The Book Bump

First Published: 2020
Author: Max Brooks
Language: English
Genre: Horror
My rating: 4.5/5

This is the first-hand account of a Sasquatch Massacre after the eruption of Mount Rainier, Washington State, USA.
Kate Holland and a young girl, Palomino, are missing. They have been for just over a year at the time of the writing of this book.
There is a lot of speculation as to where the two women are. Frank McCray, Kate Holland’s brother, has his idea.
It is a chilling tale of survival.

“Bigfoot destroys towns.”

The introduction to the novel is great. From the opening sentence to the last, it sets the tone perfectly.

“At present, I have no physical evidence to validate the story you are about to read.”

The novel is written as though it is non-fiction. I would compare it to watching a true crime documentary.

The interviews (post-tragic event) with people connected to Greenloop and its residents give the story more credibility.

I admit I did a quick Google search to determine whether Devolution was a work of fiction. That’s how convincing I found the book.

Each to their own, but I enjoyed the pacing. The scene’s setting, the first disaster, the suspense that builds up to the real intrigue, and finally, the action-packed climax.

WOW!

This book almost deserves to be rated 5/5.

Almost.

Yes, you might consider I’m being petty, but a few plot points left me wanting more.

I would have liked to have more information about some of the characters. Kate, whose diary we are reading, doesn’t seem interested in getting to know her fellow neighbours. She says she could have and should have asked more than once but let the moment slip by.

Then it’s too late as the residents are more preoccupied with more pressing matters.

Mostar was one of the best characters in the book, and it’s a shame not to get to know her better. You can guess at her past, (wartime survivor. It’s hinted that she could be from ex-Yugoslavia) as she seems to be the only person who knows what to do in every situation.

The other characters come off as clichés of themselves. Perhaps this is because of the novel’s diary style. We only get Kate’s opinion of the characters. But perhaps first impressions are like that if we are honest with ourselves.

The characters’ development in this novel is outstanding. From their cliché beginnings to their full-on survival mode, each character had a chance to shine and show their true potential.

To start with, Kate was rather irritating and, to be fair, rather judgemental. But as the story progresses, she gets the reader on her side. And you start to believe in her, the same way Mostar does.

Or not.

Something scares the founder of Greenloop, Tony Durant, and he becomes a shell of his former self… We never know why. The Durants then cut themselves off from the other residents.

Surely, ego has no place in emergencies.

However, how credible are the characters’ reactions to the Mount Rainier explosion? Lahars have cut Greenloop off from the rest of the world, and the internet is down. No one panics. They seemed too calm. Far too calm.

But I’ve never been in a similar situation, so I can’t say how credible they are.

This was the first novel I’ve read by Max Brooks, but it won’t be my last. I think I might give World War Z a go when I get the chance.