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Biting Silence
A visceral, taut tapestry, that weaves between the dark spaces of want and need, repulsion and yearning. Lust has teeth, and hunger will demand satisfaction until silence swallows us all.
— Neil S. Reddy, author of JUBJUB Juice
Surreal and sublime, Methvin’s prose captures things that haunt us, frighten us, repulse us, or threaten to drive us insane as well as things that intrigue us, even entice us—and in Biting Silence, sometimes all of these are interwoven into a single act or image. — Scott Hughes, author of The Last Book You’ll Ever Read
Biting Silence is a bold novel that is unafraid to delve into the darker aspects of mental illness. With a rich cast of characters, and a prose style that pulls you in from page one, this is a book you won’t want to miss.
—Molly Likovich, author of Bite Back
I’m Going To Kill Myself
And in a way he did, again and again. Each missed message and each skipped meal drove Aften ever closer to the act. When that very act fails, the last thing he expected was to be invited to a party, but truly…what else was there to do? Like Bret Easton Ellis’ rampant apathy and Dennis Cooper’s social cynicism colliding, Biting Silence explores the partygoers’ tenuous relationship as it worsens and worsens. Neither drinks nor sex nor questioning what’s real can hinder the insatiable negligence that inevitably tears them apart.
— Neil S. Reddy, author of JUBJUB Juice
Surreal and sublime, Methvin’s prose captures things that haunt us, frighten us, repulse us, or threaten to drive us insane as well as things that intrigue us, even entice us—and in Biting Silence, sometimes all of these are interwoven into a single act or image. — Scott Hughes, author of The Last Book You’ll Ever Read
Biting Silence is a bold novel that is unafraid to delve into the darker aspects of mental illness. With a rich cast of characters, and a prose style that pulls you in from page one, this is a book you won’t want to miss.
—Molly Likovich, author of Bite Back
I’m Going To Kill Myself
And in a way he did, again and again. Each missed message and each skipped meal drove Aften ever closer to the act. When that very act fails, the last thing he expected was to be invited to a party, but truly…what else was there to do? Like Bret Easton Ellis’ rampant apathy and Dennis Cooper’s social cynicism colliding, Biting Silence explores the partygoers’ tenuous relationship as it worsens and worsens. Neither drinks nor sex nor questioning what’s real can hinder the insatiable negligence that inevitably tears them apart.
97 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2022
1 person is currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
C.L. Methvin
4 books17 followersRarely feels human. Sometimes writes. Author of the transgressive Southern Gothic horror collection EUSECT (tRaum Books, 2025), queer social horror Biting Silence (Sinister Stoat Press, 2022), and an array of pseudonymous short stories scattered about. Queer, horror, Chicago-based, has a dog (woof).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 21, 2023
Holy shit, another reviewer said something to the effect of, they felt the cover misrepresented what the book was about, and that it didn't go as far as they wanted and I'm like HOW FAR THE FVK DID YOU WANT IT TO GO???? This book was what LESS THAN ZERO wanted to be.
I picked this up because an artist I like online had designed the cover--the contents, in my opinion, more than matched and exceeded my expectations. A group of friends come together for one night of partying--they are suicidal, mentally ill, tired, angry, drunk, depro, horny, self-loathing, full of resentment and issues towards each other. As the night passes, things go from out of hand to wildly out of hander....
This type of story can easily become a lopsided everybody sucks wallow, where you hate each character and throw your hands up somewhere in the middle, bored of the sheer weight of terribleness. Like, yep, humans are selfish and awful. ...Got anything more to say on it?
So I was impressed that Methvin, despite having deeply frustrating characters, managed to keep tension running and some kind of, I won't say sympathy, but interest in the motivation driving the characters forward, and a pretty masterful piece by piece reveal of what brought each to the party in the first place. Finally, the puzzle locks to show how those pieces contribute to their ultimate demise.
Nobody comes out here, nobody is spared. Gory, page-turney, dare I say, hot? Quite a punch packed into under 100 pages. (My tiniest quibble is that I would have liked a tighter edit--though I was generally impressed with the prose as well. It took me a good ten pages to shake into it, but by the middle of the book it had hit the pavement, running hypnotic....)
