The Sorrows by Jonathan Janz
Flame Tree Press (December 2018)
288 pages; $16.48 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.29 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington
I was a bit late to the party when it came to discovering the work of Jonathan Janz. As a result, I totally missed The Sorrows when it was originally published by Samhain Publishing in 2012. When Samhain ceased operations in 2017, many great works went out of print, including this debut from one of the most popular horror writers working today.
The Sorrows presents the reader with a wonderful cast of characters secluded at Castle Blackwood, located on a private island known as “The Sorrows.” It sits eighty miles off the coast of northern California, and is the site of one of America’s strangest unsolved mysteries.
There are more than a few cringe-worthy moments including this little gem:
A hand slipped inside Chris’s boxer shorts, the scalpel tracing an almost delicate line down his penis, the sharp point pausing on the shriveled tip and grinding into the urethra. Chris groaned, the voice rasping at his ear, “…so many places I can dig.”
The Sorrows is a wonderful example of a place exercising its influence over its occupants. Gothic horror at its finest.
Janz’s first novel shows the promise of greatness and in the years since its release, the author has matured into one of today’s leading horror writers…one whose work is looked forward to by many readers, including this one.
With all its horror and disgusting moments, The Sorrows is secretly a love story. I dare you to prove me wrong on this one.
If you missed The Sorrows when it was first released, be sure to read it now.
Fully recommended.
