review: rest stop
Includes Audio Description
Title: Rest Stop
Series: N/A
Author: Nat Cassidy
Genres: Horror
Publishing Date: 15 October 2024
Original Language: English
Pages: ~160
CW: Gore, Blood, Violence, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Genocide, Racism, War
My Rating: 4 / 5
Purchase: paperback
If you've read any of my other reviews, you may already know that Nat Cassidy is my favorite horror author of all time. He currently has two novels and this novella out, but he has another novel coming out in 2025, When the Wolf Comes Home. All of them are favorites of mine. This novella is insane. It is one of the most bizarre horror stories I have ever read. It is crazy, creepy, scary and written so well. While the writing in this book is very informal and it has a lot of humor in it, the themes in this book are also very dark. Nat Cassidy is Jewish and this story talks a lot about generational trauma, the cycle of evil, and how trauma can induce a person to eventually also do terrible things to other people. It is very heavy in that sense and it's got a lot of spiritual and religious themes incorporated into it, and also some mentions of the Holocaust.
The main character's name is Abe. He's driving back to his hometown to see his grandmother, who is in the hospital and close to the end. She was a young girl in Poland during World War II and suffered through the horrific genocide of the Jewish people. But Abe describes her as a terrible, awful person who enjoys torturing others.
It's the middle of the night and Abe needs gas and a snack. He stops at this gas station late at night, goes inside, and then the most insane shit begins to happen. I don't want to tell you much more than that because I don’t want to spoil it. However, the main antagonist in this story is delightfully crazy, insane, and gleefully torturous in the things that he does.
It’s a very funny story, yet horrific at the same time. It's exactly my sense of humor. I thought it was very entertaining and it's really short and easy to get through. However, it is a horror story. There is blood and gore. If you enjoy horror, especially horror that's philosophical or that delves deeper into more serious social issues, this is a really good book. Also, if you just have a dark sense of humor and you like things that are completely off the wall, then I would recommend picking this one up.