I picked this up because an artist I like online had designed the cover--the contents, in my opinion, more than matched and exceeded my expectations. A group of friends come together for one night of partying--they are suicidal, mentally ill, tired, angry, drunk, depro, horny, self-loathing, full of resentment and issues towards each other. As the night passes, things go from out of hand to wildly out of hander....
This type of story can easily become a lopsided everybody sucks wallow, where you hate each character and throw your hands up somewhere in the middle, bored of the sheer weight of terribleness. Like, yep, humans are selfish and awful. ...Got anything more to say on it?
So I was impressed that Methvin, despite having deeply frustrating characters, managed to keep tension running and some kind of, I won't say sympathy, but interest in the motivation driving the characters forward, and a pretty masterful piece by piece reveal of what brought each to the party in the first place. Finally, the puzzle locks to show how those pieces contribute to their ultimate demise.
Nobody comes out here, nobody is spared. Gory, page-turney, dare I say, hot? Quite a punch packed into under 100 pages. (My tiniest quibble is that I would have liked a tighter edit--though I was generally impressed with the prose as well. It took me a good ten pages to shake into it, but by the middle of the book it had hit the pavement, running hypnotic....)
July 16, 2025
WTF.
I mean I knew where this book was going from the start if I was honest with myself. I saw it coming. It wasn't a secret.
But boy was I not ready for some of the bumps in the road getting there. And when we finally got to the end. I threw this book across my desk and yelled at it. Because god damn it.
I laugh at movies and tv often. I laugh at books too, although less often. But negative emotions? I can count on one hand the number of times I've been hit hard by a movie or tv show. And a book? Aside from disgust (I read a lot of extreme horror/splatterpunk) I can't think of more than once or twice that I had a stare at the wall type of moment from a book. This one though? Absolutely.
And what was worse was it was my two favorite characters. But I should have known better than to play favorites here. Everyone was awful in one way or another (well except one precious little gumdrop) but some were so much worse. And one in particular you, or at least I, didn't want to accept they were just as bad. But they were.
This is horror of the manmade kind. Of the emotional kind. Of the, 'what ways can your mind fuck with you,' kind.
It was dark, bleak, and beautifully written.
My second book by this author. Autobuy list after the first book but after this one? Without a doubt.
I mean I knew where this book was going from the start if I was honest with myself. I saw it coming. It wasn't a secret.
But boy was I not ready for some of the bumps in the road getting there. And when we finally got to the end. I threw this book across my desk and yelled at it. Because god damn it.
I laugh at movies and tv often. I laugh at books too, although less often. But negative emotions? I can count on one hand the number of times I've been hit hard by a movie or tv show. And a book? Aside from disgust (I read a lot of extreme horror/splatterpunk) I can't think of more than once or twice that I had a stare at the wall type of moment from a book. This one though? Absolutely.
And what was worse was it was my two favorite characters. But I should have known better than to play favorites here. Everyone was awful in one way or another (well except one precious little gumdrop) but some were so much worse. And one in particular you, or at least I, didn't want to accept they were just as bad. But they were.
This is horror of the manmade kind. Of the emotional kind. Of the, 'what ways can your mind fuck with you,' kind.
It was dark, bleak, and beautifully written.
My second book by this author. Autobuy list after the first book but after this one? Without a doubt.
April 23, 2022
Biting Silence is a book of discomfort, a book that is direct and cold and introspective and makes you feel every ounce of anxiety that spreads through its characters. "She did not want to be here. Not the party--though that was included--but...here. "Here" as all places, "here" as being." I have never felt a bigger mood than this right here. Methvin's prose forces you to feel everything and nothing. You're angry at some characters, apathetic about others, and, in some ways, you can relate. I loved this book, and I think it's an important piece of horror literature.
August 9, 2024
Its not often i find a book that i cant put down. started reading and finished it in one sitting, so intriguing and the way the story is organized is very refreshing in a way. Really recommend this!!!
