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Synopsis:
In the Canadian wilderness, Chris seeks solace in nature, surviving off the land as he wanders across rugged terrain, from campsite to campsite. But his tranquil existence is shattered when he’s ensnared by a group of ruthless strangers, thrust into a harrowing game where survival demands a deadly kill or be killed.
In a twisted world where the distinction between man and beast blur, Chris wrestles not only to stay alive but to keep ahold of his sanity in the process. On each pulse-pounding page, the stakes escalate, hurtling toward a crescendo of unbridled savagery that you’ll never see coming.
Review:
Chris is a guy living out of his car, living off of peanut butter and hot dogs, and enjoying the freedom of no responsibilities in the Canadian wilderness. He is enjoying his life, taking in the scenery, when a large black extended cab truck with three men pulls up, blaring music and disrupting his peace. This is a peace that Chris will never get back. As soon as he meets these men, his life is turned into a game of survival where he is treated more like an animal than a man and is competing for his life against other men who are doing the same thing. Gavin Torvik’s book is dark, brutal, and bleak, and in the beginning there is a note that says it is based on a true story. This fact reminds me of the way that The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum is based on a true story. Both stories are is proof that the biggest monsters are humans.
There are some aspects to this novella that make it work. One is the fear that is generated when we meet the villains in the middle of a pristine landscape. They are loud and disruptive, driving a loud truck and blaring EDM music out of the speakers. The halting to the flow of nature makes it obvious from the start that these are men are out to run someone’s life. The masculinity of the truck with the artificial tones of the music completely take over the serenity of the scene immediately, and we can sense the danger that Chris is in as soon as the truck pulls up next to him. The “masculinity” of the three villains is attempted to be proven over and over by the way that they treat Chris and one another. They are brutal, antagonistic, and use homophobic slurs to “prove” how strong and “manly” they are. The fact that none of these characters ever get a real name, that they stay anonymous, keeps a distance between them and any sort of humanity, This wedge between human and animal grows wider and wider as the story moves on.
I like the setup of this novella, and even though some of it felt a little repetitive, particularly how many fights scenes there are in such a short book, it is compelling and disturbing. I would have liked to have more time with Chris in isolation, trying to connect with someone or something to help him a little more, not only to escape but to deal with the treatment and isolation that he is receiving. As it is, we just get him going to fights, recovering, and trying to escape. One thing is that a human will find a way to adapt to any situation, regardless of how horrific, and I do not see Chris doing this at all. I do like the ideas forged in Dog Men, but turning down some of the violence for more about Chris’s mental survival, would turned this book into a richer experience. As it is, I got the feeling while reading that I am just a spectator in cruelty and physical survival, another faceless man passively watching fights.
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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