KIN

Four friends: Daniel, Stu, Katy, and Claire, are backpacking during what might be their “last summer together” and hoping “to see things no tourist ever does.” It is and they do.From the beginning, Kealan Patrick Burke’s thriller, Kin (2011) rumbles through the reader’s mind like a vengeful thunderstorm threatening to destroy any bit of peace or sanity to which the reader might want to desperately cling. At the heart of the terror that Burke delivers to his readers is the Merrill family, living in the backwoods of Elkwood, Alabama, in an area where nature parallels the inhabitants: a land that “seemed sick, diseased, poisoned…” “a noxious place… to which the corrupt would gravitate.” The Merrills are akin to incestuous, throwback denizens from hell: fanatically religious (at least by their own definition of religion), filled with anger and blood lust, the family members are also sadistic, raping, murdering, cannibals in the most fearsome tradition of such clans in fiction and film. The worst of predators by nature, Papa-in-Gray and the obese matriarch, Momma-in-Bed, know no bounds of civility or compassion. Failure by anyone in the family means punishment and beyond logical punishment—including permanent, physical maiming. Twelve-year-old twins, Joshua and Isaac Merrill are like feral creatures, one of whom has been permanently disfigured “when he was nine years old for cussing at Papa-in-Gray.” Luke and his younger brother, Aaron, who dread the wrath of their parents, will do anything they are told— conditioned so the more pernicious the request that is made of them, the more they serve with roused eagerness. An older brother, Matthew, has long settled into a state of depravity equaling that of his parents. A sister, Susanna, flees the family after having been discovered to have performed oral sex on her brother—an incident which leaves Luke also forever physically marred and Susanna’s escape is nothing like she desires and beyond the grasp of any normal human action that can be taken against a family member.Everyone in Elkwood has heard of the Merrills. Everyone in Elkwood, even if they haven’t had any actual contact with the Merrills, fear them. Everyone avoids them. The consequences of not doing so are beyond the worst of nightmares. It is innocent, unaware strangers who become their prey.When two black men, a father and a son, stumble upon a savagely beaten, raped, mutilated, and barely living young woman on the road, the youngest hurriedly bundles her off to a nearby doctor’s residence in hopes of saving her life while both yearn they won’t pay the ultimate price for getting involved. Burke’s pacing of his story and the vividness of his descriptions are as unrelenting and unforgiving as the treatment that has befallen Claire at the hands of the Merrills whose barbarity bears no resemblance to humanity. Burke considerably raises the stakes in his novel icily making readers aware the tribe wants their victim back as well as revenge upon anyone who dares to help her.With Part II of Kin Burke begins telling the aftermath of Claire’s ordeal and also takes the time to focus more on character development than in the early portions of the novel. In horrifying nightmares there are more shocking revelations of Claire’s defilement and thoughts about her lost friends are as agonizing as the terrors she relives in her dreams. When she is conscious she is tormented by the fact that she can’t reveal the truth of everything that has happened to her and her friends—a truth they are best spared. Additionally, Kealan focuses not just on the desecrated Claire, but of those that love her—her mother and sister and Pete, the young man who rushes her to the doctor and whose own life suffers from emptiness and grief. He is left with the realization the impulsive love he feels for the young woman is beyond any likely fulfillment. Burke also explores the rage and grief of the others, especially Danny’s brother, with realistic and vivid dialogue bursting with emotions. The gut-wrenching reality of the thoughts and feelings of his characters elevates Kin far above any ordinary blood-and-guts tale of terror meant to merely evoke fear and repulsion in the reader and is evidence of the author’s reach and his capacity to evoke empathy.Where the last portion of Kin takes readers is no surprise, but how Burke manipulates events is. The local authorities having been provided a convenient scapegoat for the death of Claire’s friends and her torture allowing them to remove themselves from hunting down the Merrills, Kin evolves into a hunter becomes the prey scenario, but this time for the sake of justice and to rid Elkwood of the evil of the Merrill family. Instead of a huge operation put on by the survivors’ families, it is an ill-prepared group of two pairs working separately without any home advantage in the backwoods home of the Merrills.The Merrills, in turn, suspecting that the escape of Claire will bring “coyotes” after them, have had a stomach-turning set back themselves, making the event even more repulsive with a mind-blowing, seemingly senseless, inhumane ritual. As with the first portion of Kin, the final show-down is fast paced and although there is death and gore and very few survivors, it is rather subdued compared to the first part of the novel.Upon completing Kin readers can try to take comfort in a surprisingly bitter-sweet turn of events that comes at the novel’s very end which gives readers a rare chance to smile through the traumatic events with which they have witnessed as well as by repeating to themselves, “It is only a story”—a gripping, relentless story—but still “just a story.” But Burke’s writing is so powerful and evocative and the recent rise of intolerance and visible hatred toward others who are different which appears to have arisen in this country leaves the reader with unease: Is the horror of the Merrills and people like them all that far-fetched? It is a nightmarish thought not easily dismissed.