April 19, 2023
Being familiar with Methvin's short stories, I was incredibly excited to hear they published their first book and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. After only a handful of pages in, I was beyond hooked. It truly captures the intrusive thoughts of an anxious mind in a way I've never seen done before.
This incredible novella is hauntingly beautiful and definitely a story that stays with you. It’s dark, heavy, and visceral - but in the absolute best of ways.
I read this while I was at one of the lowest points in my life. As it contains suicidal ideation and a very real look at one’s slipping mental health, I was very aware of engaging too much with it at first. But rather than sucking me further down it actually helped me process a lot of what I was going through.
While Methvin takes their story to a hyperbolic level, I still felt very seen. It helped me realize that I wasn’t by far the only one that has ventured into the dark depths of the mind and saw the temptation and allure of the darkness. Through the portrayal of the storyline through the eyes of every character, you get to see the threads of connections and consequences of every action.
This incredible novella is hauntingly beautiful and definitely a story that stays with you. It’s dark, heavy, and visceral - but in the absolute best of ways.
I read this while I was at one of the lowest points in my life. As it contains suicidal ideation and a very real look at one’s slipping mental health, I was very aware of engaging too much with it at first. But rather than sucking me further down it actually helped me process a lot of what I was going through.
While Methvin takes their story to a hyperbolic level, I still felt very seen. It helped me realize that I wasn’t by far the only one that has ventured into the dark depths of the mind and saw the temptation and allure of the darkness. Through the portrayal of the storyline through the eyes of every character, you get to see the threads of connections and consequences of every action.
September 10, 2025
This novella was beautifully written and the author took prose in new directions, playing with format and line breaks.
The cast of characters was large, but the plot and timeline were so tight it pulled the ensemble together. It very much felt like rubbing shoulders with the crowd at a party. You get glimpses of people, but then private conversations that go deep. You get the behind the bedroom/bathroom door peek at what's happening behind the scenes.
Read the content warning before reading. This story deals heavily with self harm, suicide, mental health issues, sexuality etc. None of it is for shock. Rather it feels like a story fully seated in reality and what can happen when people who are all struggling come together but cannot help themselves or each other.
It was brutal. Beautiful. Chaotic. Firey. Real. Not every author could pull this off and not every author would be brave enough to.
The cast of characters was large, but the plot and timeline were so tight it pulled the ensemble together. It very much felt like rubbing shoulders with the crowd at a party. You get glimpses of people, but then private conversations that go deep. You get the behind the bedroom/bathroom door peek at what's happening behind the scenes.
Read the content warning before reading. This story deals heavily with self harm, suicide, mental health issues, sexuality etc. None of it is for shock. Rather it feels like a story fully seated in reality and what can happen when people who are all struggling come together but cannot help themselves or each other.
It was brutal. Beautiful. Chaotic. Firey. Real. Not every author could pull this off and not every author would be brave enough to.
September 1, 2023
minor spoilers!
The cover is definitely more intense than the actual contents imo(heavy focus on character drama+ takes a while to get to the crazy stuff). I probably should have read an excerpt before purchasing the book to get an idea of what I was getting into because I ended up pretty disappointed by the lack of monsters(it's more gore/erotic gore). Also, the summary makes the drama at the party seem more involved than it actually is. Just on an interpersonal level, it falls pretty flat to me(skippable? like some characters felt almost superfluous even when considering their greater purpose). I didn't dislike it but was definitely expecting something different based off of other people's reviews.
(The writing style made it hard for me to follow some sentences. I feel like there are articles missing or random prepositions used. maybe just my problem though)
The cover is definitely more intense than the actual contents imo(heavy focus on character drama+ takes a while to get to the crazy stuff). I probably should have read an excerpt before purchasing the book to get an idea of what I was getting into because I ended up pretty disappointed by the lack of monsters(it's more gore/erotic gore). Also, the summary makes the drama at the party seem more involved than it actually is. Just on an interpersonal level, it falls pretty flat to me(skippable? like some characters felt almost superfluous even when considering their greater purpose). I didn't dislike it but was definitely expecting something different based off of other people's reviews.
(The writing style made it hard for me to follow some sentences. I feel like there are articles missing or random prepositions used. maybe just my problem though)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews