The Screaming Child

by Scott Adlerberg

Scott Adlerberg’s The Screaming Child is a mystery horror novel told by a grieving woman working on a book about an explorer who was murdered in a remote wilderness region, only to get caught up in a dangerous journey after hearing the distant screams from her own vanished child somewhere in the woods.

Genres: Horror, Adult, Mystery, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2023

Reviews

[Vicki Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where There's Life, There's Hope...

THE SCREAMING CHILD by Scott Adlerberg

No spoilers. 4 stars. If you like noir mystery stories, you'll like this story, which is very dark indeed...

Bill and Eleanor live in a city that has a child killer stalking their neighborhood, and they worry about their independent 12 year old son Grahame...

The latest victim...

... is a 13 year old boy that Grahame knew from school. His body was found in a park close to Grahame's home...

Being an inquisitive child...

Grahame conducts his own investigation into the killing against his parents' warning to stay away from the park...

Eventually...

Grahame himself goes missing as he heads to his after-school violin lesson...

Wrought with anxiety over Grahame's disappearance, his parents drift apart...

Until...

Eleanor moves out of the family home and into a primitive shack on the moors just outside of town...

Then...

Eleanor begins hearing her son's tortured screams at night through her open window...

... coming from the vicinity of the rough and violent timberlands of the woods along the river where laws and civilization don't exist...

What is worse, knowing or not knowing what happened to your child? Closure or no closure?...

By definition...

Not knowing is better because there is still hope. Where there's life, there's hope...

Eleanor decides to kayak alone up the river into the hostile territory of the woods in search of her son...

Scott Adlerberg is a master of noir stories, and I was happy to run across this, his latest mystery, which was just as dark as Dan Simmons' novel, THE SONG OF KALI.

I removed a star because there was a little too much serendipity in some of the events, but for me, it didn't ruin the story.

If you are into noir tales, try GRAVEYARD LOVE by this author. It is not a love story but a very good noir mystery about a middle-aged man living with his mother in an isolated house across the road from a graveyard. You'll never see that ending coming!

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gloomy, but heartfelt journey.

I don't remember who exactly said it, but they said good fiction should make you feel emotions that aren't obvious. That you can't quite name. Mission accomplished for The Screaming Child? Not entirely sure what I felt about the narrator's disincarnate tone or her relationship to landscapes which reminded me of old Antonioni movies, but it sure didn't leave me cold. I guess this feels more urgent and nightmarish if you have children (I don't), but I enjoyed it quite a bit. One of the rare novels that didn't disappoint me with its finale.

[Paperwitches ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

{↪NO SPOILER}

☾Trigger Warnings☽
{kidnapping, murder, death of child, affair, abuse, profanity, sexual content mentioned.}

↪Story Synopsis: When a writer named Eleanors’ son goes missing she slowly loses her sanity as she begins hearing screaming from the woods at night.

↪Rating: 4.75
★★★★☆

↪TLDR; I’m obsessed. Read it, right now - drop everything and read it!


↪Length: 175 pages

↪Review:

First off, my thanks to Booksirens and Ghoulish Books for the complimentary advanced reader copy of, ‘The Screaming Child,’ per my request. This review is being voluntarily given and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

When I say I was taken aback by the depths of the grief, pain, and horror within this very short read. It’s haunting, and ruminating, you can’t let it go but you also can’t quite put your finger on it. It’s ambiguous, and in its ambiguity it’s terrifying.

The ambiguity mentioned earlier stays, even after becoming more and more exposed to the skeletons Eleanor and Bill keep in their closets. Eleanor still has it in their mind that they were a perfect family, even as her obsession with her book drives away all intimacy between her and her family. There is a constant comparison of pain that is all too real, as she wonders whether it would be better to know if her son was dead - even if he died horrifically; or if she’s lucky to have the tattered shreds of hope in her hands. I appreciated that Grahame was an older child, with his own personality and secrets - it helped drive my own curiosity as well as sympathy. It adds to the speculation, and the psychological terror as your own thoughts begin to ruminate in exactly the same ways as Eleanors. The mental anguish is omnipresent, and it’s amazing. The streams of consciousness that come with ruminating thoughts of grief for someone you don’t know if you’ve lost.

