📘 Wink
by Eric Trant
Genre Fiction ◦ Horror
Format & Source Print ◦ For review
Publication 2013
Rating ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
📝 My Review
Wink is definitely unlike anything else I have ever read.
Marty is a 12 year old living an unusual life in a filthy home with his abusive parents and his half-dead brother whom he accidentally shot. To escape his mother’s rages in which she becomes violent and animal-like, Marty spends time in the attic, but things get strange at night. Mysterious winged creatures come out and no one seems to know what they are… except for maybe Marty’s dead Uncle Cooper, who used to tell him stories before he died. Marty’s wheelchair bound neighbor, young Sadie, is very interested in befriending Marty, but her mother is suspicious about the evil that seems to surround his family and home. Marty has a lot of things he needs to overcome in order to gain control of his life and escape all of the evil that surrounds him.
This story was incredibly unique and bizarre. The whole story was shrouded in mystery as I wondered time and again what the mysterious winged creatures were. They kept me guessing throughout. The story was not only bizarre and unique because of the creatures, but also because of the life Marty was living, and his very strange and violent family. His mom seemed just plain crazy, saying loving things one second, to viciously attacking and threatening Marty the next. His dad was similar, very abusive and threatening. They also seemed to be hoarders, filling up the house with random boxes and objects that made it hard to move around. Lastly, his brother was kept in a room on a breathing machine, barely alive and uncared for, with a bad stench permeating the entire room. Needless to say, Marty was up against a lot, and yet still managed to be polite and seemingly normal despite his horrendous upbringing.
Trant is a very talented and skilled writer and was able to create a mysterious and spooky tale. I had a hard time connecting with the story at times just because Marty’s life was so strange that I couldn’t always comprehend it or wrap my mind around it. All in all though, this was a quick read that I would recommend if you are looking for something very different!
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