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Florida
On May 9th, 2008, Florida Cunningham, her husband, and their two friends went to Fairhill Lake with the intent to enjoy a relaxing day under an unseasonably warm sun. Little did they know they were about to stumble upon a vicious murder at the hands of an unhinged man that would turn the day into a tragedy.
81 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2020
3 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Little
2 books15 followersI'm a New England author and writer from New Bedford, Massachusetts. My main focus in my writing is to be intense in having it all be realistic and believable. I want you there with the characters and feel what they feel and think how they think.
Aside from writing prose, I'm a poet and have been practicing the medium since 2012.
Aside from writing prose, I'm a poet and have been practicing the medium since 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 27, 2020
We know this setup well.
A woman and her husband invite their friends on a trip to the lake. During a wander through the woods, they stumble upon a stranger. (This never ends well.) The stranger’s bent on murder, and the couples are now in his crosshairs. The four of them are drawn into a fight for their lives.
Florida delivers all the beats we come to expect from these stories with an earnestness and precision that’s admirable. Once our killer steps onto the stage of this novella, Little cranks the engine, and we’re off. No wandering. No tangents.
Just the kills, ma’am.
And Florida catalogues its violence in detail, teasing out each moment, walking through its brutality with careful, methodical steps. It’s a lean enterprise, and that economy works in its favor. There’s very little fat on Florida. You came for a fucked-up story. This novella gives you what you asked for.
That leanness, however, keeps our characters at a distance, and some dimension is sacrificed to the engine of the plot. The muscle on this novella doesn’t give us much interiority, and there were times I wanted to follow the characters down their own dark paths, to see what’s inside. I wanted to be more in their heads and their hearts, so the bloodshed would cut deeper.
But the coldness seems to be the point. Florida is interested in the violence of chance, in the randomness that can define a day, a life, a death. What’s important here are the accidents – discovering the wrong truth, being in the wrong place at the wrong time – and how unsentimental accident can be. Interiority can’t save you, I guess. The hammer’s coming down on you, if the hammer feels so inclined.
By the end of Florida, we’ve returned to some order, in an epilogue that fills in some of blanks slasher films don’t. There are scars, of course. You may get out alive, but no one gets out unscathed. And the world moves on. There’s a comfort in that.
A woman and her husband invite their friends on a trip to the lake. During a wander through the woods, they stumble upon a stranger. (This never ends well.) The stranger’s bent on murder, and the couples are now in his crosshairs. The four of them are drawn into a fight for their lives.
Florida delivers all the beats we come to expect from these stories with an earnestness and precision that’s admirable. Once our killer steps onto the stage of this novella, Little cranks the engine, and we’re off. No wandering. No tangents.
Just the kills, ma’am.
And Florida catalogues its violence in detail, teasing out each moment, walking through its brutality with careful, methodical steps. It’s a lean enterprise, and that economy works in its favor. There’s very little fat on Florida. You came for a fucked-up story. This novella gives you what you asked for.
That leanness, however, keeps our characters at a distance, and some dimension is sacrificed to the engine of the plot. The muscle on this novella doesn’t give us much interiority, and there were times I wanted to follow the characters down their own dark paths, to see what’s inside. I wanted to be more in their heads and their hearts, so the bloodshed would cut deeper.
But the coldness seems to be the point. Florida is interested in the violence of chance, in the randomness that can define a day, a life, a death. What’s important here are the accidents – discovering the wrong truth, being in the wrong place at the wrong time – and how unsentimental accident can be. Interiority can’t save you, I guess. The hammer’s coming down on you, if the hammer feels so inclined.
By the end of Florida, we’ve returned to some order, in an epilogue that fills in some of blanks slasher films don’t. There are scars, of course. You may get out alive, but no one gets out unscathed. And the world moves on. There’s a comfort in that.
November 23, 2020
When having a nice day on the lake turns into running from your worst nightmare, this is a slasher and grief horror novella. Both Florida and her friend are pregnant and just want a nice day together by the lake. You know pregnancy just gets in the way of spending time with people and you’d rather be rolled up on the couch eating Cheetos. They wanted a little couples outing before the babies came along but didn’t know they would be fighting for their lives by the end of the trip.
This novella has the most predictable scenario but I didn’t expect it to be so grief stricken. I’m not gonna lie the first half had me wondering if it was ever going to pick up and the dialogue felt unnatural. I was also questioning whether I should just put it down and go on to the next book. I was glad I stuck it out because the middle to the end was on speed with tons of blood and the dialogue did improve. That ending had me clutching onto all that I hold dear. I definitely think this author could come out with a heavy hitting grief horror in the future. I gave this one 3 ⭐️.
This novella has the most predictable scenario but I didn’t expect it to be so grief stricken. I’m not gonna lie the first half had me wondering if it was ever going to pick up and the dialogue felt unnatural. I was also questioning whether I should just put it down and go on to the next book. I was glad I stuck it out because the middle to the end was on speed with tons of blood and the dialogue did improve. That ending had me clutching onto all that I hold dear. I definitely think this author could come out with a heavy hitting grief horror in the future. I gave this one 3 ⭐️.
March 3, 2020
What a thrilling read! I’ve already read it twice & I’m planning on a third. Matthew does a fantastic job at creating heart-pounding scenes. I can’t wait for future works. This is definitely a must-read!
May 24, 2025
Horrible
This is some of the worst writing I've ever read. Full of grammatical errors and incorrect word usage. I hate to be a hater of Indie authors, but it was just so stunningly bad.
This is some of the worst writing I've ever read. Full of grammatical errors and incorrect word usage. I hate to be a hater of Indie authors, but it was just so stunningly bad.
March 10, 2020
A great, tense little novella. Eager to see what Matthew Little does next.
March 24, 2021
A thrilling chase
Florida takes us on a picnic and everything seems fine until a stranger joins in. This is no bear hunt! Read and find out just how far Florida is willing to go to protect the ones she loves.
Florida takes us on a picnic and everything seems fine until a stranger joins in. This is no bear hunt! Read and find out just how far Florida is willing to go to protect the ones she loves.
January 5, 2023
A very short yet exciting read. Sometimes the best horror is random, and the scariest events happen in the most innocent of places. Little’s novella brings us along as friends experience the worst of humanity… for no reason. The terror of this story is rooted in there being no explanation. Bad things happen, and we’ll never know when we’re the horror protagonist.
August 3, 2021
Into the unknown.
Florida and her friends go on a picnic that changes their lives forever. Matthew Little has managed to pack a lot into a small story. This is a sit on the edge of your seat story. You won't want to put it down. Loved it!
Florida and her friends go on a picnic that changes their lives forever. Matthew Little has managed to pack a lot into a small story. This is a sit on the edge of your seat story. You won't want to put it down. Loved it!
February 19, 2025
Pass. Just very flat and average.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews