Review: half creature-feature, half character-driven
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 17, 2013
At first, Dearborn's novella seems conventional - a girl left alone on an island and something devouring her... Yes, we think, we know where this one's going. Indeed, we then cut to a pair of ghost-hunters in the US preparing for a trip to the island with all their detection gear. Oh yeah, I can see what's going to happen next, we reckon. But these tales are fun, so let's stick with it.But then it all gets much stranger. Part creature-feature, part complex exploration of embodied and psychological pain (and their complex intertwining), this novella is extremely enjoyable. The writing is terse and readable, the sense of place assured, the storytelling headlong and well-structured. I thought the characters were strong, with the unrequited tension between the leads well captured. It builds to a traditionally structured finale that has a lot more about it than one might expect from such material. Its interiority, the depiction of Jemma's experience from within, is what elevates it.In short, I really enjoyed it and will look for more of Dearborn's tricksy fiction.