend named Bobo. Bobo protected and loved Catherine all the way up until that awful event. Fast forward to adulthood and Catherine has just married a major prick named Ian. I am not spoiling anything by saying this man is a piece of crap who deserves a terrible fate. Catherine, however...poor Catherine just can't catch a break. Luckily for her, Bobo has come back, and if there's one thing you do not want to do when Bobo is around it's mess with Catherine.

Alright, so admittedly I picked this up because of the delightfully ridiculous cover. I loved demented dolls and evil toys and I thought that's what I was getting. Instead, we see a woman's slowly unraveling mind, a husband's continued abuse and betrayal, and the birth of a baby you do NOT want to cuddle with. The story itself was fun - if somewhat unoriginal - but the hard part for me to swallow was the constant abuse Catherine takes from Ian. After a certain horrible things happen partway in I wondered how the heck this woman hadn't left. She tells her therapist what happens, her friends know, and no one does anything about it. That sequence was very hard to swallow. In addition, there are some meandering moments and subplots that make you think the story is going one way only to find that it means absolutely nothing later. For instance, I got excited when a creepy doll is introduced, but then nothing happens with it whatsoever. It felt like a plot point the author forgot to take out. Aside from that, Animus is a fun, flawed read with a lot of brutal deaths and a killer cover that makes it well worth picking up.