The story is woven in with flashbacks, and streams of consciousness from Eleanor - which blend seamlessly with the rest of the story and do nothing to distract or jar me from my concern for Grahame. Its length was short, but it was incredibly used. I felt there were no loose ends, and it was well developed enough for me to not disdain it’s length. It does well to show the different ways people deal with their grief; Bill, Eleanor, and the screaming woman. The capturing of the characters slipping sanity, as trust begins to disintegrate.

The screaming woman, I couldn’t forget about her for some reason that - ironically - I also couldn’t put my finger on. Not long before Grahame went missing, this woman’s own son was found dead in a brutal manner. She serves as a juxtaposition, or perhaps a warning, of Eleanor's own fate. One that Eleanor herself acknowledges they all failed. Leaving her to wallow in her own misery. Her character did a great job of setting the story, despite being mostly mentioned and seen only once - and sets the stakes for the rest of the read. As it begins to show the way the family’s own relationships strain.

Do not get into this book with any expectations, you will be given the same treatment as life gives us - no answers and no promises. You’ll also find your experience reading this will be a whole lot more fun when you aren’t waiting for a ‘whodunnit’ thriller ending, which isn’t something you should be expecting after the tone of the first chapter. Finding who did it is not the true horror, that comes from the raw unfiltered look into a mother driven mad by her speculation of her son’s disappearance. It’s incredibly atmospheric grief. You are never quite sure what is real and what's not, but to the authors credit NOTHING is used as a cop-out. Either a cop out of reality, or of horror. It is in a league of its own when it comes to thriller-horror, and doesn’t fall into the too often used pit of ‘marketing as horror for horrors marketing sake.’ You can clearly see the passion, the research, and the experience and respect the author has for the genre and it translates into every sentence of this novella. I say this not to be vague or convoluted, but because I genuinely appreciated it.

The only thing that kept it SO CLOSE from a five star was how the ending fell so flat for me after so much emotional investment in the story, and my struggle to like Eleanor. In the end, enjoy the journey not the destination, as many of us do everyday we live our lives.


↪Bookish Pros:

👻A deeply emotional story with great exposition
👻Will keep you absolutely interested all the way through
👻Well written despite a very short length, with significant exposition
👻A sensitive, and well researched depiction of grief and mental health that is tastefully done


↪Bookish Cons:

👻The beginning can be quite confusing, and serve to make you distrust the main character
👻No clear answers are given for the disappearance, and nothing is solved. This is because the main purpose is psychological, but this can serve as a con for those reading this because they wanted a crime thriller
👻I personally struggled to like Eleanor, as she seemed very self interested. I had a hard time trusting her - despite her being a well made character.


↪💌I’d Recommend To:

I feel like fans of true psychological horror, and thriller-lovers who don’t mind not having a puzzle to solve will adore this. As it was a surprisingly emotional read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[Becky Spratford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in the April 2023 Issue of Library Journal: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2023/03...

Three Words That Describe This Book: haunting, portrait of grief, slice of life

This book surprised me-- in a good way-- it presents itself as a missing child thriller-- but as you read, it evolves into a study of grief, of coming to terms with real life horrors that may never have an answer, but you HAVE to figure out how to come to terms with them. It is aa complicated emotional issue but this book offered a hauntingly realistic portrayal of the process.

Some may not like the bait and switch, some may harp on the "timberland" and if it is real or imaged, but I for one thought it was well done. The story rose above the horror-thriller hybrid model that is so often done. And from the start, I knew it wouldn't be a "thriller" because the storytelling was not hitting that mark. Instead, it is the story from one grieving parent's mind. What she sees or experiences, whether it is real or imagined, is not the point. It is her experience and it felt raw, ones and real.

