Title: Summer of the MonstersAuthor: David Sodergren
First Published: December 5, 2024
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 236
Genre: Coming of Age, Horror
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gift
Rating:
Synopsis:
“Monsters aren’t real.”
That’s what sixteen-year-old Lucy Brannigan has always believed, until, broke and desperate, she and her father move to an isolated farmhouse in the small Scottish town of Helsbridge. It’s their last chance, and they have to make it work.
For Lucy, life appears to be over. With no friends, and surrounded by miles of thick woodland, there’s nothing to do. But why did the previous occupants leave their belongings behind? And why is their new home surrounded by dozens of scarecrows? And worst of all… what is the cause of the horrifying screams that wake her in the night?
This summer, Lucy will be forced to learn the dark secret of Helsbridge. And as the bodies pile up, and the blood flows in rivers, she makes a shocking discovery that will change the course of her life forever.
Monsters are real… and no amount of flesh can sate their diabolical hunger.
Summer of the Monsters is a tender and brutal coming-of-age horror story from the savage mind of David Sodergren, author of Maggie’s Grave and The Haar.
Get the Book: AmazonReview
Summer of the Monsters is an emotional coming-of-age novel about a girl named Lucy and her hapless father, struggling to find their footing after having their lives uprooted. The majority of the book is set in the summer of 1996 in a small town by the woods rumored to be plagued by monsters. This book is a creature feature that went in directions I didn’t expect and I was hooked from start to finish.
I found myself really caring about Lucy and her father, the dialogue between them was at times really funny and I thought that their characters and relationship were written well. The story is filled with 90s nostalgia, genuine joy and heartbreak, gut wrenching horror, and a little touch of the fantastical that filled me with wonder and made me feel like a kid again.
This book was devastating but also hopeful, it brought me to tears and I loved every bittersweet second of it. It’s hard to pick favorites when it comes to Sodergren’s books because they’re all good, but Summer of the Monsters ranks really highly for me, and it is one of the best coming-of-age novels that I’ve read. As a bonus for Sodergren fans, the book references the neighboring town of Auchenmullan, which is the setting for Maggie’s Grave.
Quote
“And maybe that was what growing up was all about? Accepting that you’ll never be happy, secure in the knowledge that there’s nothing left for life to take from you.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About David Sodergren
David Sodergren lives in Scotland with his wife Heather and his best friend, Boris the Pug.
Growing up, he was the kind of kid who collected rubber skeletons and lived for horror movies. Not much has changed since then.
Since the publication of his first novel, The Forgotten Island, he has written and published a further five novels, from slashers to gialli to folk horror to weird westerns. He is currently working on several more novels, including a trilogy of violent revenge stories to be published in 2022.
David Sodergren also writes extreme horror under the pen name Carl John Lee.
Discover more from Radical Dreamer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
