It Eats Us From the Inside

by Antonija Mežnarić

The only reason Doris agreed to go back to her hometown on the Northern Adriatic coast was her wife’s insistence to go and visit her father, house-ridden and slowly dying from a mysterious illness that eats at him from the inside.

But under the surface of the family reunion lie old tales and hidden regret, while from the sea comes a creeping threat to the town and beyond, slowly but surely spreading farther from the coast.

Taken at the tide of change, nothing and no one will stay the same.

It Eats Us From the Inside is a quiet, claustrophobic near-future horror novella about changes from the outside and from within, ecological disaster, aquatic dread and Slavic folklore.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Adult, Queer

Paperback

Published June 23, 2022

About the author

Antonija Mežnarić is a Croatian writer and editor who lives and breathes speculative fiction. She writes queer horror and fantasy, mostly inspired by South Slavic folklore, which is evident in her collection of queer folk horror stories Mistress of Geese, two published horror novellas, various short stories in anthologies and magazines, and one dark urban fantasy novel in Croatian, Od kolijevke pa do groba, English translation coming in Fall 2024. You can follow her book ramblings on hauntednarratives.com or on Instagram and TikTok @antonijamezni.

In 2012 she got the Protosfera award for the best published speculative fiction story by a young author.

The project she ran as an editor, alongside Vesna Kurilić and Ana Cerovac,“Decameron 2020: Priče iz karantene” (Stories From the Quarantine) won the ESFS award in 2021 for Best Internet Publication.
In the same year, the publishing house she founded with Vesna Kurilić, Shtriga, also won the ESFS award in 2021 for Best Publisher (joint winner).

Reviews

[Petra]

Reading aquatic horror novella while laying on the beach, about 2 hours drive from city in which it takes place, is, in my opinion, the best way to read this story.

First, let's start with things that didn't completely work out for me because I want to get it out of the way. While I liked how prickly and untrustworthy Doris was, I found some of her decisions lacking common sense (khm not calling her wife and telling her location khm).
The beginning pulled me in right away but the middle part dragged a bit. It was saturated with fold parts which at times made me feel like I was reading a completely different genre.

Now when we got that out of the way, let us return to the main point. I loved reading this novella.
I liked our main characters, my heart was so delighted to see happily married wlw couple, loved how much of a Croatian culture was woven into this (from swearwords to flip flops jokes) and more than anything, I loved how uncomfortable and just plain disgusted it made me feel at times. I could practically feel the stench of rotten fish in my nostrils and see the abandoned, dead little town.
I felt that the last part was maybe a bit rushed, but nonetheless, epilogue just knocked me off my feet by how it was a perfect mix of something beautifull, nostalgic and downright disgusting.

Big thanks to the author for granting me an advanced reading copy (reminder that it comes out 23rd od June, in just 4 days)!

And if you love folk stories, oozing slimey things and nostalgic, deeply sad horror stories, this one is for you!

[Dave]

This rocks.

What a suffocatingly grusomely fun time.

I really liked so many things - a post-climate change future, a post-old god transformation adventure(?), low-key take down of American character tropes, all within the claustrophobic oppressive positioning of an decaying home town being broiled alive.

What an ending too, loved how the old gods and main character took the direction of the narrative. I did not see that coming.

My partner and I were driving along the Croatian coast a few months ago a couple of days after finishing this and we stopped at Karlobag. What a beautiful town! But i was totally creeped out there because of this story!

Five goopy dads out of five

[Aina]

Can a horror book be haunting, sad, and gross at the same time? It Eats Us From The Inside proves that's possible! This is an aquatic eco-horror set in Croatia that shows how the neglect of nature leads to the destruction of humanity. The infection that sets into this small town is just a symptom of something bigger. I liked that we don't know the full extent of this sickness because the focus is on the characters and how they deal with the change.

Doris and Erika's relationship anchors the story, as does Doris's relationship with her father. There are elements of folklore mixed with body horror which made for an interesting combination. The transformation that Doris's father undergoes is detailed and horrifying, and I felt all the different emotions Doris experienced. The ending did not go the way I expected. It's surprisingly beautiful and accepting, hinting towards a future that feels inevitable.

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.

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[Iliyan]

My #5 spooky season book.

As a queer Bulgarian I absolutely devoured this book because:

1. South Slavic horror!!!! (and it’s spooky season)
2. I’m gay so to me it’s amazing to see that there are contemporary authors from my region that care about representation and weave it into the plot in such a well thought out way

Besides this, the story was compelling and unique. It also was VERY gory which I don’t always enjoy but here I didn’t really mind it, matter of fact I actually enjoyed it. I was kinda left wanting more at the end but I guess that’s a good thing.

Looking forward to picking up some other reads from this author!

[Lea]

There's a lot I love about this novella, especially the grusome visuals, the building tension, and the violent, tragic past (and future) of a small town on the Croatian coast. The last few chapters were riveting, and I found myself getting truly emotional over the characters' fates.

While I generally liked this read, I found the beginning a little too slow.
And there were times when the storyline got a little too convoluted with different ideas, some of which I felt haven't been used to their full potential or just seemed unnecessary.