Draft Review: Eleanor and Bill live in the city, parents of 12 year-old, Grahame, a precocious boy who is obsessed with detective novels, a boy who is now missing. Eleanor is struggling. She feels her guilt at her inattentiveness to her son and unresolved anger toward Bill and the very real struggles of their marriage. No longer able to just wait at home, Eleanor seeks escape in a shack in the wilderness, near the mysterious “timberland” where the subject of her book, a female explorer, went missing. But soon after arriving, she begins to hear the screams of a child in the night, and realizes she must go into the dangerous woods for answers. Presenting itself as a run-of-the-mill, missing child thriller, this novella hauntingly transforms into an emotionally resonant portrait of grief; a psychological study into one woman’s attempt to come to terms with a horror that may never have resolution.

Verdict: Some readers may get caught up in whether the horrors in the “timberland” are real or not; but that is clearly not the author’s focus. A great suggestion for readers who enjoy the atmospheric, Horror-adjacent novels of Simone St. James or Psychological Horror such as Petra’s Ghost by C. S. O'Cinneide

[L.P. Hernandez]

(I do not give star reviews in my own genre)

This story skirts the edges of a few genres, mystery to horror among them. It begins in a place impossible to imagine for any parent, their child is missing. This follows the grisly discovery of a dead child of a similar age in the same general area. Eleanor, the child's mother, must contend with the reality of her missing son as well the fact their final conversation was argumentative.

In addition to the misery Eleanor and her husband endure, the disappearance reveals the rotting facade of the life they created. Eleanor was not as present as she could have been, wrapped up in writing a book that demanded much her attention. Bill is reluctant to indulge Eleanor's erratic efforts to cope, and as the story progresses we are exposed to the skeletons hiding in his closet. As with any mystery, there are red herrings and false starts. For the most part, these work well, and I was engaged from the point the story found its legs through its conclusion.

As a parent, the horror of not knowing is denser than the proposition of any monster I could imagine. This horror becomes a second shadow, and you will wear it always.

[Escapereality4now · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Screaming Child” by Scott Adlerberg, is mystery combined with grief horror. The story is intense.

A boy is murdered in a park in Eleanor’s town. Everyone is in an uproar. Graham's, her son, decides to investigate. Then, he goes missing. Eleanor, filled with grief, decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate his disappearance.

The story, told from Eleanor’s perspective, explores how grieving parents cope with a loss.

“The Screaming Child” seems like a missing child mystery story, but it is much more. It is a beautifully written and intense portrait of grief. Losing a child is a real-life horror. It has no end, but people must come to terms with it.

[klaudia katarzyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

MAIN GENRES: Mystery, Horror
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Profanity, Abuse, Violence, and Death

This novel has many good things - interesting chapters, a unique writing style, and a horror vibe. The beginning can be a little confusing but with each page, everything is getting clearer. The last couple of pages made my skin crawl. So violent, rough, and well-written.

It's not a book about finding the missing child, it's a book about dealing with a lot of pain and wanting to get some closure, even if it's brutal.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
💌 July 16, 2023: E-ARC provided via BookSirens. Big thank you to Ghoulish Books.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Human monsters lurked in plain sight, dreaming of their past cruelties, plotting new harm to inflict.”
📚
The Screaming Child is a psychological horror/mystery tale told from the vantage point of Eleanor (“Elle”) Vigors, a mother and writer grieving the disappearance of her 12-year-old son, Grahame. The storyline unfolds in both a present-day timeline and non-linear flashbacks, laying the groundwork for Elle’s toxic relationships, marital struggles, personal trauma and frustrations, and neglect of Grahame, who believes that she only cares about her research and book-writing.

A detective mystery enthusiast, Grahame begins acting strangely after a neighborhood boy is found murdered in the local park, refusing to tell his parents what he’s up to and disappearing a month later, leaving Elle feeling culpable, as though her inattention rendered them strangers. Elle’s struggles lead her to relocate to a spartan, remote shack in the valley — a mountain-ensconced place days from the city that feels like “a separate planet” — where she reclaims personal autonomy and attempts to deal with and distract herself from her grief by resuming her research on Francoise Gilbert, a wealthy explorer and writer brutally murdered after penning a book about the nearby timberlands. While there, Elle hears screams that she believes belong to Grahame, leading her on a perilous journey into dangerous territories that may or may not yield the answers she desperately seeks.

