“I can show you how to enter the Narrows to find what you seek.”
Oliver and his friends have returned to their hometown of Shumard, Texas for the funeral of their close friend Noah. They each grapple with the loss in their own ways, trying to understand the strange circumstances of their friend’s unexpected death.
While visiting the site where the body was found, Oliver stumbles across a chilling discovery that he knows must be related to what happened to Noah. Wanting to protect his friends from these newfound horrors, Oliver takes it upon himself to venture into the grotesque otherworld known as the Narrows to learn what happened to his friend and find a way to bring him back.
Entering the Narrows is one thing, but will whatever he finds there allow him to leave?
Title: The Narrows| Author: Travis M. Riddle| Publisher: Independently published| Pub. Date:23 Oct 2018|Length: 6 hours 38 minutes | ISBN: 9781726768740| Genre: Horror| Language: English | Triggers: NA| Rating: 3 out of 5 | Source: Author
The Narrows Review
A short atmospheric read entwining themes of grief and friendship with the supernatural.
Enter into The Narrows, an otherworld, at your own risk. Will whatever lays beyond this world ever let you leave? Well, you won’t find out unless you try, and our protagonist Oliver isn’t above having a go in order to get the answers that he feels he needs since experiencing the loss of an old friend.
Riddle successfully builds the world of The Narrows, and the small Texas town brilliantly, the writing flows naturally and immerses you deep into the story, giving great descriptions that lend well to the imagination, especially important I find when listening to books. The depth and description of food alone will make your mouth water.
In this short novel, I didn’t find myself connecting to the characters, I was fairly indifferent to all of them, but I still appreciated them together as a group. Having returned to their old hometown having reunited after an old friend has passed away, a lot of the deeper discussions about friendship and moving on are very relevant and real. Our antagonist, The Knave, is a gross well written villain that resides in The Narrows. Meet him at your peril. He’s not the scariest of supernatural beings, but he sure is grotesque.
This story for me however, lacked any gut-punching horror. The supernatural elements are there, but if you’re after something that is going to scare you/ slash you/ ruin you in any which way, then this probably isn’t going to do that. If you like your horror fairly subtle or want an introduction to the genre however, this one is a decent shout. Does it feel completely unique? Not really, but it certainly has wonderful ideas and a different take on how they are presented.
Having finished this audiobook and processing my thoughts for this review, I think it gets 3 gems from me. I think this would make for a decent movie too.
You can find this book at many retailers via clicking on the appropriate link on GoodReads Buying direct from retailers is a good way to support indie authors); however, in the spirit of supporting literacy programs, we would like to point out that you may be able to purchase this book through BetterWorldBooks.
Sian joined the Coolthulu crew in March 2019 and reviews horror and science fiction books for the site.
She’s trying hard to play it cool but she’s more excited than Lilyn’s new puppy to be part of the crew. PS we got T-shirts!
