Philip Fracassi's novels have always been filled with evocative imagery, tantalising prose, and really scary subject matter. With Boys In The Valley he establishes himself as a "must read" author, firmly planting his horror flag in this landscape.
Set in an orphanage in the early 1900s, this book is just as much about the horrors of abuse as it is the horrors of possession. This orphanage for boys is run by a group of priests who have different viewpoints on how best to raise these children. One of them is compassionate and seems to want to do right by the boys but the head priest is old school. He believes in harsh, often unwarranted, discipline and "spare the rod, spoil the child" mentality.
Peter is our main protagonist and he is one of the elder orphans, having been there for ten years, and is now sixteen years old and thinking about becoming a priest himself.
We get a look at how things are run and it's depressing and will anger you in some instances to see how these boys are treated. Hunger is a constant companion and their days are filled with laborious tasks. Even the meager meals they receive require ritual and demands from the head priest. There is no respite.
An event occurs that takes this already horrifying situation and ratches it up a few more notches. Demons are unleashed within the orphanage and posses many of the priests and children alike. And this begins the often talked about (and very accurate) Lord of the Flies like situation between those who are possessed and those who are not.
Things will get increasingly more violent, creepy, and absolutely blood chilling as the story moves along. The amount of dread this author manages to pack into this novel is incredibly effective. You'll feel all of it!
But it's not just about the blood and gore. This is a gut wrenching and heartfelt novel. The ending absolutely had me shedding a tear or two and I have no shame admitting that. After all this time spent with these characters, that ending is such an emotional gut punch that I couldn't help myself.
Beautiful prose, amazingly detailed characters, and a horror story that packs a punch makes this one of the best horror books of the year, without a doubt.
You can pick up your copy of Boys In The Valley right here.
Be sure to check out my YouTube channel, Horror Reads, for my full reviews.
Dave from Horror Reads
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