[Review] - Till the Score is Paid
Release Date: Available Now
Amor has a knack for writing relationship horror. It's a signature style. I have only read this and Dear Laura, but her work is recognizable. For me, it's like listening to a favorite musician play; even if they change genre or theme you can recognize their playing. Back to relationship horror: a man and his dog, best friends hiking in the woods, mothers of adolescents, mothers of toddlers, twins, father/daughter…emotions flow through these relationships as they come off the page to haunt the reader. The topics and themes abound through these eleven stories across 250 pages. These stories are easy to consume, not so easy to digest. The taste stays in your mouth, maybe a bit stuck in your throat. So pull up a chair, but bring a drink or six. It may help you swallow that last bit.
OK - I was having a bit of fun there. I highly recommend the book, but...I would recommend picking up this book and skipping to “Justine.” Read that story, then put the book down and come back in a couple days and read the other stories. The reason is that all of these stories are enjoyable - some of them are absolutely wonderful - but having read them all in sequential order over a day or two? “Justine” just dwarfed all the others for me. I do not think that the other stories in this book got the consideration they deserved, because I was still hung up on “Justine.”
I will briefly touch all of them in my video review, but my top four were:
#4 “Rat Girl” - An army brat finds a friend with a secret in his basement. There is a bike riding scene in this story that knocked me out. I am not really sure how to put it, and I don't want to spoil it, but it was emotional and punched me in the gut in a way that I can't really explain.
#3 “Caleb” - A war evacuee comes to stay on the farm. Some of that ‘adopt a dog’ logic, maybe? Those that we are rescuing are really rescuing us.
#2 “Heart Of Stone” - A divorced father who doesn't get to see his daughter as much as he would like has a hard time watching her grow up.
#1 “Justine” - There is so much I want to say about this one but I am being forced to practice restraint. A rape victim just wants to be able to stand up in court and face her rapist; all the while, she deals with ideas that he may escape his judgement.
Grade: 4 Stars
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Review by Well Read BeardTwitter: @WellReadBeard
I purchased this book for review consideration.