I think the author had a lot more fun
writing this book than I had reading it.
It’s either darkly comic or comically dark; in any case, it is cheekily
macabre—sort of like the Addams Family on steroids. It took me a few chapters to thoroughly
digest what’s going on here, but two brothers, Otto and Cecil, are more than
just mischievous boys. In fact, they are
grown men still being bathed and dressed by their nanny. Otto in particular has a soft spot for
animals but thinks nothing of bumping off said nannies, tutors, governesses,
and all of the household employees in general.
Some of Otto’s murderous behavior stems from the fact that the family is
in the business of contract killing, but both boys use nature films to inspire
them to be predators rather than prey. To
make this story even more disgusting, Otto and Cecil are sex partners with each
other and everyone/everything else—blowup dolls, taxidermy, etc. Is this a satire, and, if so, what is the
author satirizing exactly? The writing
style is semi-entertaining, but the plot and characters are just not. Thank
you to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for the free copy for
review.
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