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The Store - By Bentley Little
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Pages: 432
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Publisher: Signet
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Language: English
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ISBN: 9780451192196
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Synopsis: “It's the corporations we have to
worry about, I think. They're the ones with the money.”
The Store is a creepy horror tale that also
serves to make somewhat of a political statement. The story primarily follows the lives of
Bill Davis, his wife and their two daughters, and is told from Bill’s point
of view. The Store is a retail giant,
very similar to Wal-Mart, offering low prices and lots of jobs for the
residents of the remote desert town of Juniper, Arizona. But The Store likes to make their own
rules, disregard environmental concerns, and destroy local parks and businesses. Bill notices that there are strange
happenings at The Store, especially at night when the all black clad managers
are running the show. Regardless of
the sinister goings on, there is a cult-like following of loyal patrons, and
when Bill’s teenage daughters start to work there, he notices an almost
zombie-like devotion to the Store.
What happens when people go to The Store? How are they so controlled
and blind to what is really going on?
The Store grabs you from the beginning, holds on
with its creepy tone and pacing, is very believable, and teaches the reader a
lesson about large chain stores that invade communities, wipe out small local
businesses, and turn small, unique towns into just another generic spot on
the map.
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Elements of
Horror Genre
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Pace: The pacing
of the story is often erratic and unexpected.
One minute things are very calm and peaceful, and the next it is very
intense with lots of action.
Setting: The setting
is typical of the horror genre. There
are monsters (zombies), but some of the monsters are just regular people,
characterized by their evil actions and doings. The details of the small town
are very descriptive and the reader can imagine it vividly.
Story Line: As is typical of the horror genre, the presence of
an evil or maleficent force is present in this story. The reader is left wondering how the novel
will end. Will good triumph over evil?
Characterization: Unlike most horror novels, the protagonist in this
story is generally a happy, normal character, until he is pushed to the point
of fighting back when he realizes something is incredibly wrong with The
Store. The evil characters, of course,
are quite sinister.
Tone/Mood: The tone of the story is excellent at evoking a
sense of menace. The reader can feel
that something is just not right with The Store, and this sense heightens the
more you read. There is also some
graphic gore involved.
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Read-a-Likes
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After
Midnight
By Richard Laymon
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Dark
Hollow
By Brian Keene
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The
Black Train
By Edward Lee
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Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you compared The Store to Walmart in your description. Sometimes, it's difficult for me to get into the horror descriptions of books. I was immediately intrigued after I made that connection to Walmart - as weird as that sounds! Your description of the story is well-written. I will definitely put this one on my to read list!
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of horror...But I must say, after reading this annotation, I am very interested in getting my hands on this title! I like how you describe the loyal customers as 'cult-like', which raises all kinds of images in my mind. Great job!
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteWell done annotation!The thing that really caught my attention though is the fact that the main character is relatively sane and normal. I love when authors fight against the norm of a genre to create a tension between the types of characters. Thanks for adding another book to my to-be read.
This book sounds great! I think it's a good example of horror and how horror sometimes gets misconstrued as being one thing when it's really a complex genre. Not everything is just blood and guts and scare tactics. Creepy is an excellent way to describe horror. I will have to add this one to my list!
ReplyDeleteI may have to add this book to my reading list. You had me at "subtext." Wal-Mart also terrifies me, so ... Did the read-alikes you mentioned have similar subtextual elements?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments! I really enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. Don't get me wrong, I like the blood and gore aspect of some horror novels, but it is refreshing to read one that doesn't rely on that to be creepy. I found this to be scary on a psychological and sociological level because of how it deals with the effects on people and the community at large.
ReplyDeleteFantastic annotation! Full points! I've never heard of this one but your summary immediately piqued my interest. You did a great job with the appeals and read alikes as well. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete