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Mama Fish
At Harlequin High School In 1986, Kelvin Fish was the oddball, the weird kid that no one would talk to, except for Patrick Beauchamp who was determined to learn more. When Patrick's curiosity about Kelvin leads him into a bizarre and tragic series of events, Patrick gets much more than he bargained for.
- GenresHorror
92 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
3 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Rio Youers
91 books431 followersRio Youers is the British Fantasy and Sunburst Award–nominated author of Lola on Fire and No Second Chances. His 2017 thriller, The Forgotten Girl, was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. He is the writer of Refrigerator Full of Heads, a six-issue comic series from DC Comics, and Sleeping Beauties, a graphic novel based on the number-one bestseller by Stephen King and Owen King. Rio’s latest novel, The Bang-Bang Sisters, was published by William Morrow in summer 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 13, 2009
Damn, Rio Youers can write.
Mama Fish is an interesting little novella and one that is hard to categorize. Part coming-of-age, part befriended misfits, part urban horror, and part speculative, this novella is most certainly a page-turner, keeping me engrossed the whole way.
The novel alternates between the present of narrator Patrick Beauchamp at age 36, and his past as a high school student. The young Beauchamp feels a need to befriend the school oddball, Kelvin Fish, the kid everyone makes fun of and creates inventive and disgusting stories about. At first, he's not sure why he needs to do this. There is something about Kelvin...he's a misfit, and Beauchamp, despite going through all the motions of fitting in, feels a bit of a misfit himself. Yet, Beauchamp himself lets his imagination get away with him when it comes to Kelvin, creating a grotesquerie of a relationship between Kelvin and his mother, Mama Fish. But what is imagined and what is real could not be further apart and the reality of Mama Fish is more shocking than Beauchamp could ever have imagined.
Youers really captures the awkwardness of youth, of being a misfit, and the relationship he develops between Beauchamp and Kelvin Fish rings true on every level. Beauchamp is a fully developed character and even Kelvin, who speaks almost no words for the first half of the novella, is endearing, evoking a modern take on Lennie Small. When events take a tragic turn, the reader is so invested in the characters--and Youers has developed them so well (with sparse text which tells you how good a writer Youers is)--that you are as devastated as Beauchamp.
Likewise, Youers, in the older Beauchamp, captures the encroaching cynicism of age, of feeling disconnected in a world that seems to be changing faster than you want it to. The balance between the two manifestations of Beauchamp is really artful and serves to tie the two storylines together.
What I also enjoyed is that Youers plays with some of the tropes of the horror genre and even with the trope of homoeroticism often implied by the need of two male misfits to be friends. He gives these things interesting little twists that I found refreshing.
Likewise, Youers also captures the disconnect of the modern world, the disintegration of urban life into strip malls and TGI Fridays, and a society which is so technologically in touch with one another that they've grown distant. Computers and iPods and Blackberrys and Bluetooth that mute the human relationship despite their promise to bring people closer together.
Youers also manages to create a lot of suspense and tension in the story with a nice fluid prose style that is engaging and realistic, but somewhat ominous. THe pace of this story is pitch perfect.
I think the only quibble I had with this novella is that the revelation of Mama Fish and Kelvin Fish's life was a bit of a let down for me. But I think this is largely due to Youers' expertise at building these two characters and my fascination with misfits rather than any flaw with the novella. I was far more interested in exploring the relationship of Kelvin and Beauchamp and their odd friendship that the reveal of Kelvin and Mama Fish's life kind of took something away from that. Still, Youers brings that around with the ending of the novella, tying the older and younger Beauchamp storylines together in a really satisfying (yet not spoon-fed) ending.
This is my first time reading Youers' work and while the price tag ($7.99) may be a bit high for Mama Fish considering the length, I have to say it was worth it because I feel I've found a writer who really, really intrigues and excites me. This wont be my last time reading Youers and if you're looking for a good, creepy yet utterly emotionally truthful quick read, Mama Fish may just be someone you wanna spend time with.
Mama Fish is an interesting little novella and one that is hard to categorize. Part coming-of-age, part befriended misfits, part urban horror, and part speculative, this novella is most certainly a page-turner, keeping me engrossed the whole way.
The novel alternates between the present of narrator Patrick Beauchamp at age 36, and his past as a high school student. The young Beauchamp feels a need to befriend the school oddball, Kelvin Fish, the kid everyone makes fun of and creates inventive and disgusting stories about. At first, he's not sure why he needs to do this. There is something about Kelvin...he's a misfit, and Beauchamp, despite going through all the motions of fitting in, feels a bit of a misfit himself. Yet, Beauchamp himself lets his imagination get away with him when it comes to Kelvin, creating a grotesquerie of a relationship between Kelvin and his mother, Mama Fish. But what is imagined and what is real could not be further apart and the reality of Mama Fish is more shocking than Beauchamp could ever have imagined.
Youers really captures the awkwardness of youth, of being a misfit, and the relationship he develops between Beauchamp and Kelvin Fish rings true on every level. Beauchamp is a fully developed character and even Kelvin, who speaks almost no words for the first half of the novella, is endearing, evoking a modern take on Lennie Small. When events take a tragic turn, the reader is so invested in the characters--and Youers has developed them so well (with sparse text which tells you how good a writer Youers is)--that you are as devastated as Beauchamp.
Likewise, Youers, in the older Beauchamp, captures the encroaching cynicism of age, of feeling disconnected in a world that seems to be changing faster than you want it to. The balance between the two manifestations of Beauchamp is really artful and serves to tie the two storylines together.
What I also enjoyed is that Youers plays with some of the tropes of the horror genre and even with the trope of homoeroticism often implied by the need of two male misfits to be friends. He gives these things interesting little twists that I found refreshing.
Likewise, Youers also captures the disconnect of the modern world, the disintegration of urban life into strip malls and TGI Fridays, and a society which is so technologically in touch with one another that they've grown distant. Computers and iPods and Blackberrys and Bluetooth that mute the human relationship despite their promise to bring people closer together.
Youers also manages to create a lot of suspense and tension in the story with a nice fluid prose style that is engaging and realistic, but somewhat ominous. THe pace of this story is pitch perfect.
I think the only quibble I had with this novella is that the revelation of Mama Fish and Kelvin Fish's life was a bit of a let down for me. But I think this is largely due to Youers' expertise at building these two characters and my fascination with misfits rather than any flaw with the novella. I was far more interested in exploring the relationship of Kelvin and Beauchamp and their odd friendship that the reveal of Kelvin and Mama Fish's life kind of took something away from that. Still, Youers brings that around with the ending of the novella, tying the older and younger Beauchamp storylines together in a really satisfying (yet not spoon-fed) ending.
This is my first time reading Youers' work and while the price tag ($7.99) may be a bit high for Mama Fish considering the length, I have to say it was worth it because I feel I've found a writer who really, really intrigues and excites me. This wont be my last time reading Youers and if you're looking for a good, creepy yet utterly emotionally truthful quick read, Mama Fish may just be someone you wanna spend time with.
July 6, 2019
3.5 stars
A part science fiction, part horror novella, but the kind of science fiction/horror that reminds me of Matheson and Sturgeon.
A part science fiction, part horror novella, but the kind of science fiction/horror that reminds me of Matheson and Sturgeon.
July 14, 2024
Mama Fish ist nur durch Zufall bei mir eingezogen, denn ich konnte der wirklich schönen Cemetery Dance Germany SELECT Gesamtausgabe nicht widerstehen. Zum Glück konnte die Novelle von Rio Youers, die aus der Sicht des Protagonisten Patrick Beauchamp erzählt wird und von dessen Erlebnissen mit dem 'Sonderling' Kelvin Fish handelt, aber nicht nur optisch überzeugen.
Rio Youers hat einen Humor der genau meinen Geschmack trifft. Ich mag es, dass sein Protagonist sich selbst nicht zu ernst nimmt und Unsicherheiten versucht mit Witzen zu überspielen. Außerdem merkt man dem Autor die Lieber zur Musik an und damit kann man bei mir fast immer punkten.
Obwohl die Geschichte kurz ist fehlt es ihr nicht an Überraschungsmomenten und gerade, dass man lange nicht weiß wohin die Handlung führt hat mir gut gefallen. Allerdings ist das Ende wirklich gemein, denn eigentlich geht es da erst richtig los.
Mama Fish hat mich sowohl inhaltlich als auch vom Aufbau her überzeugt. Rio Youers schafft auf wenigen Seiten einen realistischen Charakter mit dem man mitfühlt, gleichzeitig aber auch erkennt, dass er alles andere als perfekt ist. Die Wechsel zwischen den verschiedenen Zeitebenen fühlen sich absolut natürlich an und der einzige Wehmutstropfen ist wirklich, dass einen das Ende so in der Luft hängen lässt.
Rio Youers hat einen Humor der genau meinen Geschmack trifft. Ich mag es, dass sein Protagonist sich selbst nicht zu ernst nimmt und Unsicherheiten versucht mit Witzen zu überspielen. Außerdem merkt man dem Autor die Lieber zur Musik an und damit kann man bei mir fast immer punkten.
