In an attempt to make sense of his own mysterious and unsettling childhood memories, a man begins to reconstruct his past. As the games and adventures of his youth become engulfed by a larger story, he finds that it forms a tapestry of unbelievable horror that he never could have expected.
Each chapter completes a different piece of the puzzle for both you and the narrator, and by the end of it all, you will wish that you could forget what he never knew.
This was a book my student mentioned we read together. Although we chose another book, I went ahead and bought this book (not very expensive but you will not be able to find on Hoopla and Libby since it is a self-published book).
I loved this book!!!!! I actually emailed Auerbach who replied fairly quickly! LOL. Now, this book will not be for everyone. It is not horror (as it indicates). It is creepy and mysterious. If you like thrillers, then you may like this (um…this will be my next book club pick…just saying).
After reading the book, I read various reviews on Amazon. Here are my thoughts concerning a few of the bad reviews…
First, one reviewer said what first grader would be left along to just wander in the woods and play…this person obviously did not grow up in the South and in the “country” (rural area). All you had to do (pre-technology) is play outside and build forts out of sticks. So, yes, I didn’t think twice about young kids left to explore the nearby woods.
Second, one reviewer said there were many holes in the story. “Holes” in stories are not problems when the story is written like this book. Actually, I felt like there really weren’t any “holes.” I think there are some “what about…” type scenarios but think it does well for this type of book. You could literally have conversations all day about the “what abouts” and “what ifs.” Some people must really detail a novel to come up with some of these “holes.” To me, I was just reading the book for a story and got one…
Third, some reviewers thought the writing was boring and childish. I would challenge those same people to write their own book and get it self-published. I actually liked his writing.
Fourth, some didn’t like the ending. I thought the ending left a lot to the imagination. It sort of seems like a “Lord of the Flies” type ending (where much is left to be answered and opened to interpretation).
Fifth, I totally felt that my childhood adventures were splayed out on these pages (minus the creepy and sad part LOL). I can’t even count the times we roamed the woods and tried to make money by selling lemonade and goodies.
I like mysteries and page turners. I like not being able to piece something together sometimes. Sometimes, I like to read and not overthink a book. I like the fact that we live in a country where someone is able to self-publish a book. I believe we all have a story to be written and we have stories to tell.
If you aren’t sure if you want to purchase this book, here is the reddit link he shared with me (my student is going to read these short stories; we will later compare with the book). https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/k8ktr/footsteps/
Happy Reading!
