Book Review: "Freakslaw" by Jane Flett

So I've been reading thrillers lately, I love a good drama in which you know every character is inherently a bad person to some degree. But I've recently gone back to looking at horror, especially folk horror. Now folk horror can also include stuff like the carnival. Carnival horror is probably somewhere along the lines of Geek Love and then, it branches out from there. Many of these sub-genres intertwine and well, if are to only look at the story The Cask of Amontillado we can see clearly how one can influence the other. I was very excited the get stuck into this piece which, at the beginning, definitely gave me a flavour reminding me of American Horror Story Season 4: Freakshow. That is the superior season, I won't be taking questions.

In the opening chapter, we get an omniscient view of a group of misfits coming to fit their carnival in a town. They are wearing odd designs such as a zebra-printed top-hat which adorns the head of someone driving a vehicle. I have to say, from the outset it really pulled me in though it definitely felt odd to read. It was like reading a long advert for the local funfair where they describe everything fun that might take place whilst narrating who's going to be around.

One thing I found great about this book was the author's depiction of conservativism vs. progressivism. The town is one that is very conservative and has a strict (and backward) belief system and this progressive circus is filled with queer folk, drag queens and various representations of unapologetic sexuality. We, the readers, rub our hands together in glee and wait for the magic to unfold whilst also accepting that the conservatives are going to get their trousers in a twist about it.

There is some stuff in here that is a little bit gross and I would not recommend reading it when you're about to eat or when you've just eaten. There's not a huge amount of gore but there is definitely some stuff that may make you think twice before reading it first thing in the morning (I did this, so I should know). But there is nothing I love more than pissing off right wing nutjobs who like their conservative Christian bullshit. The novel is filled with drag queens and outwardly queer characters and the people in this Trumpian town hate it. (Laughs in evil). Apart from bits and pieces of gore, there's definitely an underlying message about being who one is regardless of what others think.

But, underneath the underlying message is something far greater. There's a story about vengeance being sought out on the town for the execution of witches that once took place there. Many of the characters who are part of the carnival are descendants of these witches and, along with the young and interested characters of Ruth and Derek (both of whom are also trying to escape the town), the carnival seeks revenge on people who clearly haven't learnt their lesson about people who are different to themselves.

There's definitely a dichotomy that's done on purpose: the carnival is lively and colourful, accepting and inclusive. Meanwhile, the town is a mundane wasteland of cruelty and Bible-belt mentality. There is definitely more life in the carnival and yet, the town still do not recognise how they themselves are backward - it accentuates their stupidity and ignorance in various ways.

As tensions rise though, we have to question whether violence seeking revenge for past violence is a good idea. I know that this is probably a huge subject and I'm not going to get into the philosophy of it, however the violence isn't in the form of protest but rather a want to exact the same violence on the town that they once did on others. It's all very theatrical, quite gory and feels very brutal at each turn. The writing is excellent though and doesn't falter or devolve into gore for gore's sake.

All in all, the story was simple and even though there were a lot of characters in the carnival, I think the author did well to capture more of the atmosphere through the vignette-like structure than focusing purely on individuals. Thoroughly enjoyable, this book has brough fresh ideas to horror, giving it place to comment on social issues in our own day.