Obwohl die Geschichte kurz ist fehlt es ihr nicht an Überraschungsmomenten und gerade, dass man lange nicht weiß wohin die Handlung führt hat mir gut gefallen. Allerdings ist das Ende wirklich gemein, denn eigentlich geht es da erst richtig los.
Mama Fish hat mich sowohl inhaltlich als auch vom Aufbau her überzeugt. Rio Youers schafft auf wenigen Seiten einen realistischen Charakter mit dem man mitfühlt, gleichzeitig aber auch erkennt, dass er alles andere als perfekt ist. Die Wechsel zwischen den verschiedenen Zeitebenen fühlen sich absolut natürlich an und der einzige Wehmutstropfen ist wirklich, dass einen das Ende so in der Luft hängen lässt.
September 17, 2009
From the first sentence of Mama Fish, Rio Youers captures your attention. Plainly put, Mr. Youers is a wordsmith--one of high caliber. His straight ahead language packs a wallop of sensory delight and dread. I smelled Kelvin Fish's oddness, felt his rubbery flesh, and saw Mama Fish. Youers has a sharp pen and an even sharper wit. Here lies more than a simple horror tale. Mama Fish is also a cleverly written observation of a generation who have come of age, now watching their children grow up in an ever-increasingly technology and consumerism driven world.
September 2, 2019
Saw a lot of good reviews so I tried but it didn’t grab me. Dnf.
March 2, 2023
Nicht, dass sich MAMA FISH schlecht gelesen hätte, aber in Sachen Substanz hätte Youers auch eine 30-seitige Kurzgeschichte daraus machen können. Besonder originell fand ich die Story auch nicht, tatsächlich erinnert sie mich an die Geschichten der SF-Magazine, wie sie in den 60ern veröffentlicht wurden.
Gleichwohl nette Unterhaltung.
Gleichwohl nette Unterhaltung.
April 1, 2013
Rio Youers, Mama Fish (Shroud Publishing, 2009)
Rio Youers is one of those names that sticks in the back of your mind. I first heard of him a few years back, but didn't encounter any of his work until recently; a copy of Mama Fish popped up at my local Half-Price Books, so I grabbed it to see if any of the buss I'd heard was warranted. Short answer: yes. While Youers does get a bit overwrought during the climax, Mama Fish is a whole lot of fun, with a handful of very well-drawn characters and a classic plot with some fresh new twists.
Kelvin Fish is the classic high school outcast, mocked by his classmates and ruthlessly tormented, despite his only desire being to be left to his own devices. Patrick Beauchamp is another kid in the same high school who shares a few classes with Kevin. He's not an outcast, per se; he's more the invisible man, that kid who always sat in the back of your chemistry class, the one whose name you knew, but you never found out anything else about. Patrick is fascinated by Kelvin Fish, and thinks maybe he might be able to find himself a friend. But when you start associating with the school outcast, the wrong element ends up noticing you...
You know these kids. You went to school with them. And that's what makes Mama Fish such a solid experience. As I said, he does go a little overboard once we get down to brass tacks, but that's forgivable. There's a whole lot to like about this book, and I suggest picking it up if you happen to run across a copy; good stuff indeed. *** ½
Rio Youers is one of those names that sticks in the back of your mind. I first heard of him a few years back, but didn't encounter any of his work until recently; a copy of Mama Fish popped up at my local Half-Price Books, so I grabbed it to see if any of the buss I'd heard was warranted. Short answer: yes. While Youers does get a bit overwrought during the climax, Mama Fish is a whole lot of fun, with a handful of very well-drawn characters and a classic plot with some fresh new twists.
Kelvin Fish is the classic high school outcast, mocked by his classmates and ruthlessly tormented, despite his only desire being to be left to his own devices. Patrick Beauchamp is another kid in the same high school who shares a few classes with Kevin. He's not an outcast, per se; he's more the invisible man, that kid who always sat in the back of your chemistry class, the one whose name you knew, but you never found out anything else about. Patrick is fascinated by Kelvin Fish, and thinks maybe he might be able to find himself a friend. But when you start associating with the school outcast, the wrong element ends up noticing you...
You know these kids. You went to school with them. And that's what makes Mama Fish such a solid experience. As I said, he does go a little overboard once we get down to brass tacks, but that's forgivable. There's a whole lot to like about this book, and I suggest picking it up if you happen to run across a copy; good stuff indeed. *** ½
August 28, 2010
There are writers who are so talented that they can make you see the external manifestations of horror in all their full-blown Technicolor ghastliness. And then there are even more talented writers who make you feel horror’s heartrending internal effects. Rio Youers falls squarely into the latter category.
