The Worst In Us

by Elias Witherow

Driven home by grief, Cole returns to his family after being away for five years. He soon discovers that his brother, Joe, is locked in a bitter feud with a family who wants everything he's built for himself. As things begin to escalate and tempers start to flare, Cole finds himself pulled into a world of violence, hatred, and unchecked rage. There are no heroes. There are no villains. There is only the worst in us.

Genres: Horror

307 pages, Paperback

Published March 23, 2018

Reviews

[Peter Topside]

So everyone prepares themselves….the sky is not falling…hell has not frozen over…but this marks the first time that I don’t give Elias Witherow a perfect 5/5 review. This book was a very different experience after my public love affair with The Third Parent and both Black Farm stories. It is a much simpler premise and execution, with a fairly slow first half and a nail-biter of a latter portion. But it was just a straightforward story of revenge and anger in a small town between two warring families, so it didn’t need to be over complicated. The violence and gore was absolutely there in a decent abundance, but was fairly tame compared to Witherow’s other works. There is also brief scene of rape, so reader beware. Overall, I really did enjoy the story. So my one gripe was that I felt a general disconnect throughout. It seemed like the boys from each family went from fairly simple folk to uncontrollable, murdering lunatics. The author could have just given some more background to show the growing trend of mental health difficulties with each character, leading to when things boil over, present day. But it felt like you had bullies and antagonists who went from some mild corruption and antagonistic behavior to a straight up bloodbath. Just a very abrupt and unclear pivot. And I really wanted to know more about Maria and Cole. Again, it was referenced thoroughout and had significance, but I felt like it should have been developed further to have more of an impact to the reader and Cole’s progression. And the ending was just ok, but could’ve been better. But don’t get me wrong…Elias Witherow is so immensely talented as a writer, remains one of my too three favorite authors, and I am still very excited to read his other works. But this wasn’t as strong of a showing as his aforementioned books, which all fans of horror need to read immediately, if not already done so.

[David]

What a roller coaster ride, this book was absolutely intense, loved it

[Sharon Leung]

Family is a blood bond

This was an amazing read. I loved the characters. Each character had their own unique personality which you learn about through the read so much so that you feel you know them personally. The story is of a brother from a family of four that goes back home after a devastating loss. She he goes home he finds the love of his family but also some old bullies he went to school with as a child. They all lives in a small town and the brother Cole coming back home begin a to learn of a few problems one of his brothers is having. Little does he know that things are all about to change and he is drawn in it. He has a sense of protecting his family come what may, but is he doing the right thing? Only time will tell. An in depth, well.written story that has you glued to each word. Definitely recommend.

[Steven Swanson]

The Worst In Us stands apart from Elias Witherow’s other titles. Where his previous works leaned into the grotesque and surreal, this one shapes itself around a classic revenge tale. At first glance, the story seems familiar, yet Witherow bends the form into his own. His touch lingers in the atmosphere, in the rawness of pain and retribution, showing he can inhabit an old skeleton while still making it breathe in his particular way.

What struck me most was the ending. Many readers may bristle at it , not for lack of force, but for its refusal to hold the reader’s hand. Witherow leaves a hook, a jagged silence, forcing us to decide what becomes of the tale. It reminded me of McCarthy, who often places his ambiguity like a stone in the reader’s path, sometimes at the start, sometimes in the middle, sometimes in the last line.

For me, this worked. Stories that end too neatly risk dying at their close, but stories that leave a wound stay alive. The Worst In Us is one such book, not perfect, not comforting, but enduring. A grim story, and a good one.

[jonslady04]

Classic Elias Witherow, just not as much as previous books

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, however, I expected a lot more "harsh moments," based on his previous books. I thought the backstory/build up to the big event was a bit long. Don't get me wrong - this is yet another classic Elias Witherow book! It just seemed to take a lot longer to get going.

[Kiera]

4 🌟
This was soooo close to 5 stars for me. This is NOTHING like The Black Farm, but still so good.
I gave it 4 stars because the beginning was so slow but maybe that was the whole point? To make the reader feel like they were safe? Until, that is, they figure out what it is that really brings out "the worst in us."

[Jennifer Lindsey]

A bit of a slow burn but once it gets going, man does it get going! It’s very relatable in the sense that most I believe would do whatever it takes to protect or avenge their family. Based on other books I have read from this author I expected more gore and extreme horror but it still doesn’t disappoint. Very good story telling and character development

[Rikke Nordravn]

It has honestly been a minute since I read this, I just discovered it as I was sorting my Goodreads shelves. And apparently I forgot to update it back when.

Anyways, I really don't recall why I didn't like it, - I just very distinctly recall that I was very underwhelmed. Maybe I expected something else from Witherow, that is very possible.

[tay]

I always enjoy novels by this author and this was no exception. Entertaining, nice build up, just an overall good story. The only note I have is that I didn’t love the open ending, I want to feel that the story is actually over.

[Taylor]

Boundaries are forgotten and lines are crossed in this satisfying novel about loss, love and sacrifice.

[Scarlett Smith]

A book that shows just how far people will go for family. Undeniably an amazingly written and fleshed out story, just not the best story from Elias in my opinion.

[Taylor]

If you like happy endings, this won't be the book for you. But it never promised a happy ending. Elias has an unmatched ability at world building and creating depth with his characters.

[Kat Harris]

This book begs the question: how far will a man go for his ego

[Alejandro Jovandro]

Fun.

[Kawthar Ismail]

Held me

Very good story. Family rivalries. Revenge starts a boulder rolling that can't be stopped
I couldn't stop reading til the end

[Oscar Järviken]

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for losing their faith in the moral goodness of humanity and loves binge reading a horrific, stomach-twisting, well-written story.

Coming from having read many of Elias' stories on NoSleep, and loving his style of writing and storytelling, I decided to order home his books.
Now that I've read them all, I must say I enjoy all of them, but The Worst In Us is the one that stuck with me the most.

I had a hard time putting down the book and finished it well within 24 hours. Several times I put down the book for a minute or two and thought I couldn't go on, but at the same time, I couldn't stop reading.
As the description says, there is no monsters or creatures in this book, but only the worst in us, and that alone is more than enough to produce an excellent, gut-pinching feeling of horror.

I'm keeping my eye out with excitement for the author's next release!