Dark Harvest - Norman Partridge

A Midwestern town. You know its name. You were born there.

Partridge opens Dark Harvest with these words, addressing readers as if we've actually lived through this night of horror.

Maybe we have.

In this unnamed town, all teenage boys are kept locked up in their homes without food for five days, preparing for The Run, an annual ritual in which one lucky teen will destroy the October Boy, an undead being released every Halloween. The boy who succeeds not only brings blessings and prosperity to the land and community, but also gains wealth for his family and a ticket to live beyond the confines of the town for himself.

Pete McCormick is more than ready to win the prize. He's haunted by a drunken father, a sadistic cop who's got it in for him, and a life that's going nowhere. But he's just one of many.

Dark Harvest is, quite simply, a home run, maybe even a grand slam. I read Partridge's short novel (169 pages) in a day, which hardly ever happens. It's a fast, breathtaking read told in multiple POVs, but it's certainly not a mindless action/horror novel (although there's plenty of action and horror). Partridge puts his finger on the way our society's psyche works (and not just in small towns), the way communities control how we think and live, and how difficult it is to break cycles. As one character learns, the past can't be changed, but it can be repeated.

Maybe Partridge is right, maybe I was born there. I remember my own hometown (pop. 5,000), how I always wondered why so few people left it, or when they did, usually stayed in-state in a town that wasn't much different than the one they left. Partridge knows those horrors are real, self-perpetuating, and seemingly inescapable. That's the essense of true horror and Partridge has captured it expertly.

It's no surprise that Dark Harvest has been named one of the "Best Books of the Year" by Publisher's Weekly and is nominated for the World Fantasy Award. Highly recommended.