Book Review: OFF SEASON by Jack Ketchum

OFF SEASON by Jack Ketchum (47 North, October 2013) First published January 1980. Dead River series #1 of 3. Paperback, 308 pages.  ISBN #9781477840528 / 1477840524  

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

September. A beautiful New York editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a hill in the quiet Maine beach town of Dead River—off season—awaiting her sister and friends. Nearby, a savage human family with a taste for flesh lurks in the darkening woods, watching, waiting for the moon to rise and night to fall...

And before too many hours pass, five civilized, sophisticated people and one tired old country sheriff will learn just how primitive we all are beneath the surface...and that there are no limits at all to the will to survive.

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

After reading this, I completely understand why Jack Ketchum has the reputation he does (which he earned). This ground-breaking novel, originally published in 1980, certainly qualifies him for a seat among the pioneers of extreme horror. Intense is just a mild description of what awaits here. 

The edition I read was the author's uncut, uncensored version including an afterword where Ketchum details the various re-writes he agreed to and the attempt of his editor to censor much of the story. Also included is "Winter Child", a chilling short story that fits nicely into the trilogy of novels about these cannibalistic, primitive dwellers off the Maine coastline. It was originally written as an interlude within She Wakes, his supernatural novel. 

This novel is not for the squeamish, as it vividly details the most extreme scenes of cruelty, bodily abuse, mutilation, and murder. Intense past #11 on the dial. Brutal. Merciless. Just . . so . . .nasty.

As I read the book, I got the feeling that Ketchum did not really care for any of his characters and wondered if he would spare any of them. 

Off Season reminded me of the original black-and-white Night Of the Living Dead film in two particular scenes, one near the middle of the book and one at the ending. Two frightening and disturbing moments. 

Aside from the extreme horror of this novel, the worst kind being human versus human (more horrific than monsters), I marvel at Ketchum's writing style - - a main course in how to write clear and concise suspense and violence. Many images will linger.