Horrorstor - Grady Hendrix

Horror

Rating: 8/10

If you’ve ever lost time while hungering for sunlight wandering mazelike paths of the fake rooms Ikea routes you through, you will be right at home in the setting of this novel.  At least until the lights go out!

Someone, or something, has been vandalizing the Orsk store overnight, so the manager decides to assemble a ragtag band of employees for an overnight shift to catch them in the act.  And when, in books or films, has that idea ever turned out well?

As well as the premise conveying horror with lots of satire, this book wins points for design.  Artfully composed like a catalogue with lots of tidbits hidden amidst the narrative, it’s a treat.  Keep an eye out for the mock product descriptions that launch every chapter, they get darker and funnier as the story progresses. 

Hendrix has a knack for taking something innocuous and making it petrifying and often absurd. Brilliant!

Footnote: When I was a kid, I used to think the idea of getting locked in a store, or better yet a library, overnight would be supercool.  After reading this, maybe not so much!