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A review by screamdogreads
The Summer I Died by Ryan C. Thomas
3.0
"He didn't respond, just hung there with his eyes closed, his feet dragging through his own feces. He looked like a monster, an unrecognizable mass of contusions. The razor wire had done its job and I imagined you could flip his head open and use his skull as a bowl."
There is no other way to describe The Summer I Died other than to say that it's unholy. Absolutely savage. Brutal beyond all belief. This is the kind of book that makes scrubbing your eyes with bleach feel like a good idea, it's the kind of book that makes you feel as if you require a lobotomy. It's gross, it's grim, it's heart-breaking and utterly exhausting to sit through. Reading The Summer I Died will make you consider flinging the book through a window, or roasting it on a bonfire. It's a beastly thing, a disgusting monster - but it's also a fucking glorious piece of splatterpunk literature. The only single downside to this novel is that, at times, it does feel like it's trying just a little too hard. It is, however, an absolute rollercoaster of a read.
The Summer I Died sits on the very extreme edge of extreme horror. It teeters so precariously on the edge of gratuitous. It is, however, when it comes to it, a wonderfully compelling story. For the first 60 or so pages, a false sense of security exists, everything is a little slow, a little, relaxed. But, once things get going, it becomes an absolutely harrowing, gnarly, unhinged plunge into the depths of Hell. What makes this novel work so well, is that despite what a revolting, sickening little thing it is, you can't help but care for the characters, you can't help but adore them, root for them, and need for them to survive. From the first page, it's obvious how things are going to end, yet, the hope never quite leaves you. That's the beauty of this entirely horrific reading experience.
There is no other way to describe The Summer I Died other than to say that it's unholy. Absolutely savage. Brutal beyond all belief. This is the kind of book that makes scrubbing your eyes with bleach feel like a good idea, it's the kind of book that makes you feel as if you require a lobotomy. It's gross, it's grim, it's heart-breaking and utterly exhausting to sit through. Reading The Summer I Died will make you consider flinging the book through a window, or roasting it on a bonfire. It's a beastly thing, a disgusting monster - but it's also a fucking glorious piece of splatterpunk literature. The only single downside to this novel is that, at times, it does feel like it's trying just a little too hard. It is, however, an absolute rollercoaster of a read.
The Summer I Died sits on the very extreme edge of extreme horror. It teeters so precariously on the edge of gratuitous. It is, however, when it comes to it, a wonderfully compelling story. For the first 60 or so pages, a false sense of security exists, everything is a little slow, a little, relaxed. But, once things get going, it becomes an absolutely harrowing, gnarly, unhinged plunge into the depths of Hell. What makes this novel work so well, is that despite what a revolting, sickening little thing it is, you can't help but care for the characters, you can't help but adore them, root for them, and need for them to survive. From the first page, it's obvious how things are going to end, yet, the hope never quite leaves you. That's the beauty of this entirely horrific reading experience.
"I stood up, sobbing like a girl. I should have let him shoot me, should have taken it fast and clean. But it's not that easy. You don't just concede defeat in these circumstances. You take every second you can find and use it to pray for another few seconds. Hope is a cruel bitch."
This is more than just a book that you experience, it's far more than just something you read. The Summer I Died is a thing you endure, it's a thing you survive. A lot like being strapped to the hood of a car that's heading right into oncoming traffic, it's the most unimaginable, horrific nightmare. The real brutality of this novel is that, nothing is explained, these atrocities just happen, there's no reason for them to happen, and everything is so very unfair, but the ugliness of it all just keeps coming. It's page after page after page of torture, it's disgusting and horrible and honestly at times, very difficult to sit through. But, underneath it all, there's a heart-shattering tale of friendship and survival.
"The damn dog wasn't helping my nerves either, and when a moment later I heard the first rumble of thunder in the distance, I knew this was going to be a stressful night. If I'd only known what was going to happen next, I would have taken the gun from Tooth and put bullets in both our brains."