Review: A gem of a novella about the rural traditions surrounding death
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 14, 2011
This was one of those .99 cent impulse purchases that really turned out of to be a bargain. I wasn't familiar with Scott Nicholson, but after reading his novella, Burial to Follow, I will start looking for his books when I'm seeking a horror/thriller to read.What really sold me on Burial to Follow is the sense of authenticity that runs through the story of an Appalachian man who has a very specific duty to preform as rural families gather to grieve for their loved ones. Having grown up in a rural area, I could recognize many of the superstitions (sometimes almost unconsciously superstitious) that accompany death. Everything from the food brought in for families to the ways they dress for funerals and sittings rings true. Though I've lived in an urban area for over 30 years, I was always struck by how "distanced" we are from death and funerals in cities ... unlike rural areas where death is a familiar, palpable and omnipresent force.With this sense of authenticity as a backdrop, Nicholson builds a creepy story about the folks at the periphery of a funeral that help guide a family through its grief. Once you've read Burial to Follow you'll never look at food brought to a grieving family or distant relatives you can't quite remember the same way again. This was a .99-cent purchase that was well worth it because it not only bought a creepy story, but introduced me to a writer I probably wouldn't have discovered otherwise.