This book is a bleak, creepy, and compelling journey filled with malice, cruelty, anger, and sadness. Through her vitriolic thoughts and inner suffering, Elle makes the reader feel her guilt, devastation, obsession, and fury, which in turn makes the reader long for her to succeed in solving the two great mysteries driving and derailing her life: the disappearance of Grahame and the murder of Francoise Gilbert. Filled with dark, twisted histories and uber-eerie gothic elements, The Screaming Child is a layered, sinister, and haunting novella of loss, grief, acceptance, redemption, and closure.

Thank you to BookSirens and Ghoulish Books for allowing me to read and review a free e-version of this recently-released novella; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Adlerberg's 'The Screaming Child' is not an easy book to read or review: it combines the ambiguity of weird fiction (the mysterious scream of a child, seeming to originate from a wasteland, "The Timberland," is heard from time to time by a grieving mother who writes a book on that very area) with a plotline that properly belongs to psychological horror (children are murdered or missing, one of which is the mother's 12-year-old boy); by the end, it reveals itself to be a rather original meditation on the trauma of child loss, not meant to provide answers, but only to portray, through the narrative techniques of thriller and horror, the basic sentiments of guilt, grief, and pain. On that account, I avoided (quite early) trying to put questions to it, and simply read it without many expectations. And I very much enjoyed it. I recommend it unreservedly to those horror fans who can appreciate well-written, intriguing, and, most of all, self-reflective stories on the unavailability of closure.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Clodagh Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope you love long chapters… because that’s what this book has.

It was divided into 3 parts but only 4 chapters so I was left to my own devices of where to put it down, I don’t normally put it down mid chapter… but this time I had to.

Scott Alderberg is a great writer, and the story had a great build up and character development. The story kept me hooked… however…

The only reason I’ve given this a 3 is because the ending left so many unanswered questions which left the itch unscratched. I spent majority of this book waiting to find out where certain puzzle parts would fit, but the ending the puzzle pieces were just left and with no satisfying conclusions!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kristin Scearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a really intriguing premise, and the use of flashbacks from various points in the main character's life really helps keep the pacing going and keep the reader interested. The portrayal of a parent's grief is very well executed, and I think that's what drove me to continue reading, as I connected with Eleanor's emotions throughout the story, her desire to find out what really happened to her son, and her hope that the scream she keeps hearing from the timberlands is him, desperate to be rescued.

The issue I had with the book is that there's all this buildup for the first 2/3 or so, yet the ending falls flat, as we don't get any real answers to anything other than a faint glimpse of what's happening in the timberlands. The story just kind of ends with no resolution for the main questions raised by the book, and it almost seems like there's a missing section of the book. I'm not someone who needs an HEA for all things or who needs everything wrapped up in a tidy bow (even if it's not a happy one) by the time I get to "The End," but at least *some* answers would be appreciated.

On that note, I can only give this book 3 stars, as I enjoyed it for the most part, but it's fairly lackluster in the end, leaving more questions than answers and not really giving the reader any kind of payoff for their investment in the story.

**I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments included are my own.**

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult book to read but it was well written. Will recommend and looking forward to more books from this author!

[Emily Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman trying to hide after her son vanished hears screaming in the woods. She believes it is her child. What will she find? Haunting read. I received a complimentary copy and left a voluntary review.

[Dom Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of cliffhangers here, but I can’t argue with a mother’s love and intuition. Who is the screaming child?? I will say that the ending was no where near what I would have guessed to be happening. What an abrupt turn!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part mystery, part grief horror, the Screaming Child took hold of me and didn't let go.

The story is very engrossing and atmospheric, and to me it makes the reader feel as though they are going through it all. Definitely a great read recommended for fans of both the mystery and horror genres.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the opening paragraph the themes of loss and sorrow are powerfully conveyed. The protagonist's strong and determined voice is coupled with internal and external conflicts which creates a relatable and emotionally charged narrative. Adlerberg highlights how individuals cope differently with their grief. The introduction of the mysterious “screaming child,” immediately adds psychological dimension to the narrative and the boundaries between reality and fantasy start to blur.

The sustained mention of Grahame’s disappearance helps the central tension and core mystery of the narrative at the forefront; the main protagonist’s introspection and confusion shows the ongoing impact of Grahame’s disappearance on her life.

The contrast between classic blood and guts horror is palpable in “The Screaming Child,”; the horror here is psychological and emotional; the horror of loss, not knowing. Elle’s psychological distress is visually portrayed through the depiction of her insomnia, hallucinations and haunting dreams about Grahame; we get the sense that these are derived by either guilt or longing.

Throughout, character relationships are nuanced and complex, both between Elle and Bill and Elle and Grahame.

5/5 for me :) I loved the unexpected twist at the end!

[deidra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Screaming Child has a very perplexing plot, a woman who is writing about a woman who was murdered while doing research on a mysterious region, loses her twelve-year-old son. in an effort to deal with her grief, she goes to the places the subject of her book visited right before she was murdered and at night, she hears a lingering scream that sounds like her missing son.
i wanted so badly to like this book. i tore into it with gusto, but the feeling, the urgency simply wasn't there. the story felt unfocused, as if it wasn't sure exactly what it wanted to be. i never got the sense that the author knew where he was going. it was as if the story evolved as he wrote it. that can be a good thing, but in this case, it wasn't.
there was a good story that was begging to be told, but The Screaming Child just isn't it.
to sum up:
i can't in good faith recommend this.
2 stars out of 5

[Notthatjc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, from booksirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily

The book started out good but slowly devolved into a story with no points. The narrator/main character was a struggle to find compelling or dislikable so you want to follow on a downward spiral.

Overall nothing happens in the whole story
Where is Grahame? Don't know
Does Charlie face justice? Don't know
Was the game captures even Bill? Maybe....

[David Keaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a particular genre I'm fascinated with (those "people react badly to tragedy" plots), and I went into this short novel hoping for some of that. It's a genre that some people tend to "react badly" or at least not easily connect with to (my first memory of this type of story was the famous "a dingo ate my baby!" movie Cry in the Dark, where Meryl Streep is Just Not Acting Right and the town turns on her... exactly like my two aunts who were watching the movie with me, who said afterwards, "Something about her just wasn't right..."). But there are more than a couple layers of these bad-reactions-to-reactions here as well, mainly how the dad of the missing child takes out his frustrations on a vague videogame (the real-life settings are also very vague, is this New York, are the "Timberlands" in Central Park? No, that can't be. Maybe the Ozarks? Where is this "oasis", etc. etc.), and a friendzoned former buddy of the mom reacts badly to her not reacting badly to the dad reacting badly... and so on. So it's true that the reader might be frustrated by some of the action as well as the inaction (every time Charlie says he's got something the narrator "has to see!" she sure drags her ass checking it out), but that seems to be by design. I wanted about a hundred more pages after we get to the woods (what's going on out there??), but as an example of what people do on the peripheries of an investigation (arrests are made, and more tangible clues than a distant scream are gathered by actual detectives, but the parents and the reader only get glimpses), it is very relatable to the lengths you'd go for closure if not for a resolution.

[Danelle✍🏽 Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a boy goes missing and is later found dead, the whole neighbourhood starts to panic, but when Eleanor's own son goes missing, she decides that panicking is not enough and decides to take matters into her own hands by retracing her son's movements leading up to that fateful day. Desperate and frustrated at finding nothing, she retreats to her remote cabin where something strange occurs. Could this be the big break she has been longing for or is there something more sinister at play? Eleanor is going to find out one way or another, after all, her son's life is at stake.

