Stirring the Sheets by Chad Lutzke
Stirring the Sheets was one of the books included in my January Night Worms subscription box.
Goodreads Synopsis: An elderly funeral home worker, struggling with the loss of his wife, finds an unnatural attraction to a corpse at work resembling his late bride in her younger years.
A story of desperation, loneliness and letting go.
Review: I picked up Stirring the Sheets a few days after receiving it and read it in one sitting. I’ve seen nothing but five star reviews, so maybe it’s also a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” Don’t get me wrong, I did still enjoy the book, I just didn’t love it as much as everyone else seemed to. I think because of all the glowing reviews I was expecting something more/different than what this story actually was. I know it’s not fair to judge something based on preconceived notions, but sometimes that’s easier said than done.
I could practically touch the grief that was pouring from the pages, so the author definitely succeeded in that aspect. I just felt like there was all this buildup and I kept waiting for something big to happen, and when it didn’t, it just kind of fell flat.
As a side note, I did have a dream not long after reading this concerning someone that has passed away that was still alive in my dream. It brought back all the original feelings of loss when I woke up and made me think back to this book. I felt it did deserve a slight bump in my rating for being something I came back to in that moment.
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Bloodshot Books
Publication Date: April 13, 2018
Page Count: 130
Overall Rating: 3.5/5