Jack & Jill Paperback – December 2, 2017

I've read Burke's Sour Candy and once done, I wanted to buy up all his books. I refrained and just bought a couple of them. This was one. Although I didn't like it as much, I still very much enjoyed it. It can be a tough read for some. It is a story surrounded by incest/pedophilia and quite disturbing at that. I thought the best parts of the books were the dreams that Gillian (aka Jill) was having. They were full on creepy and very realistic as dreams go. The rest of the story was painful but in a good way. You could feel all the sadness and tension throughout the book. I can't wait to read the next book I have by Burke. He is turning into a go to author for me.

To say this novella got to me would be an understatement! Kealan has easily cemented himself as one of my top favorite authors! This story is horrifying and chilling in so many ways. I have to add, there is mention of abuse in this story, so a trigger warning for anyone who can't read about that."...they have their backs turned away from the street, away from me and the nightmare that is mine alone. They stand frozen in place, staring forward. I know they are not looking at anything, and that is the point, because looking at nothing means they're not looking at me, not bearing witness to the atrocity. And if they can't see it, they can't be responsible for whatever comes of it."This story is told from the perspective of Gillian, our "Jill" of this story. After years suffering at her father's hand, then losing her "Jack" when her little brother dies, it's understandable that Gillian has been left with what can be seen as extreme PTSD. Now married with 2 children, Gillian is suffering from insomnia and nightmares that merge into hallucinations, leaving her familial and marital relationships strained to the max. As the story's perspectives jump between the present and extremely twisted nightmares, Gillian tries to come to terms with her situation before she loses even more. The monster that haunted her childhood is a constant terror, and with her mind set on blaming the monster, Gillian sets out to try and fix things her way. Things escalate quickly, and we see the damage mental illness and childhood trauma can cause.A fantastically creepy start, with a hell of a finish, this novella is edge of your seat, wtf is going on, did that just really happen, moment after moment. Kealan has taken horrifying events (abuse) and thrown in a worst nightmare situation that can come with suffering mental illness. What is real, and how far do you go to stop the bad things that tore your life apart from taking everything away?I highly recommend Kealan's work for anyone who is looking for disturbing horror that seeps into your brain and never let's go.

Phew - this book starts out right into the grime and horror filled story that I have always loved. We get introduced to Claire, the only survivor of the Elkwood massacre... and this cannibalistic family is coming for her. EEK! The author then introduces other key characters and we see this story through various points of view. SO MUCH LOVE FOR PETE!!What I loved about this book is that we start at her escape. There are some flashbacks, but mostly this book is based on the aftermath and how it makes an impact a variety of people. The gore is dispersed in pieces throughout the novel. When the author gives it to you, he REALLY gives it to you. I should NOT have been eating during the "rebirth" scene. 😓 Burke gives a fantastic mixture of horror, revenge, post traumatic stress, survivor's guilt, those who just want to do "right" splattered with religious cannibals led by Papa-in-Grey and Momma-in-Bed. **shiver**I'm not sure what this says about me as a person, but I would've liked a little bit more gore. The parts that were in there definitely delivered - but it also made me hunger for more of it! It's a great conversation starter... AND stopper. While waiting for someone, I couldn't help but pull the book out of my bag to read. Quite frankly, drinking whiskey while reading this is highly recommended! An old gentleman at the bar interrupts me after a couple of chapters (as readers, don't we just all LOVE that 😠) and says, "Hey sweetheart. That must be a good book. You seem really into it. What's it about?" Deadpan stare: "cannibals." That was the end of that! 😇This is the perfect book for those who like movies such as Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and We Are What We Are. Ed Gein elements clearly are included. I'm off to satiate my hunger with MORE of Burke's books. Horror fans, GET IN HERE!

No spoilers. 3 stars. Gillian has a recurring dream of herself and her brother John, as children, rolling down a hill in a cemetery on a rainy afternoon...At the bottom of the hill sits a shadowy man on the border wall... his back is to the children... reading a newspaper...When Gillian reaches the bottom of the hill, John is lying dead and the man looks to her for her reaction to what he has done....... The man is their father and he is wearing his soiled funeral suit... the darkness of the sky rushes down the cemetery's hill... the rain becomes a downpour...Her father says to Gillian: Such a good girl... Do you remember how it felt to have it inside you?... twisting and turning...... Their father was a pedophile who molested both of them...Later, as a married woman with a son and daughter of her own, this recurring nightmare threatens to destroy her and her family...This is not one of Burke's better stories. It was okay but if you're looking for horror in the traditional sense, you'll be disappointed. This short novel was more of a psychological thriller.I removed one star for advertising this as horror and another star for predictability. There were no surprises here and I could see the climax coming from a mile away.