The Screaming Child by Scott Adlerberg was an interesting read. The cabin in the woods was a nice backdrop which complemented nicely with the story. Also, the twist at the end was totally unexpected; although a bit of an anti climax. What I especially enjoyed about The Screaming Child was the mystery and intrigue. The setting and characterization was also great. I recommend The Screaming Child to lovers of mysteries and folks who love to do some snooping of their own! The level of intrigue is unparalleled.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cazzy Lewchuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

What originally attracted me to this was the brief length, just 150 pages. Unfortunately, that was also one of its weaknesses. Could have fleshed out a lot more of the characters and plot line. There's some interesting stuff here that just goes to nothing. The last act is by far the weakest, with an ending that's borderline insulting and disappointing. Very frustrating to conclude with that: it feels abrupt and very incomplete. I get what the author was trying to do, but I needed more.

Very weird mix of mystery and horror. Is this supernatural? Are all the questions answered? I don't really know. Maybe I missed something. The stuff with the backwoods is all very strange and, visceral as it is, borderline unbelievable. It felt like it was going for shock value. Ultimately I wanted more from this. I found the writing style a bit bland too. It's too stream of consciousness, almost a bit amateur. It's not a horrible book, but it was weak.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fascinating The Screaming Child is my introduction to the fiction of Scott Adlerberg, who has published a number of novels, novellas, and has contributed to other series and anthologies dating back to 1998. His output is a mix of mystery, thriller and historical fiction, with The Screaming Child being a clever blend of psychological thriller and horror. Every summer, Scott diversifies and hosts the Word for Word Reel Talks film commentary series in Bryant Park in Manhattan.

You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Cody Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as an advance review copy and I had to push myself to really get through it. There was something about it that just didn’t hit the mark, it sort of felt like it took solid ideas but spent too much time pulling in different directions trying to build on those ideas. It ultimately ended up reading like a weak attempt at feminist literature while trying to cope with something traumatic. As a sort of spoiler, the ending fell flat and the buildup to, what I assume was meant to be a climax, just didn’t get there. I was so hype to read this one but the character development and world building needed some more work to really nail it.

[Julia Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Screaming Child by Scott Adlerberg is a tough one to review. While I truly enjoyed the journey of grieving and hurting mother into unfamiliar territory, I did think that the book never truly answered a single question. There were too many cliffhangers for me in the end, and while I don't always need full closure from a book, this one just left too much open-ended.

I do have to add that the mother's grief and anguish were portrayed perfectly and I felt for her. I could feel the downward spiral she found herself in and this book even gave me a nightmare about my own child missing. So, it wasn't a bad read, just unsatisfying in the end.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

From the description, I liked the sound of this, but unfortunately, I never really got into it. I couldn't warm to the protagonist, and didn't connect with her, and I didn't connect with or like any of the other characters. I did finish the book, but couldn't really connect with what was going on. The story didn't really come to life for me, and I didn't feel emotionally involved while I was reading.

Thank you to Booksirens and the author for a free copy to review.

[Angelique Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I liked the premise of the story and the description intrigued me. It started promising but somehow along the way it left way too many questions unanswered, I believe this was more about the feelings of a mother going through grieve than any possible closure since again, nothing was pretty much answered.

[Maryanne Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished The Screaming Child by Scott Adlerberg that was part of a kickstarter I supported. This story was so tightly written and the suspense was excellent!! I loved this story! Highly recommend!

[Ryan Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The existential detective novels is one of my favorites (where the main character investigates a crime or a disappearance, but also the meaning of life) and this is a good one. At a certain point, two worlds converge and things really start cooking.

[Zakk Madness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Screaming Child. The synopsis does a great job giving an inkling to the narrative without giving things away or overselling. It’s a nice touch.

The book itself rides a high of quality dialogue and a relatable depth of humanity to its cast of characters as the narrative ventures down then veers off from the path you, the reader, think you’re on. I relate The Screaming Child to the movie, The Pledge, where the narrative you, the reader, think/expect the story to go crashes head on to where the narrative itself needs to go. Giving you an unbalanced equilibrium kinda feeling. It feels fresh while also feeling a bit unfulfilled at the same time.

Definitely would recommend to readers who want something different on their TBR pile.

Personal entertainment value 4/5
Zakk is a big dumb animal!

**Note: I received an advance review copy for free, these are my honest thoughts and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

VIIIIIIIBES