It's 1963, it's Halloween and in a secluded backwater somewhere in the US teenage boys are being starved by their parents and locked away in their bedrooms, whilst waiting for the town's yearly hunting ritual to begin.
Somewhere in a cornfield outside town the October Boy, a pumpkin vine dressed as a scarecrow featuring a carved head and candy stuffing, awakes and returns to be hunted down by the community's teenage boys. Any number of perks and a chance for a fresh start await the winners of the race and their families. It's therefore no surprise that all the 'lucky' winners of previous hunts have escaped this small-town setting, never to be seen again by those they left behind.
Somewhere in a cornfield outside town the October Boy, a pumpkin vine dressed as a scarecrow featuring a carved head and candy stuffing, awakes and returns to be hunted down by the community's teenage boys. Any number of perks and a chance for a fresh start await the winners of the race and their families. It's therefore no surprise that all the 'lucky' winners of previous hunts have escaped this small-town setting, never to be seen again by those they left behind.
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| Dark Harvest by Norman Patridge, TOR 2007, Cover Illustration by Jon Foster |
Pete, whose mother passed away and whose jobless father has taken to drinking, is eager to leave this godforsaken town, too. He has his eyes firmly on the prize and is determined to leave his hometown behind that very night. Yet, as events unfold, it becomes apparent that nothing is what it seems. On the hunt for the October Boy, Pete is joined by Kelly. Together they uncover the town's darkest secrets, revealing the true identity of the October Boy and the fate of all the previous winners...
At under 170 pages, Dark Harvest, a Bram Stoker Award winner, appears to be the ideal length for a Halloween-themed novella that can easily be read in one sitting, preferably on a dark and stormy autumn night. Over the years (this book has lingered unread on my shelf for just over eight years now) it took me several attempts until I eventually managed to get beyond page 10 and finish it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there are several aspects of Partridge's writing style and the story itself that simply put me off again and again.
Perhaps it's the rather annoying way, in which he addresses his readers directly. (Norman, just for the record, I don't know what it's like growing up in a place like this.) Perhaps, it was his attempts both at emulating Stephen King's style and copying elements from King's short stories (Children of the Corn comes to mind). Perhaps it's the fact that the characters are scarcely developed and I found it difficult to relate to any of them, with the exception of the October Boy...
Yet, after completing the book my biggest gripe results from the fact that Partridge has chosen to omit the most important bit of information: the explanation as to why the ritual was started in the first place. What's the deal between the town's bigwigs and the October Boy hunt? What's prompted the community to go along with the blood sacrifice and why is no one allowed to leave this godforsaken place? All these questions remain unanswered.
Given that there is a rather obvious link between the practice of child sacrifice and the celebration of Samhain, which often fails to be taken into account in the context of our contemporary, mainstream understanding of Halloween, Partridge was so close to delivering a convincing, deep and meaningful story. Without filling in the back story, however, Dark Harvest merely amounts to run-of-the-mill, all-American horror. Cheap thrills. It's like picking up a bland candy in a shiny wrapper. You immediately regret eating it.
That reminds me, the illustration by Jon Foster on the cover of my paperback copy of Dark Harvest is absolutely awesome and the only reason the book is allowed to keep its place in the horror section of my shelf.
Perhaps it's the rather annoying way, in which he addresses his readers directly. (Norman, just for the record, I don't know what it's like growing up in a place like this.) Perhaps, it was his attempts both at emulating Stephen King's style and copying elements from King's short stories (Children of the Corn comes to mind). Perhaps it's the fact that the characters are scarcely developed and I found it difficult to relate to any of them, with the exception of the October Boy...
Yet, after completing the book my biggest gripe results from the fact that Partridge has chosen to omit the most important bit of information: the explanation as to why the ritual was started in the first place. What's the deal between the town's bigwigs and the October Boy hunt? What's prompted the community to go along with the blood sacrifice and why is no one allowed to leave this godforsaken place? All these questions remain unanswered.
Given that there is a rather obvious link between the practice of child sacrifice and the celebration of Samhain, which often fails to be taken into account in the context of our contemporary, mainstream understanding of Halloween, Partridge was so close to delivering a convincing, deep and meaningful story. Without filling in the back story, however, Dark Harvest merely amounts to run-of-the-mill, all-American horror. Cheap thrills. It's like picking up a bland candy in a shiny wrapper. You immediately regret eating it.
That reminds me, the illustration by Jon Foster on the cover of my paperback copy of Dark Harvest is absolutely awesome and the only reason the book is allowed to keep its place in the horror section of my shelf.
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| Dark Harvest by Norman Patridge, TOR 2007, Cover Illustration by Jon Foster |
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