R.I.P. VIII Review: The Tell Tale Heart by Poe, Harper & Calero

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PUBLISHER

Stone Arch/ Capstone Books

Source

Library

 

When I signed up for Readers Imbibing Peril ( RIP VIII) I knew I was going to add  the works of Edgar Allan Poe to my reading list. As a horror fan Poe consistently has the power to provide the chills and thrills I crave in fiction. I was first introduce to Poe in middle school when I needed a poem for a school contest. My mother suggested her favorite poem Annabel Lee. In the library at school I found a huge volume of Poe’s poems and stories after the poem contest I returned to Poe’s literary worlds by reading The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart and a few other stories, yet I still haven’t read even half of Poe’s work.  When I found this graphic novel at the library I decided to read it as a companion to  the original story. So this will be a bit of a tandem review.

 

The Short Story

Revisiting this story I was really surprised how short it actually is ( less than 4 pages in my volume), yet the story is rich in atmosphere and character development. The manic energy in the narrators mind, drips off the page. There is coiled tension in the air as he stalks his prey night after night. When the actual murder is committed the reader begins to see the madness or narrator possesses flourish to full bloom. There is his cold recounting of dismembering   the body, the calm veneer of the murderer as he leads the police to the very scene of the crime smug, in his success and ability to deceive. That is until the sound begins, the thumping of the heart, louder and louder until he cracks under the madness of his actions and confesses.

 

The Graphic Novel

This is the first of four Capstone adaptations of Poe stories with different creative teams. I loved what Harper and Calero did with this adaption! There are wonderful shadings of blue and black throughout the story that really add to the atmosphere of the story. Harper takes the first person narrative as an opportunity to have the main character of the story really connect with the reader. He looks directly forward as he shares he confesses his process , his madness.

The art also succeeds in showing the creepiness of the victims blue eye. The art makes the eye as malevolent as Poe describes it in the story, its chilling !  This is a really great read and a faithful adaptation. I’ve already put the other three volumes in the series on my wish list.

This is my 2nd Short Story for R.I.P.VIII

Review: The Dark Light of Day by T.M. Frazier

PUBLISHER:
Book Trope

Fiction can reflect life in a myriad of ways. In the Dark Light of Day intense themes : molestation, addiction, and violence are explored through two characters whose choices fully reflect their experiences. I share these themes right off the bat not to turn off potential readers, in fact Frazier herself gives the reader all this information in the first few chapters. Instead I mention them in awe that these characters manage to move through their lives at all, much less find each other and fall in love.

As the story opens we find Abby experiencing one of the worst days of her life. She has just graduated and finds herself pulled from the assembly to be told her grandmother has died in a mysterious explosion. Her death not only leaves Abby an orphan but also makes her a ward of the state until she turns 18 in nine months. Its a destination Abby refuses to accept so she runs. Yet with twenty dollars in her pocket an no friends where can she go? She makes it to the local junkyard where she hides in her grandmothers old car.

Abby barely manages to sleep before she is interrupted by the sounds of an amorous couple. Deathly scared Abby tries to sneak out and is instead grabbed by a stranger, a cold gun shoved into the nape of her neck.

It is this moment when she meets Jake Dunn. Both of their lives change that night. Jake finds himself opening his life to Abby. He becomes her legal guardian and even gives her a job at his Dad’s shop. The attraction between the two is palpable and so are their wounds, some visible and others dragged to the surface by their mutual attraction.

As their relationship progresses outside forces tear them violently apart. And now the future seems dark for them both.

This book was a page turner and a boundary pusher. There is a reality to these characters and their experiences that can make the reader uncomfortable. Having a history of addition issues in my own family made Abby’s story especially resonating for me. Jake was a harder character. His actions are understandable yet often horrific.  They are both broken and find in each other attraction, understanding and something else neither has rarely experienced: Love.

An intense read that will effect many readers and many different ways, yet all will find it intriguing. Frazier doesn't flinch at all in her description of the characters experiences, you feel their trauma and find it hard to turn away.  An author I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from in the future.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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