'My flesh tingles, the grass whispers against my face. Dew wets my lips. I close my eyes and it is as if the world is moving and I am lying still.It goes on forever, dream-time stretching to delay the imminent horror.And then it comes.'This book is INTENSE! I never read a whole book in a day and even though this is a novella clocking in at just under a hundred pages I fully intended to take my time with it.However, over the course of a day I found myself coming back to it again and again to read a little more and before I knew it I couldn't tear my eyes away until I finished.This book gets it's hooks (or is that coat hanger hands?) into you and doesn't let go. And the ending! It gets dark. By which I mean darker than a dark place in dark town. I felt emotionally wiped out after reading this.Without giving anything away this book is about a married couple, Gillian and Chris, and their children. Gillian is suffering from nightmares, reliving horrors from her childhood and the death of her brother. The past is unravelling her current family life. Can she reconcile previous events and confront her own personal monster before her present life fully falls apart?This novella is the perfect length. The characterisation is realistic and immersive. The writing is spot on, both the descriptions and the scenes of dialogue. Marital and family problems are laid bare with brutal honesty.If you're thinking of reading this one then please be warned that there is a theme of child abuse in this book but the author is good enough that he doesn't have to explicitly show any abuse to keep you gripped by horror with this story.Did I enjoy this book? Enjoy seems like the wrong type of word. I don't even know what word I do need because I keep coming back to how INTENSE and DARK it gets.In that respect it's job done by the author and I have to give it ✨✨✨✨✨ 5 stars because this story will stay with me for a long while.

You know it's saying something when you message the author after finishing it and want an answer to it all. I got that answer but I am sworn to secretcy.This is the third book I have read by this author and I am loving them all. They're just so cleverly written to the point my head is mashed by the end. I have to sit and ponder over them before I even review. They really make me think. They may be short descriptive horrors but boy are they hard to forget!Jack & Jill is both about the past and present. It's definitely a psychological read! Brutal. Dark. Descriptive. You will have questions after. But I loved it. I still have questions now. The author has written it in a way that the reader interprets what happens and their view over it all. Again clever. But I wanted more. Gripping. Thrilling. Fast paced. Page turner of a read. Gruesome ending. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me.

“God sees all. My father’s words, echoing in my head. And God approves.”Gillian is haunted by nightmares of the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her father. It’s affecting all aspects of her life, she hasn’t been at work for weeks, her children are wary of her and her marriage is starting to fail. In her nightmares she’s chased by a figure she believes to be her father. For her first step on the road to recovery she visits her father, seeing him for the first time in years. Things go south from there.The book is dark and twisty and will leave you feeling a little unclean. Gillian is a very unreliable narrator, as her dreams spill over into her waking hours, but it’s hard not to be sympathetic to her plight. This little book packs a massive punch and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

This excellent novella from KPB deals with a particularly unsettling and horrific topic, Gillian is married with two kids and is plagued by nightmares of the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her father.Her nightmares and the fall out, place a tremendous strain on the relationship with her family and she decides to confront her issues head on, with a visit to the origin of all the pain.This story is distressing in places, very well written and completely consuming. Stand out parts for me were Gillian’s visit to her mentally ill and seriously deluded father, the visions she experiences as her nightmares blend into reality and the chilling nightmares themselves. When the past resurfaces in horrific circumstances, she decides to act in the most brutal way imaginable.Loads of quotes amidst some wonderful prose, here’s one that stayed with me.“I am twelve, John is nine, and we have not yet learned of death. Pain and horror, however, are kindred. They visit us nightly, and take away little pieces of our soul. We live in nightmare and escape during daylight.”Highly Recommended.

A very dark tale from Kealan Patrick Burke but one I really enjoyed! It deals with a lot of dark themes so please be careful there. But I really enjoyed it! Another great Burke and one I strongly recommend