The Cellar by Minette Walters / Reviewed by Will Lasley
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find The Cellar at Killer Nashville's associate, Amazon.com*
BE FOREWARNED:
This is not a book for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.
One of the many horror tropes to come out of the 70’s was the “woman’s wrath” story. This type of story, be it book or film, revolved around a woman who was wronged or abused and set out to exact her revenge on those responsible. The reason these tales are so effective is that the catharsis of the protagonists, having previously been so helpless, gives the audience a vicarious thrill, playing not only to their bloodlust, but also their sense of justice.
In Minette Walters’ The Cellar, the stakes are raised even further. Muna, our central character, is the victim of many atrocities within her own home. Not only is she a child, she is an African immigrant living in England with another African family who stole her as a baby.
Muna’s “family” subjects her to such cruelty and humiliation on a daily basis, as their slave; physical, emotional, sexual. But when one of her adoptive brothers goes missing, the sham of a family is suddenly under the scrutiny of Scotland Yard, giving Muna the chance to expose them as the monsters they are.
The Cellar is a harrowing thriller that leeches off of the reader. My blood ran cold, and I couldn’t put it down. Walters’ use of language is especially good, choosing the most repulsive ways to describe the lurid events that transpire. I highly recommend it.
Will “Savage” Lasley is a writer and self-described horror junkie who simply loves a good story. He's also met Bruce Campbell, so there's that.
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