This was my first time reading author, Kealan Patrick Burke, and I am so happy that I finally read this book as I have had this book for awhile on my kindle waiting to be read. The book starts off with a bang and doesn't let up all the way to the end! What a ride into the backwoods of horror!There is a small warning with this book though as some parts are extreme, so tread carefully if you have a queasy stomach and are not able to handle extreme situations. For those of you that love the extreme and want to take a walk on the wild side, then by all means pick up this book!With that being said, let us move on to the review!Place: Elkwood, Alabama (backwoods - out in the country)A truck rumbling down the road comes across a bloody naked woman laying by the road and she is still alive. A father and son get out of the truck, pick her up, and decided to take her to a doctor. What they don't know at the time of them rescuing her is that they are being watched from the woods.The other thing that they don't know is that the woman (Claire Lambert) is really an escapee as she was running from captors that live out in the woods. Oh and one more thing they don't know is that by rescuing her, they have just put a bulls-eye on their backs as now what was watching them in the woods will be coming after them.The "watchers" in the woods are the Merrill family - dangerous, crazy, cannibal, loony tune family that have lived there forever and that own almost the whole county. People in town and neighbors fear them, meaning they also leave them alone as everyone minds their own business.The Merrill family doesn't like that Claire escaped, so they will do everything in their power to get her back one way or another, even if they have to turn the county upside down, they will get her back.With Claire escaping it starts a chain of events that no one sees coming and though the Merrill family goes on a hunting spree, they don't realize that the rules of the game have changed as friends of Claire decide to take matters in their own hands as they go on a revenge spree.What kind of havoc do the Merrills stir up? Is Claire recaptured? What happens between the Merrills and Claire's friends? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book.This book was a wild ride into the torturous unknown as I wasn't quite prepared for the opening scene for one thing and then the book started getting more deeper into the cannibalistic world of the Merrill family.This book was fast paced and there is no let up from one chapter to the other. In other words, you don't have time to come up for air as the book continues with heart pounding excitement, trepidation, and suspenseful dread! I have found another author that can twist the gore into a bloody mess and throw it against the walls for some decorative splatter! Giving this book four stars.

Kin is very cinematic, but one of the most brilliant aspects is that it starts after the movie. The final girl has escaped her captors, her friends are dead, but she makes it to the main road and gets picked up. From there, we get gruesome flashbacks to the events that lead to our opening, a look at the aftermath of the survivor, and a story that revolves around the way the community reacts to/feels about the local family of cannibal killers.Kin is a gritty, grimy tale that revels in the oppressive Alabama heat and utilizes the isolation and lawlessness that makes these deep south slashers resonate. The middle of the book spends a little more time than I would have liked setting up the third act, but when the planning phase kicks in, no holds are barred.The Merrill family, the antagonists of the story, make the pages turn in Kin. They are equal parts terrifying and fascinating. Rather than keeping them in the shadows and making them unsettling in their vague motivations, Burke makes the Merrills the heroes in their own story.Kin is full of intriguing characters making choices that drive the story. It's full of some seriously grisly moments, but Burke also shows restraint in knowing when to pan away and allow the reader's mind to take over the work. An instant classic within the subgenre.

Bro KIN is pretty messed up and I definitely recommend it.I think it was one of my top reads of the year. Texas chainsaw Massacre with some backwoods redneck religion thrown into the mix. Its gory, its depraved and its a really good time if that type of horror is your thing.Its paced really well too. I never found myself bored or just reading to get through. The story kept me engaged until the very end. You should absolutely check it out.

It is refreshing to find a book that comes highly touted, and then actually delivers.Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke had me from the moment a traumatized Claire Lambert staggers out of Alabama woodland, permanently disfigured by the atrocities inflicted upon her, scarred mentally and physically by the brutality she has endured and witnessed. Even in such a fragile state, clinging to life carries its own cost, Claire's fractured mind haunted by survivor's guilt as she considers the horrors meted upon her now dead friends.But it is fair to say that Claire Lambert is a survivor.There is violence in Kin, and there is certainly plenty of dread, particularly once we are introduced to those perpetrators of that initial violence. Momma-in-Bed is the matriarch of that brutal redneck clan. A whale-mass of stinking flesh, Momma-in-Bed is the real leader of the family, although Papa-in-Gray enforces her will with wanton cruelty, and a rod of iron. There are none willing to go up against Papa.Kin delivers in spades, but let's be clear here, this is not your typical redneck-cannibal-holocaust.Despite its unsettling subject matter, at its heart Kin remains a story about people. It is about those affected by a singular dreadful event. To all intents and purpose Kin is a drama, but let me say this; it is a character driven piece that delivers with writing of the finest quality.The author explores how those decisions we make - sometimes in a rash spur of the moment - they have a lasting effect on our future, and how that future - and the lives of others - can be forever colored by those moments from our past. Kealan Burke spins a spider-web of tension and intrigue, casting out the strands of Claire's dilemma, ensnaring an ensemble of characters burdened by the trauma of that one dreadful event, before drawing them towards violent resolution.Kin is the best book I've read in 2017, and in my top favorite reads of all time. Seriously, if you enjoy horror, do yourself a favor and read this book.

