MADHOUSE by Miguel Estrada is this week’s Horror Book Find. The tagline is what drew me in and prompted me into clicking on the book’s link. Of course, it helps that the cover gave off an eerie vibe too.
Don’t Talk to Strangers.
That is good advice, especially for a eleven-year-old kid who is going through a trauma at home. According to the premise, the book is about eleven year old Lucas who runs away from home, thinking that this event will bring his parents closer when they search for him.
Instead, he finds himself shackled and confined to a bed in a house in the middle of nowhere. Just how is Lucas is going to get out of this bind?
The book was published in August 2018 and is in the bestsellers list for Horror Literature and Fiction.
MADHOUSE has received mostly positive reviews with many customers heaping praises on the fast pace and a wild story that kept them in a tight grip until the very end where there is a shocking twist.
There were negative reviews that pointed out the inconsistencies in the plot and the far-fetched ideas related to the eleven-year-old boy being able to perform tasks that ordinarily kids would be unable to do.
QUICK BOOK REVIEW based on Sample
Unlike other books, this 114 pages novel displayed only the first chapter in the sample. That gave a taste of the writing style as well as the tone of the book.
The first chapter introduces Lucas and then quickly brings him to the incident that will form the crux of the story. He overhears his parents Tom and Mary, not screaming at each other, but having a discussion alluding to a divorce. At least that is what Lucas is certain he is overhearing.
He confronts his parents but doesn’t wait for an explanation. As soon as he shuts himself in his room, he makes a plan to get his parents together again. He doesn’t have any other family after all and he needs his parents to be there for him at least.
The first chapter gives a rush of events. It reads almost like a summary rather than an actual chapter of a book.
It does however give an insight into Lucas’ mind and his proclivity towards challenges, like for example, he rather enter his house through a window rather than a main door. He is also courageous and prefers to confront his parents rather than cry about his broken family.
Lucas is the main character but it is the fast-paced writing style that doesn’t give him a chance to develop.
The premise is nevertheless interesting and since there is talk of a shocking twist towards the end, it must have something to do with Lucas and his parents.
Would I continue reading this book?
Yes. Only because I love a good book that can keep me guessing where it is headed.
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