Grind Your Bones to Dust Book Cover
Sometimes, a story hits you at the precise moment you need it, delivered by an author who just gets it. Nicholas Day’s Grind Your Bones to Dust, which I received as a unique, pre-publication manuscript, felt exactly like that. Its three-hole punched pages, bound with brads, held a promise of something special from the moment I picked it up.
Flipping through, I was immediately struck by the illustrations scattered throughout – intentionally raw and edgy depictions of figures both human and monstrous. Having previously experienced Day’s short story collection, Nobody Gets Hurt and Other Lies, I knew to anticipate the unexpected.
And Grind Your Bones to Dust delivers on that expectation tenfold. As I devoured this novel, it became clear that each word was deliberately chosen, placed with precision and purpose. There’s no filler, no wasted language. This meticulous approach by Day creates a mesmerizing pull, drawing the reader into a state of complete absorption. My own world felt suspended, held captive by the narrative tension until the very last page was turned.
The novel unfolds in four distinct parts, the first three resembling almost self-contained episodes. Subtle threads of connection – recurring characters or thematic echoes – weave through these sections, hinting at a grand convergence to come. This anticipated intersection of storylines culminates in Part Four, an apex of narrative brilliance. The climax and conclusion are nothing short of masterful, genuinely unparalleled in my reading experience.
To reveal too much of the plot would be a disservice to the unique journey Day has crafted. Part One plunges you directly into the protagonist Louis Loving’s desperate flight from an inexplicable horror in the dead of night. Trust me when I say, the predators he encounters are unlike anything you’ve faced in your explorations of horror.
Part Two introduces James Hayte, a villain who plumbs the depths of depravity. I can confidently say Hayte is the most chillingly wicked character I’ve encountered in literature, rivaled only by Judge Holden from Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian. The acts of violence he perpetrates are the kind you’ll wish you could unread, yet Day renders them with such skill that they become indelibly etched in your memory. A part of me recoils from these moments, while another part applauds Day’s mastery in portraying unforgettable horror. He understands the power of suggestion, knowing that carefully chosen words can conjure horrors in the reader’s mind far more potent than explicit descriptions ever could.
Among the compelling characters, Billings, a supernatural raven delivering cryptic prophecies and parables, stands out as a favorite. The dynamic between Billings and James Hayte is particularly captivating, creating some of the most memorable and unsettling moments in the story.
Part Three serves as a bridge, introducing crucial characters who will ultimately guide us back to the events of Part One. This section is a masterclass in dialogue. The exchanges are profound, so much so that I was compelled to both memorize passages and frantically scribble notes. It’s within Part Three that I encountered one of the most terrifying scenes in horror fiction I’ve ever read. It possesses the raw intensity of a scene from a cult indie horror film, the kind that lingers in collective memory for generations. Upon reading it, you’ll instantly recognize that scene, the one I’m referencing. And as previously mentioned, Part Four is where Nicholas Day truly unleashes his full potential.
Day writes with a visceral intensity, as if the story itself has possessed him, pouring itself onto the page through his being. I half-jokingly wonder if Nicholas Day made a deal at a crossroads to bring Grind Your Bones to Dust into existence. The novel feels like the product of a pact with the Devil, resulting in a horror masterpiece. Thankfully, this is only his debut novel. In my opinion, it’s a work that will propel him to the forefront of the genre, and I eagerly anticipate many more novels from this extraordinary talent. I, for one, will be first in line.
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