Still, this was a gritty, raw story about estranged family, fading cultures, and a decaying environment. An interesting, unique and quick read.

[Nebogipfel]

I’m generally not a fan of horror, but this worked for me. It deals with Doris, a trans person, and her wife that come to a small coastal town to visit Doris’ father who is dying from a mysterious illness. The illness seems to be caused by bacteria that is polluting the sea.

The author intertwines a family story with aquatic horror, environmental pollution, local folklore, and trans experience. Quite a lot of topics for this small novel. I think the author manages to turn all of this into a coherent and interesting horror story. I like it when a book goes deeper than the cover blurb would suggest. I also like that the author introduces me to the local folklore which I am unfamiliar with.

[Rachel]

Doris has returned to the small town she grew up in to take care of her sick and dying father. She is accompanied by her wife Erika. Her father and his dog have some strange scales growing on them, which may be caused by bacteria from the sea. The Croatian folklore in this is mixed with some commentary about climate change and it was done well. This is the second book I've read from Antonija Mežnarić and I will definitely read more in the future.

[Maja Bubanj]

Znači Antonija može slobodno pjevati onu staru od Britney: Ups I did it again, jer eto, oduševljenost cijelom pričom, likovima, samim krajem je tu.
Fantastičan ekološki horror, mislim da Karlobag neću više nikad gledati istim očima😄.
Kako u svojim recenzijama ne volim davati spojlere, imam osjećaj da premalo napišem.
Ali svima preporučujem čitanje ove knjige.

[Korin]

Antonija is unparalleled when it comes to describing the inner world of her characters, the emotions they go through and the images that plague their minds while going through their (often horrific) experiences. "It Eats Us From the Inside" is no different in that regard, expertly letting us know the minutiae of the the protagonist's feelings, interweaving it with nauseatingly (pun intended) good descriptions of her surroundings.

I also loved the ecological take on the story, and the social commentary to go with it—it's never not going to be relevant in our age of ongoing worldwide environmental destruction, which is only getting worse. Antonija manages to pull of a really dark vision of a near-future world while still showing us a small glimmer of hope at the end of it. Whether you think it's a gruesome or lovely take is up to your particular affinity towards the sea, I guess—as for me, it was a strangely uplifting way to wrap up the story. But that just might be my cynicism talking.

In any case, if you like folk horror with sprinkled with a generous serving of corporate despair and with an ecological heart, "It Eats Us From the Inside" is just the book for you.

[Gabriel]

I did not know the main character was a trans woman when I picked this up, so that was a nice surprise. I liked how her identity was incorporated as both a subtle nod in the present-day story, but also an important part of her history as the driving reason why the folktale around the mountain, Velebit, and its treasure changed for her, and as part of her connection to the village and the land.
I enjoyed the portrayal of the family relationships. Doris and her wife had the soft love of a relationship that’s settled in gently. Meanwhile, her relationship with her father was strained, but also had an undercurrent of deep care for each other that made it clear why Doris would return to this diseased, dying home to see him one last time. Amidst the horror was a tender and sad depiction of the child and the parent reaching the point of swapping roles, the child becoming the caretaker, and Doris’ reflection on her childhood/teenage years through that lens.
As for the horror itself, it was an interesting blend of eco-horror and folk horror. The eerie, apocalyptic atmosphere was palpable in the emptying, hollowed-out town and the ever-present rot from the sea. It captured the sense of inevitable decline and transformation. There was also some solid body horror with the effects of the illness. I did wish the story had been longer to give more meat to the mystery and the progression of the changing sea.

[Alyx W.]

5 stars for plot and characters. I liked the people and the setting, and the turn the plot took was interesting.

This book would benefit from a good editor or talented beta reader. There were sentences that could've been clearer--though, to the author's credit, specific examples don't stick out past the impact of the story--and more than one typo.

I also felt the myths and folklore being referenced could use some explanations since it was a lot of "this is an obvious thing" sort of references to legends I have truly no experience with. That said, a lot of the setting was referenced the same way, so maybe it was a stylistic thing.

Ultimately, I'm glad I got my copy from a library, but I'm excited to see what else the author does.

[Zoa]

The writing didn't really get to me, unfortunately because I really liked the premise. The author really liked to tell their reader what happened instead of showing them. For an example (spoiler): The mysterious disease showed up on the coast of Florida. The author didn't have to tell us who brought it there, firstly because it was presented as a speculation from our MFC, and secondly because I think we all could've worked it out.
Last chapter of this novella was very beautiful, that was the only part of the book that actually made me feel something. And the epilogue after it was just... no.

It is a nice work overall, but it was not for me.

[Levana]

Some of the things were so vividly described it made me nauseous and gag (I just really don’t like anything that has to do with fluids or puking).

When I started reading this I waas very curious as to what caused all of it but by the end of it I still had so many questions.

I didn’t hate the book, I think it’s okay.

[Lex Averey]

4.5 stars rounded up, full review to come

[Olha Minchenko]

Brilliant book with some spiritual creepiness and a somewhat feel-good ending.

[everybookadoorway]

OH i definitely need to read more aquatic horror!!