Grave-robbing, not a typical subject that I would gravitate towards but after discovering the writing of Daniel Kraus, Rotters was a book I needed to read and was not disappointed.
Grave-robbing. What kind of monster would do such a thing? It’s true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, Shakespeare wrote about it, and the resurrection men of 19th-century Scotland practically made it an art. But none of this matters to Joey Crouch, a 16-year-old straight-A student living in Chicago with his single mom. For the most part, Joey’s life is about playing the trumpet and avoiding the daily humiliations of high school.
Everything changes when Joey’s mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, a strange, solitary man with unimaginable secrets. At first, Joey’s father wants nothing to do with him, but once father and son come to terms with each other, Joey’s life takes a turn both macabre and exhilarating.
Although the book may deal with grave-robbing, at the heart of Rotters the exploration of family dynamics and the impact of secrets on those relationships. Joey’s discovery of his father’s taboo profession forces him to confront his own identity and question everything he thought he knew about his family, although it seems he didn’t know much. As Joey navigates this new life filled with twists and turns we are kept on the edge of our seats from to the very last page.
Daniel Kraus has a knack for masterful storytelling and it shines through in Rotters. One of his earliest novels expertly weaves together themes of morality, redemption and sacrifice perfectly. Each character is well developed and richly describe, each grappling with their own demons and desires. From Joey trying to find his place in this world to his father’s dark past coming back to haunt him. Each character is unique and well written.
The rural Iowa setting serves as a perfect backdrop for this chilling story, it adds a layer of isolation and unease to Joey’s already tumultuous journey. The small-town life gone awry, where secrets lurk behind every corner and nothing is quite as it seems is wonderfully described by Kraus. While the story is overall disturbing we can connect with the lives of these characters and locations.
Rotters by Daniel Kraus is truly a gripping and creepy tale that left a mark on us long after turning the last page. The taboo subject of grave-robbing combined with a complex father-son relationship and dark secrets is a perfect mixture for a great horror novel. This thought-provoking novel will go down as one of our favorites of all time.
Rotters is available wherever books are sold. The audiobook narrated by Kirby Heyborne is available at Libro.fm!
