Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke
Sour Candy is a horror novella from the Bram Stoker Award-winning author Kealan Patrick Burke. It was published on November 13, 2015 and weighs in at 84 pages.
This is a story about Phil Pendleton, a man who seemingly has life by the horns ever since his divorce. When he ventures into a grocery store to buy some candy for his girlfriend who wants to spend the day munching on chocolate and watching TV together, he encounters a mother whose child will alter the reality of his world.
I’d seen this book shared around social media for a while, and the cover immediately caught my attention. Everything about it draws me in: the color, the title, and the beautiful artwork. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. A skull on a cover will always catch my eye!
Kealan Patrick Burke knows how to hook a reader. The first line of Sour Candy sold me. It teased my curiosity, and there was no way I wasn’t going to find out what was happening to Phil Pendleton after I read it.
Sour Candy starts out strong, and it doesn’t let go for a minute. I never knew a scene set in the candy aisle of a basic grocery store could build such a huge sense of suspense and dread. I was all in. I needed to know how a brief interaction with an exhausted mother, an unruly child, and a piece of sour candy was going to change Phil’s life.
This story takes you full circle as you experience every twisted moment that happens to the main character, and there are plenty! You’ll feel his anguish and pain as he deals with a child whose very existence manipulates everything Phil knows to be true. I so love a book that gives me such a visceral response! Watching the events take place is akin to seeing a wreck and not being able to turn away, no matter how horrific the scene might be.
The story is told in twelve parts, which keeps the pacing quick and fresh. Each segment takes you one step deeper as you tumble alongside Phil into a descent of utter madness and chaos. I enjoyed the increasing amount of dread and despair that plagues Phil as he begrudgingly surrenders and settles into his new existence with the child. You can feel the discomfort and angst as you read. There are moments that had a “Twilight Zone” feel to me. The author does a believable job showing the instability of the situation through Phil and his decline both mentally and physically.
I always enjoy knowing what inspiration sparks a story. On the Amazon page for Sour Candy, there’s a “From the Author” section with a Sour Candy Q&A segment. There’s something exciting to me about getting a “behind-the-scenes” glimpse of an author’s work.
This can be read in one sitting, and wouldn’t be hard to do with the excitement that builds off each segment of the book. You’ll be enticed to keep going. There is no shortage of suspense or fantastical moments that will keep you drawn in to this occult horror story.
A handful of works from Kealan Patrick Burke:
Who is Kealan Patrick Burke?
Hailed by Booklist as “one of the most clever and original talents in contemporary horror,” Kealan Patrick Burke was born and raised in Ireland and emigrated to the United States a few weeks before 9/11. Since then, he has written five novels, among them the popular southern gothic slasher Kin, and over two hundred short stories and novellas, including Blanky and The House on Abigail Lane, both of which are currently in development for film and TV.
***taken from Kealan Patrick Burke’s website
You might also enjoy:
Four books I’ve reviewed in the past popped up in my mind after I read Sour Candy. Click below to read my reviews!
Liminal Spaces by Deborah Sheldon is full of wonderful stories that will take the reader on various descents into madness. Read my review here.
Hope Wharf by Mark Towse is an occult horror novella with an interesting candy store you might want to visit. Read my review here.
A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales from Brigids Gate Press and edited by Alex Woodroe is full of wonderful gothic horror stories. The specific story that surfaced for me is “The Door to Other Places” by Kathy Palm. Palm is skilled at writing stories that take the character and the reader on a journey to madness together. Read my review here.
All Things Deadly (Salem Stories) by E.C. Hanson is a collection of short horror stories based in Salem, a few of which involve candy you might want to avoid. Read my review here.
I love sharing out the works I’ve enjoyed by other authors! Please check these out and grab some copies for yourself! I think you’ll find them to be delicious treats.