Read the rest of the review here.
Read the rest of the review here.
January 22, 2023
3,5 Sterne. Meine Erwartungen wurden leider eher enttäuscht bezüglich dem Ende und der „Person“ Mama Fish. Ansonsten sehr gut geschrieben.
October 21, 2010
Favorite quote: “The trees gossiped and trembled.” “…her smile will make flowers open.” “I could hear the apple trees rustling their naked branches in agitation.”
All in all: Not what I expected, yet more than I expected.
Synopsis: Harlequin High, 1986. Kelvin Fish was the oddball, the weird kid that no one would talk to. Except for Patrick, who was determined to learn more about this strange child, and to befriend him. But Patrick would get more than he bargained for. -From author's website rioyours.com.
What I didn’t like: Nothing much quite honestly. If I have to pick something, there was a line or two that had to do with inappropriate sex that the main character conjured in his imagination. But really it was just a passing daydream that I feel was simply a reflection of the mystery of Kelvin and his home life. I acknowledge that sometimes bizarre thoughts just infiltrate your mind, so if you do try this book and are squeamish don’t let it put you off.
What I liked: “Isn’t it amazing how the smallest decisions can have such a massive impact on our lives?” Patrick says this in the story and to me, this is what Mama Fish is about. That and how friendship can be so strong it can span time. The story is not what I thought it was going to be and therefore the twists and turns were more of a surprise. It was haunting, sad and nostalgic. While reading it, I felt dread, melancholy and pity. However, it left me feeling very hopeful.
The story is relayed by Patrick and we see Kelvin through him. Although Kelvin appears to be a somewhat monstrous person, Patrick sympathizes with him and senses there is something more to his frightening exterior. He and Kelvin do not seem to have much in common but Patrick recognizes something of himself in this other outcast and wants to be his friend.
One day he decides to follow Kelvin home and the ensuing events change his life. Patrick says for many years he wishes he never followed him home that day. That was such a great line to build tension and made me feel Patrick’s regret. Isn't there an event in everyone's life that they wish did not happen? That they wish they had taken just one step sideways to avoid?
The story flipped from Patrick’s childhood to his adulthood with skill, increasing the suspense. What happened to him as a child? How have those events effected him? He is sympathetic both in his younger days and in the present. He is a simple guy, a normal guy. But he’s holding onto a memory that effected him profoundly. The mystery of Kelvin is hinted at, then revealed. At first it is horrifying and then it becomes wondrous.
The writing was powerful. Unique similes and descriptions were used to illustrate thoughts and meanings. It’s exciting and inspiring to find prose that moves the story along like in Mama Fish. Youers uses lovely words to describe otherwise mundane events and objects. When relaying a horrifying incident he compared time with a jester. A bully had “rock like fists” and “…fear growled and snapped.”
If you really must put Mama Fish into a genre, you can say it's a little bit of Horror, with a lot of Sci-Fi, maybe a bit Steampunk and also a Coming of Age story. It's just as hard to fit this story into one specific genre as it was for Patrick to fit in among his peers. For such a short book, it took me a while to put my thoughts together to write this. Thought provoking and deeply layered, it is a poignant page turner. I will definitely be reading more by Rio Youers.
All in all: Not what I expected, yet more than I expected.
Synopsis: Harlequin High, 1986. Kelvin Fish was the oddball, the weird kid that no one would talk to. Except for Patrick, who was determined to learn more about this strange child, and to befriend him. But Patrick would get more than he bargained for. -From author's website rioyours.com.
What I didn’t like: Nothing much quite honestly. If I have to pick something, there was a line or two that had to do with inappropriate sex that the main character conjured in his imagination. But really it was just a passing daydream that I feel was simply a reflection of the mystery of Kelvin and his home life. I acknowledge that sometimes bizarre thoughts just infiltrate your mind, so if you do try this book and are squeamish don’t let it put you off.
What I liked: “Isn’t it amazing how the smallest decisions can have such a massive impact on our lives?” Patrick says this in the story and to me, this is what Mama Fish is about. That and how friendship can be so strong it can span time. The story is not what I thought it was going to be and therefore the twists and turns were more of a surprise. It was haunting, sad and nostalgic. While reading it, I felt dread, melancholy and pity. However, it left me feeling very hopeful.
The story is relayed by Patrick and we see Kelvin through him. Although Kelvin appears to be a somewhat monstrous person, Patrick sympathizes with him and senses there is something more to his frightening exterior. He and Kelvin do not seem to have much in common but Patrick recognizes something of himself in this other outcast and wants to be his friend.
One day he decides to follow Kelvin home and the ensuing events change his life. Patrick says for many years he wishes he never followed him home that day. That was such a great line to build tension and made me feel Patrick’s regret. Isn't there an event in everyone's life that they wish did not happen? That they wish they had taken just one step sideways to avoid?
The story flipped from Patrick’s childhood to his adulthood with skill, increasing the suspense. What happened to him as a child? How have those events effected him? He is sympathetic both in his younger days and in the present. He is a simple guy, a normal guy. But he’s holding onto a memory that effected him profoundly. The mystery of Kelvin is hinted at, then revealed. At first it is horrifying and then it becomes wondrous.
The writing was powerful. Unique similes and descriptions were used to illustrate thoughts and meanings. It’s exciting and inspiring to find prose that moves the story along like in Mama Fish. Youers uses lovely words to describe otherwise mundane events and objects. When relaying a horrifying incident he compared time with a jester. A bully had “rock like fists” and “…fear growled and snapped.”
If you really must put Mama Fish into a genre, you can say it's a little bit of Horror, with a lot of Sci-Fi, maybe a bit Steampunk and also a Coming of Age story. It's just as hard to fit this story into one specific genre as it was for Patrick to fit in among his peers. For such a short book, it took me a while to put my thoughts together to write this. Thought provoking and deeply layered, it is a poignant page turner. I will definitely be reading more by Rio Youers.
October 10, 2011
Author Rio Youers is a relatively new writer on the scene, but has amassed quite a few accolades and critical acclaim. “Mama Fish” is a novella full of vibrant ideas and energy, carefully threaded with a considerable danger and a growing curiosity that will have readers flipping pages as fast as they humanly can. The story is fresh and original and you will find yourself completely submerged in the familiar, yet strange, world of our main characters.
Things do fall into place as the astute reader might expect, but that doesn’t cloud the enjoyment factor or experience. My only big disappointment was the cover of the book. It simply gave away too many details that you encounter late in the tale. Although beautifully painted, this was an unfortunate marketing decision. I can’t go back in time and erase what I now know, but I wonder how much more exciting and mysterious this book would have been if I had not seen the cover. Oh, well. “Mama Fish” is still a hell of a read and without a doubt, I will be reading more of Rio Youers in the future.
Things do fall into place as the astute reader might expect, but that doesn’t cloud the enjoyment factor or experience. My only big disappointment was the cover of the book. It simply gave away too many details that you encounter late in the tale. Although beautifully painted, this was an unfortunate marketing decision. I can’t go back in time and erase what I now know, but I wonder how much more exciting and mysterious this book would have been if I had not seen the cover. Oh, well. “Mama Fish” is still a hell of a read and without a doubt, I will be reading more of Rio Youers in the future.
October 19, 2016
My reaction to the book was it was very weird and had a lot of twist in the story it has a lot of twists. I didn't expect the ending to be like that. The story is about a kid/adult (Changes in random parts of the story) his name is Kevin. Kevin always see an unsocial and weird kid sitting in front of him, Kelvin the weird kid gets bullied and Kevin steps in to help Kelvin, but he ends up get getting hit by a car. Kevin follows Kevin home to see where he lives and what he does. He looks in the basement window and sees Kevin hooked up to a bunch of machines with his robotic leg on a table. Years later he comes home and sees Kevin again updated. This connects to life, like saying that everyone has something special about themselves.
November 12, 2011
The best thing about MAMA FISH, other than the superb writing, attention to detail, and the tales climax, is that it is a novella. A Novella that wasn't over priced or littered with typos and half-assed editing. This is a great read that I highly recommend. Rio Youers is one of the best working in the small press, period.
May 31, 2021
A truly amazing experience - a short novella that conveys the feeling of a full novel and a brilliant short story at once. Among its many facets: a coming of age tale, a mystical fantasy, the self-indulgence of a personal tragedy, and a hope in magical possibility - all done in a present reality that grabs the reader.
August 18, 2018
We were direct opposites, I realized. He was everything I ached to be—how I would create myself, given the clay to work with—and I was everything he feared."
Is it bad that I couldn't sound out what Fish had been saying all that time until the last words of the story were written? I was like Oh!
Is it bad that I couldn't sound out what Fish had been saying all that time until the last words of the story were written? I was like Oh!
November 12, 2010
Discovered this amazing new author thanks to a friend's loan. Wow, enjoyable lyrical prose tells a contemporary horror YA story.
April 19, 2013
I enjoyed this. It had a good punch to it. I felt Youers prose were a tad slight at times, relying on cliché similes and metaphors. But he tells the story well.
April 15, 2010
Read my review at FeoAmante.com: http://www.feoamante.com/Stories/Revi...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews