Book Review for Edging by Michael Schutz
Edging, by Michael Schutz, is an illusory horror that decimates sweet dreams adults used to try to believe in.
Trish is a young woman who feels trapped in a loveless marriage. Miss Parker is an elementary school teacher who can’t stand her students, specifically a pair of twins who keep to themselves. Josh is a gay high school student who struggles with a one-sided relationship. Although they all live separate lives, they use the drug, Intenze, which produces a powerful hallucination that allows them to live their fears. But as they confront these fears, a mysterious figure waits in the background, feasting on these fears with a cannibalistic passion.
I loved reading about each character. While I couldn’t really sympathize with some of them, such as Trish or Miss Parker, I did enjoy reading about Rick and Josh. But despite my preferences, each character had a struggle they could have conquered, conflicts they could have solved if not for that drug, which brings out people’s demons and literally scares them to death. However they got the drug, in the end they are still affected. The style reminded me of Maberry’s Dead of Night series. The infection spreads so easily, so much so they degraded an entire town in a matter of hours. The same can be said for Intenze, but instead of a plague, it’s a set of pills that have degraded the town’s sanity. My most favorite part was reading about those creepy twins, Tim and Tammy. They care about their parents and each other, even though they were considered by almost everyone. It was them that the Boogeyman seemed to value the most, because children’s fears were usually the most potent. Despite me cheering them in, it was still disturbing how they dealt with the situation.
This concept is what leads my fascination with the mysterious figure. It feeds off everyone’s fears, so much so that Schutz even described it as “The Boogeyman.” It was frightening to me, how accurate this was. I loved how gluttonous it seems, devouring its victims with a frightening efficiency. It was this thing that drove people to commit such heinous acts against their loved ones, as well as complete strangers. It was so interesting to read about this creature, watching it control everyone from the shadows, like a dark puppet master pulling the chains of his puppets.
It brings me to the idea of fear throughout the book. The Boogeyman was right about one thing; fear is the most purest of human emotions. It’s what drives us either to survive or to cower in fear. It’s also the thing that the horror genre has utilized for centuries. It’s a marvelous thing that can entertain us, scare us, or drive us into the deepest pits of despair.
Because of this, I would give this book a rating of a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Fear is a huge part of this book, revolving around both its characters and its plot. Each aspect was frightening in its own way, even without The Boogeyman watching them. As such, I would recommend this book to fans of the Insidious film series, alongside any psychologist looking for a good scare.
