Book Review: BEDFELLOW by Jeremy C. Shipp

BEDFELLOW by Jeremy C. Shipp (St. Martins Press, November 2018)  Paperback, 224 pages.  ISBN # 1250175291 / 9781250175298.

 

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . .

 

From Jeremy C. Shipp, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Atrocities, comes a tense dark fantasy novel of psychological horror in Bedfellow. 

 

It broke into their home and set up residence in their minds.

 

When the . . . thing first insinuated itself into the Lund family household, they were bemused. Vaguely human-shaped, its constantly-changing cravings seemed disturbing, at first, but time and pressure have a way of normalizing the extreme. Wasn't it always part of their lives?

 

As the family make more and greater sacrifices in service to the beast, the thrall that binds them begins to break down. Choices must be made. Prices must be paid. And the Lunds must pit their wits against a creature determined to never let them go.

 

It's psychological warfare. Sanity is optional.  

 

My review on the Goodreads website . . . .

 

     I reserved this book at my local county library after reading a favorable review in Rue Morgue magazine. The premise seemed weird and refreshing, a spin on the home invasion/body snatcher/alien intruder tropes. 

That premise is what hooked me as it felt fresh and original, and that is the main reason I rated this book three stars instead of two. 

 

     About two-thirds into the book it evolves from a frightening horror story into a dark fantasy that ups the weird ante but results in removing the fear element. I was disappointed that Shipp went in this direction instead of pursuing the potential for a truly disturbing horror tale. 

 

     Weirdness alone does not sustain a novel. Too many things are unexplained and left to the reader's imagination to determine a possible rationale. However, there weren't any motives I could come up with that would provide a plausible explanation, so the concluding actions had no impact and left me flat. I suspected where it was going, and it felt flat like a burst balloon out of air.

 

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD: 

 

     I love the central idea, spinning off from a home invader who isn’t being confronted, physically attacked, or asked to leave as would be expected.  Instead, he quickly ingratiates himself into the Lund household by messing with the family's memories and making them increasingly comfortable with his presence. That is super-creepy and delightful to read about.

 

     At first he vaguely seems familiar, then the intruder becomes a co-worker of the husband, then his old college buddy, and finally everyone's long lost Uncle Marvin who's come to stay because he's ill and needs their support. Then he plays with their memories, inserting false instances from an imagined past where he was present and either saved a family member from a nasty situation or provided support to them. What are his motives and how far will he take this manipulation of a family? 

 

     I'd prefer a story where Uncle Marvin remained sinister and mysterious. Instead, he seems to acclimate himself to each individual's fear or inner desires and do his best to help them overcome or achieve them, like a magical benefactor. A disturbing tale of terror became a fable of fairy godfathers for me, and this was not as interesting. 

 

     To Shipp's credit, he makes all the family members interesting and sympathetic - - with the exception of Hendricks, the father, who becomes more and more unlikeable as the story goes on. Shipp reveals him as a selfish, indulgent cheater who shirks his responsibility, ignores his family and engages in activities to please his inner child. 

 

     The mother Imani is a bit of an anomaly and hard to get a clear fix on what motivates her beyond an urge to control situations and create silly puns at inappropriate moments. The son Tomas is the most sympathetic, the victim of bullies at school while daughter Kennedy tackles the usual teenage friendship issues and self-doubts. 

 

     I don't regret reading this, and will most likely look for more by Shipp in the future. He writes well and creates imaginative situations but seems to flounder on where to take the story and finally end it. When he figures it out, he'll write a monster of a book.