In my new capacity as a reviewer for The Speculators’ Club my first book review is The Green-Eyed Monster by Mike Robinson.
Mike Robinson’s latest release, The Green-Eyed Monster, is a compelling and unique work. I found the genre label especially attractive: literary horror. It seems like an oxymoron. Just to explore that unique title relationship, I absolutely had to read this book. I’m happy to say this story delivers what it promised. If you feel intrigued by the concept, I highly recommend you pick up this book. Make sure you note the author’s name, because there are multiple books with titles similar to this one. Anybody who finds this one by accident is in for a shock.
In addition to the interesting setting, the book delivers strong characters and excellent prose. It consists of several related stories told independently with the larger plot being scattered through chronologically numbered chapters, arranged out of order. The format sounds complicated, but feels natural as it reveals the mysterious force responsible for the terrible and often gruesome end of many lives.
A true horror, this book would be inappropriate for children or teens. The repeated and bloody end of multiple protagonists is not for the faint of heart. However, unlike many works in this genre, there is an overlying sense of meaning to it all, which takes a bit of the edge off.
The literary aspects of this work are dazzling. The symbolism of butterflies was visually appealing and well presented. While the title feels heavy handed (Jealousy, duh!), it is really more of a secondary theme and doesn’t weigh down the movement as I first suspected it might. The real power of the piece comes at the climax when the enigmatic forces driving the story are finally unveiled. I found the conclusion to be very thought provoking and purposed.
… Read a longer review with spoilers at The Speculators’ Club.
James Wymore 