My Review of The Pain Eater by Kyle Muntz

[SarLuvsBooks]

I found this book at one of my local bookstores near my college; here is my review and I was wondering to see if anyone else has read this book as well. If not, I hope this review encourages those interested in this book to give it a try.

The page count is 251, and the chapters are very short, going back and forth between the two main character brothers. Overall, the flow was engaging and easy to get sucked into. The perspective shifts between chapters are also smooth and it is easy to tell whose perspective you are following.

Here is a brief description, one that is similar to the one from the book: In Michigan, two brothers are brought back together in the wake of their father's death and funeral. They were never truly close but are now forced to live together. One discovers this strange creature that emerged from the corpse of a deceased animal. This creature has the ability to remove and consume for itself human pain. The relief to the characters is addicting, so much so that they will begin to inflict pain upon themselves just for the purpose of having it removed and feeling that sweet relief and release. However, the reliance upon the creature eventually begins to consume not just their pain, it also consumes and destroys everything else around it.

Here is where I get into my review which does contain some spoilers. I really enjoyed this book, to me at least it was very easy to pick up and read for a while. All the characters have their unique quirks, flaws, and dynamics for each other. The main three we follow are the brothers Michael and Steven, and Michael's best friend Halie. The brothers' conflict is present throughout, and it's easy to have sympathy for each one in their own ways. For one that enjoys anime and video games and not quite sure where to go in life or how to move on from his father's passing, and another who loves to cook, overall seems to have it together, but constantly struggles to maintain his idea of control and order. These conflicts also deepen with the presence of the creature, the Pain Eater itself, and how it deepens the divide and causes the characters to further delve inter their flaws as their addiction to the pain relief the creature provides grows.

One big focus on this is family dynamics. Aside from one side character, each one has very distinct flaws that have contributed in some form or another or suffer as a result from these flaws in various family dynamics. It is very well developed and feels like a realistic family situation that I am sure many readers can relate to and understand. The story and characters and setting all feed into each other and complement each other; to me at least there was not anything that felt like it shouldn't be in there. It felt like a real story with a hint of horror with the introduction of the creature.

I will very briefly discuss the creature, as I don't want to have too many spoilers. Given the title and the story, the creature is a metaphor for various unhealthy forms of coping, but it is not treated as a lecture, which is a relief. The best way I can sum it up is it works with the rest of story and characters to create a disturbing yet engaging cautionary tale.

TL;DR: This is a disturbing yet engaging cautionary tale that involves complex family relations and character dynamics revolved around a creature meant to make things better but in reality, makes things so much worse. Right mix of drama and horror for those who are not big horror fans but would like to experiment with books that center around horror elements.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have a nice day!