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Horrorstör Book Review

From concept to execution, Hendrix had me absolutely hooked. I so enjoyed reading this book, from scanning the fun chapter openers that featured furniture design, to wondering if the characters were even going to make it out of the store alive. Definitely a fun read, I highly recommend for the experience.

Grady Hendrix is a novelist and screenwriter based in New York City. He is the Bram Stoker Award winning author of Paperbacks from Hell, and the Shirley Jackson and Locus Award nominated author of Horrorstör, My Best Friend's Exorcism, and We Sold Our Souls, which have received critical praise from outlets like NPR, the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, A.V. Club, Paste, Buzzfeed, and more. He has contributed to Playboy, The Village Voice, and Variety. You can find him online at GradyHendrix.com. You can find more of my reviews of his work here. 

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjërring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking. To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they'll patrol the empty Showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination. A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve. 

First, a little commotion for the design of the book! It's absolutely visually stunning. I love how the trim size and French flaps mimic a catalog. I love how the front and back matter include coupons and maps and advertisements, and a very chilling memo. I love how each chapter begins by highlighting a must-need furniture piece (or torture device, you know, as one does), calling out which colors/finishes it is available in, etc. I also didn't notice on the front cover the image in the picture frames until I saw the back cover—just every single part of the design was thought-out to create a reading experience, not just a book, and that gets huge kudos in my book.

Now, the writing. I was engrossed all the way through, because not only is this a psychological horror, but there's also some mystery to it. Also, Hendrix is hilarious, and leans into the hilarity of the situation his characters face at Orsk at the beginning to help hook you. I was compelled by wanting to know what happened, and how (or even if) the characters would escape. The book reads extremely fast, and I was pleased by how that pacing mirrors the whole "one night only" concept of the narrative. While I had hoped for maybe a bit more horror, or a bit more backstory, I don't think that was the intent of the book—in fact, I think had it been present more than it was, it would have felt heavy, for a horror book set in a knock-off IKEA.

The horror was mostly rooted in the experience of retail, and of existing in today's society. I felt that I felt the most horrified when Amy was sharply critiquing the world we live in and the prison structure of retail. In fact, I feel like the whole "prison structure of retail" sums up the book's critique and the book's horror. Very much enjoyed that, and the digs about how one might never escape. It all just comes together nicely, and is more psychologically horrifying than anything. 

Anyways, definitely recommend! I can't wait to read more of Hendrix's work soon!

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*

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