Ain't Worth A Shit by Jack Bantry & Robert Essig Book Review
This is a book about human monsters. The worst kind of monster.
Dark Fiction | Goodreads | Amazon
Source: Received for Review Consideration
Ain't Worth A Shit by Robert Essig & Jack Bantry
Released July 2019Dark Fiction | Goodreads | Amazon
Source: Received for Review Consideration
From Jack Bantry, editor of Splatterpunk Zine and author of The Lucky Ones Died First and Robert Essig, author of Death Obsessed, In Black and People of the Ethereal Realm comes a story of gut-wrenching noir.
Issy has become used to her new life in the UK, away from poverty in her native land. New beginnings weren’t without struggle, and sometimes the past comes back when you least expect it.
Mark dealt a little weed on the side, just enough to get him a few bucks and provide some for personal use. No big deal. Not until he makes a little mistake. Sometimes even the smallest error can turn into a dire situation.
There’s another world under the veneer of city streets in London’s Leicester Square, streets people walk every day without suspicion. Issy and Matt find out about this world in the worst ways imaginable, and they must fight for their lives to get out.
In this underworld, people Ain’t Worth A Shit!
Issy has become used to her new life in the UK, away from poverty in her native land. New beginnings weren’t without struggle, and sometimes the past comes back when you least expect it.
Mark dealt a little weed on the side, just enough to get him a few bucks and provide some for personal use. No big deal. Not until he makes a little mistake. Sometimes even the smallest error can turn into a dire situation.
There’s another world under the veneer of city streets in London’s Leicester Square, streets people walk every day without suspicion. Issy and Matt find out about this world in the worst ways imaginable, and they must fight for their lives to get out.
In this underworld, people Ain’t Worth A Shit!
My 2 Cents For Free!
This is a mean little story about a young woman attempting to make a better life for herself by coming to America who is kidnapped by a gang of human garbage. In that moment her life is changed forever. She is now forced to have sex with strangers in a dirty room day in, day out. This is horror of the real kind and it is not easy to read. Her only bright light in all of this darkness is Mark who shows her glimpses of kindness. But Mark is a prisoner of the gang as well and is forced to work for them against his will or his innocent sister will pay the ultimate price
As you can see, this is the human monster variety of horror. The subject matter is chilling because you can’t close the book knowing that you’ve shut door on those made up monsters and get on with your day. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Andrew Vacchs writes this sort of too-true-to-life horror as did Jack Ketchum and their words can devastate you for days, weeks, possibly forever. Perhaps I’ve been a little ruined by reading them first but this story seemed to miss the impact I felt it could’ve had on me. As I was reading I felt like an outsider being told about these terrible, harrowing, life ruining things and never truly felt the emotional impact these horrible wrong doings should’ve had on me.
I felt like something was missing in the writing and that some of the traumatizing bits were skimmed over and because of that I can only give this story a three. Also, that last line was like a kick in the head. Grrrrr!
3 out of 5
At least it sounds like it was a solid read and yes, humans are horrible!
ReplyDeleteThey really are :(
DeleteYeah that does sound like a hard to read book.
ReplyDeleteThe subject matter is rough.
DeleteWow this does sound like a tough read- yikes!
ReplyDeleteIt was a rough one. Even for the likes of me, haha.
Deletecouldn't help but chuckle at the title. now you have me curious about the last line
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
You'll have to read it to find out. I'm not a-spoiling! :)
Delete