Carrion by Betsy Reavley
Published by Bloodhound Books
Ebook
Published 10 November 2014
324 pages
Owned
After surviving a fatal accident Monica is left wondering what happened to her life.
Why did the car crash and why is she being haunted by a crow?
Unable to remember the events that led to that fateful day and plagued by frightening visions Monica is determined to get some answers.
But sometimes the truth is best left buried.
When I arrived at the hospital I thought I might be sick. I had known something was wrong. It was a feeling that I'd woken up and had been unable to shake. Walking along the corridor towards the intensive care unit I focused on the echo of my footsteps. For a hospital it seemed very quiet. I passed a nurse in a blue uniform alongside a young man, her hand around his shoulder. He sobbed. I walked faster.
I thought Carrion was great. The chapters in the book alternate between the viewpoint of Monica and her mother and later an old friend of Monica's. This works really well and I liked having different perspectives of the same events. Carrion opens with a bang and the tension never really lets up until the last page. The characters are well-written; well-rounded, human, made of flesh and blood and they leap off the page. A lot happens in Carrion and a lot of questions aren't answered or made clear until towards the end. Carrion tackles a lot of themes and ideas including grief, loss and survivor's guilt. I liked the way the book ends and I never saw what happens coming. Carrion will stay with me for a long time. The only issue I have is that there is no real resolution to the fact Monica keeps seeing this crow everywhere and is convinced means her harm. Is the malicious intent of the bird all in her head? Does the bird wish her harm and why? Is the bird simply a manifestation of her guilt? By the end none of this is clear. I would have given a 5 star rating if not for this. The crow is a key plot element but is left unresolved. I personally think it's all in Monica's head brought about by her guilt. Carrion is being marketed as a psychological thriller. I don't agree with this. The book is more general contemporary fiction. I'd highly recommend it.
I'm thirty-five years old and live in Glasgow in the UK with my partner of ten years. I work in a support team for a call centre. I like reading especially Joyce Carol Oates and Stephen King. I write fiction and poetry. I enjoy watching TV (Grimm, Torchwood, Doctor Who, Lip Service, The L Word etc). I like to play video games and am a fan of survival horror especially the Silent Hill franchise. I like to watch movies especially horror and anything where someone dies. View all posts by pamelascott30