I started with Sour Candy for Kealan Patrick Burke, which was a totally different (and totally awesome) type of horror story. This book is naaaaaaasty and not what I would normally choose to read, but the story was great and well-woven together, plus the writing was wonderful. Particularly enjoyed the narrative structure and the way it felt like going into a different (and horrible) world every time you jump back to the world's most horrid family.

Not for the faint hearted Kin is an emotional gut wrenching ride into the minds of the abused, those seeking retribution and a cannibalistic redneck family that hunt and kill people.You won't find more of a hard hitting, brutal and compelling opening than the image of Claire, severely tortured both mentally and physically, running for her life, running from the Merrill clan.Claire and her three friends were hiking through the backwoods town of Elkwood when they were stalked and attacked by the Merrill family, a twisted family driven by God to hunt and kill men. A truly terrifying experience that will change her life forever.The first third of the book deals with the escape, those who aid and the Merrill family cleaning house. Multiple POV characters are used which enhances the all-round foreboding feeling as we see through the eyes of the hunted and the eyes of various members of the killer family. This section is harrowing and disturbing, has the feel of the familiar redneck slasher movies such as Deliverance or Wrong Turn, peppered with shocking violence and malevolence.Kin is not just about the abused, it's also about a family of killers, children bred to kill by parents who in their own right are scary individuals. The mother is bed-ridden referred to as Mama-in-bed and she leaves a big impression, not just on the soiled sheets she never leaves but you can feel the atmosphere of that room, the stink of that room and it stays with you. Papa-in-gray is a predator, his introduction is strung out till last to build the tension, feared by all he is first seen wearing an apron of skin, carrying a severed head and he's the man responsible for this family.Finch is an Iraqi veteran and brother of one of those killed by the Merrill's, when they escape the clutches of the law only he can deliver retribution and revenge will be his.Kin in parts is terrifying and it's one of those books you can't put down, I finished it in just over a day, if you want to read a truly believable and gripping portrayal of evil then I recommend this.

I'm an unashamed comfort-reader. When I'm feeling tired and or stressed, I turn to a genre that I know can shock me, entertain me, and make me feel a little nauseous. Yep, I read horror novels for comfort. And this is exactly why I picked up Kin - it's about cannibals people, it's going to be shocking, nauseating and hopefully entertaining, right?But Kin gave me more than I bargained for - it is undoubtedly a horror novel with creepy characters and stomach-churning moments, but it is also an incredibly well-written novel - the language is almost lyrical and incredibly descriptive. At moments I felt like I was in a literary fiction novel, and others like I was in a slasher-movie - and I loved it.The characters themselves are not easy to get to know, nor really to like. Claire is obviously and understandably damaged by her experiences at the hands of the cannibal family living in backwoods Alabama and that is the center of her world - there's very little else of her personality that comes through. The other 'good' characters play their part in the story, but apart from the young man that rescues Claire, I didn't find any of them particularly memorable.The cannibal family on the other hand were creepy as hell - and yes, they are religious nuts to boot. The only thing I would have liked a little more of would have been to find out more about their pasts and backgrounds, although the mothers' is explained towards the end of the book, I was so curious as to how they met and became nutsoid killers.I was a little disappointed by the ending of Kin, although it was intense and fitting, it felt a little bit rushed, and I wished there had been more confrontation and revelation (yeah, I just wanted more GORY STUFF!) between Claire, the other characters and the family.Kin really surprised me in many ways, and if you enjoy intense horror that is excellently written, you should definitely consider picking up a copy.

A great read from an author whoose work I have enjoyed in the past. It's the story of Claire Lambert who escapes the horrors inflicted upon her at the hands of a backwoods clan whoose leader and father goes by the name of Papa-In-Gray. The story is part horror and part revenge and a great list of characters is introduced; Finch damaged gulf war veteran, Louise chasing a dream that will never happen, Jack and his son Pete (who plays a central role in the thirst for revenge) Beau close friend to Finch, Sheriff McKindrey whoose true intentions become clear as the story develops, Dr Wellman, and the somewhat overweight Momma-In-Bed...closely followed by the rest of the clan/kin...Aaron, Luke, et al...In some ways I think the story faded in the second half and although justice was seen to be done, the method of closure did not live up to what I had come to expect from KPB. Having said that the author has a superb writing style and even if the subject matter and conclusion did not reach my high expectations the quality of the writing carried the story through.