Jules’ best friend makes a reference to American Horror Story, which feels less like a postmodern nod than a reminder that there are other, better examples of the genre that one could be enjoying instead.Īre we not men? We are-well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).Ī zombie apocalypse is one thing. It’s possible to read this as a parody of the absurdly intrepid horror heroine, but, even as that, it’s not a particularly entertaining parody. While this might not be enough to deter someone who is broke and desperate, it does mean that Jules should be a bit more concerned than she is when the really scary stuff starts happening. And she learns that she will be paid under the table. She's warned that she must not interact with or talk to anyone else about the building’s wealthy and famous inhabitants. She's informed that she is not allowed to have guests in the apartment. While interviewing for the job, she's asked about her health history. Jules soon gets the feeling that all is not as it seems at the Bartholomew, which is, of course, a perfect setup for some psychological suspense, but the problem is that there is little in the way of narrative tension because Jules’ situation is so obviously not right from the very beginning. Jules Larsen is getting over a breakup and the loss of her job when she finds a gig that seems too good to be true: The Bartholomew, a storied Manhattan building, wants to pay her thousands of dollars to simply occupy a vacant-and luxurious-apartment. Whether or not it does depends on how invested one is in formula for the sake of formula.

This new novel is another attempt to make the model work. The author tried to do something similar with The Last Time I Lied (2018), with significantly less satisfying results. It was clever but also very well-crafted. Sager’s debut novel, Final Girls (2017), wasn’t so much a horror novel as a commentary about horror movies in novel form. Another homage to classic horror from a bestselling author.

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