Coup de Grâce - bookrastinating.com

English language

Published Oct. 1, 2024 by Titan Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-80336-962-4

A mindbending and visceral experimental horror about a young man trapped in an infinite Montreal subway station, perfect for readers of Mark Z. Danielewski and Susanna Clarke.

Vicken has a plan: throw himself into the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal and end it all for good, believing it to be the only way out for him after a lifetime of depression and pain. But, stepping off the subway, he finds himself in an endless, looping station.

Determined to find a way out again, he starts to explore the rooms and corridors ahead of him. But no matter how many claustrophobic hallways or vast cathedral-esque rooms he passes through, the exit is nowhere in sight.

The more he explores his strange new prison, the more he becomes convinced that he hasn’t been trapped there accidentally, and amongst the shadows and concrete, he comes to realise that he almost …

A mindbending and visceral experimental horror about a young man trapped in an infinite Montreal subway station, perfect for readers of Mark Z. Danielewski and Susanna Clarke.

Vicken has a plan: throw himself into the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal and end it all for good, believing it to be the only way out for him after a lifetime of depression and pain. But, stepping off the subway, he finds himself in an endless, looping station.

Determined to find a way out again, he starts to explore the rooms and corridors ahead of him. But no matter how many claustrophobic hallways or vast cathedral-esque rooms he passes through, the exit is nowhere in sight.

The more he explores his strange new prison, the more he becomes convinced that he hasn’t been trapped there accidentally, and amongst the shadows and concrete, he comes to realise that he almost certainly is not alone.

A terrifying psychological nightmare from a powerful new voice in horror.

1 edition

Amber Herbert reviewed Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram

A Haunting Debut with House of Leaves and Wristcutters Vibes

4 stars

Coup de Grâce is a poetic journey through a dark, monstrous, terrifying labyrinth built of slate-gray concrete. Ajram provides a story simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. Vicken's trip into madness will scratch the folds of your brain, unveiling an unrelenting truth that worms its way into your bones and weighs you down like the worst bout of depression. While short, it is not light. Be warned: You might not be the same after crawling the concrete coffin with this suicidal protagonist. The story is windy and full of potential, but its glimmer of hopefulness is the equivalent of a skylight much too high to provide even a hint of warmth.

Subjects

Horror
LGBTQIA+
Suicide