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sarahscupofcoffee 's review for:
Sour Candy
by Kealan Patrick Burke
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I'm not a fan of short stories. Historically, short stories have disappointed me and left me wanting for more. There's not enough room for the author to develop the characters, an intricate plot, and the world in a short story.
Or so I thought.
Kealan Patrick Burke's Sour Candy has made me realize that maybe I've been reading the wrong short stories. Sour Candy is more of a novella than a short story, but it's still under one hundred pages in length.
This book is about a man who endures the screams of a child in a grocery store. The child is attached to, whom the man assumed to be, the child's mother. Now, this kid is screaming to the height of his voice and his mother is vacantly staring at candy instead of tending to her child.
When things calm down a little bit, he tries to walk past the mother and her child, but the child steals his gaze. He's captivated by the child and the child offers him some of the candy that he had in his hands. Not wanting to be rude, the man takes the candy and eats it, unknowing that this action has started a demonic spiral that he's helpless to prevent or stop.
There's so much more to this story than that, but if I say any more, I go into the realm of spoilers.
Needless to say, this novella opened my eyes to the world of short stories and what they have the potential to be. Burke's Sour Candy has it all - suspense, superb characterization, a fantasy realm that makes the main character doubt reality, and a demonic presence - all in the compact space of 67 pages.
It's not much of a feat due to its length, but I sat down and read this novella in one sitting. I was completely entranced and ached for the knowledge of what comes next. I haven't been this stolen by a short story in years, so I'm thankful to Burke (and Gabby from gabbyreads for the recommendation) for this experience.
If you're a horror or a thriller fan, I highly suggest this book. It's a short read and it'll be a great escape for the afternoon. Think of it as a vacation that you'd never want to take. It will make you thankful for your own life.
I'm not a fan of short stories. Historically, short stories have disappointed me and left me wanting for more. There's not enough room for the author to develop the characters, an intricate plot, and the world in a short story.
Or so I thought.
Kealan Patrick Burke's Sour Candy has made me realize that maybe I've been reading the wrong short stories. Sour Candy is more of a novella than a short story, but it's still under one hundred pages in length.
This book is about a man who endures the screams of a child in a grocery store. The child is attached to, whom the man assumed to be, the child's mother. Now, this kid is screaming to the height of his voice and his mother is vacantly staring at candy instead of tending to her child.
When things calm down a little bit, he tries to walk past the mother and her child, but the child steals his gaze. He's captivated by the child and the child offers him some of the candy that he had in his hands. Not wanting to be rude, the man takes the candy and eats it, unknowing that this action has started a demonic spiral that he's helpless to prevent or stop.
There's so much more to this story than that, but if I say any more, I go into the realm of spoilers.
Needless to say, this novella opened my eyes to the world of short stories and what they have the potential to be. Burke's Sour Candy has it all - suspense, superb characterization, a fantasy realm that makes the main character doubt reality, and a demonic presence - all in the compact space of 67 pages.
It's not much of a feat due to its length, but I sat down and read this novella in one sitting. I was completely entranced and ached for the knowledge of what comes next. I haven't been this stolen by a short story in years, so I'm thankful to Burke (and Gabby from gabbyreads for the recommendation) for this experience.
If you're a horror or a thriller fan, I highly suggest this book. It's a short read and it'll be a great escape for the afternoon. Think of it as a vacation that you'd never want to take. It will make you thankful for your own life.