My own mortality was never on my mind as a child. Exuberance and life to the fullest for me. But the older I get the more I think about getting old. My own aging is disconcerting to me, but it doesn't hold a candle to the disturbing contents of Mark Towse's creepy debut novella.

Although I have fond memories of my grandparents, there is something subconsciously unnerving about old people. Here the fear of aging and the elderly is taken to the extreme. The story plays out mostly through the eyes of a 12 year old boy, trapped for the night in a suburban community where his Nana resides. There is something very wrong with residents, but the author allows the mystery to build until it reaches a breaking point in the final act. The book cycles through a large cast of characters in a relatively short amount of time, but I never felt lost or confused. Towse does a great job of painting them each with their own personalities and quirks. He also does a great job of describing the aging process in excessively gross ways. Thanks for the queasy stomach Mark!

I loved the restrained pacing of this one. It takes its time introducing you to the main characters as we follow the boy on his paper route around the community. Then we head off to a certain "community event" and that's when things really get wild. There are some moments that drag a little, but they are punctuated with enough shock and hilarity (seriously, laughed out loud in parts) that it didn't bother me too much. And the story builds to a climactic scene that simply has to be read to be believed. So get reading! ( )

Y’all, it’s #spookyseason!

I just finished NANA by @towseywrites and what a whirlwind of a book! It opens with young Alex heading off for his paper route in the community of Newhaven Crescent, whose aging residents are a little bit on the weird side and seem to be literally falling apart at the seams, with oozing sores and a stench that lingers.

Jump to Olly, who is staying over at his Nana Ivy’s place in Newhaven Crescent while his parents work out some marital issues. Olly strongly dislikes staying with his Nana, as there is clearly something wrong with her, even though his father doesn’t seem to notice. Ivy has a big event planned at the community center that evening and takes Olly along.

And… this is where shit gets weird(er). And unsettling. What follows is a talent show unlike anything I’ve ever read, followed by a little murder, and some extracurricular fun, and meanwhile, whatever happened to Alex?

If you’re not a fan of body horror, or suffer from gerascophobia (the fear of growing old), you’ll want to skip this. However, if you’re not afraid to read something that is definitely creepy AF and a little unhinged, this is for you. I had not read Mark Towse before, but I think I want to read some more; he doesn’t shy away from the uglier sides of horror, but he doesn’t write gore for gore’s sake.

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