Peeler

Name: Peeler
Price: 5.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781540391124

✍️ Gord Rollo

Reader Score

4.4

(1 review)

$5.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A chef confronts a self-mutilating inmate at an asylum for a razor blade gift.

Randy Baxter enters Ashbury Creek Asylum seeking work as part of the kitchen staff. He harbors deep psychological issues related to his abusive past. The narrative focuses on his obsession with Peeler, a resident defined by self-mutilation. Randy manipulates circumstances to meet this disturbed man. He brings a razor blade as a gift to facilitate their interaction. This exchange forces Randy to face the source of his own trauma. The story examines how violence and memory intertwine in confined spaces. Rollo uses the setting of a maximum security facility to explore these themes. The inclusion of Strange Magic provides context for the character's broader role.

Key Themes

self-mutilation psychological trauma institutional horror

Literary Context

This novelette sits within the American independent publishing landscape, released by Createspace in 2016. It engages with the gothic tradition of asylum fiction and psychological horror. The work connects to Rollo's broader literary universe through its character Peeler.

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

Thomas Ligotti · Shirley Jackson · Stephen King

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Horror Fiction

🏛 Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 📅 2016 📖 70 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781540391124

📝 Description: Peeler

Gord Rollo’s Peeler follows Randy Baxter, an aspiring chef who takes a position at Ashbury Creek Asylum. This federally funded institution houses the criminally insane. Randy struggles with psychological issues stemming from an abusive childhood, specifically a compulsion to cut himself to suppress painful memories. His anxiety intensifies when he learns of Peeler, a long-term resident known for severe self-mutilation. Determined to confront his inner demons, Randy arranges a face-to-face meeting with the violent inmate. The encounter requires a specific gift: a shiny new razor blade. This item serves as the catalyst for exploring the connection between their respective struggles with self-harm and memory. The text is organized as a novelette of eleven thousand words. It draws on the tradition of psychological horror and gothic fiction, focusing on the intersection of culinary precision and mental breakdown. Rollo qualifies as an author through this work and his novel Strange Magic, where the character of Peeler appears in a small role. The print edition includes the first chapter of Strange Magic as bonus content. This book suits readers interested in dark psychological studies and institutional horror. It may not appeal to those seeking lighthearted narratives or traditional jump scares. The story remains grounded in the specific dynamics between Randy and Peeler within the asylum walls.

💎 Our verdict on Peeler

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Rollo effectively utilizes the maximum security setting of Ashbury Creek Asylum to dissect the fragile boundary between sanity and madness. The narrative excels in its unflinching examination of self-mutilation as a mechanism for suppressing painful memories, creating an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension. The focus on culinary precision juxtaposed with mental breakdown offers a unique thematic layer rarely seen in standard horror fare. While the story avoids lightheartedness or conventional scares, it delivers a potent emotional impact through its character-driven approach. Readers who appreciate gothic traditions and deep psychological profiling will find this work compelling, whereas those seeking fast-paced action may find the pace deliberate.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

This novelette offers a profound exploration of how violence and memory intertwine within confined spaces, appealing to readers who prefer dark psychological studies over traditional jump scares. Those interested in the specific dynamics between culinary precision and mental collapse will find value here. The narrative serves as a catalyst for understanding the connection between self-harm and trauma through the lens of institutional horror. It is ideal for individuals seeking grounded character studies that examine abusive pasts and the compulsion to confront inner demons. By focusing on the exchange between Randy and Peeler, the text provides a rigorous look at psychological deterioration without relying on sensationalism.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Rollo effectively utilizes the maximum security setting of Ashbury Creek Asylum to dissect the fragile boundary between sanity and madness. The narrative excels in its unflinching examination of self-mutilation as a mechanism for suppressing painful memories, creating an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension. The focus on culinary precision juxtaposed with mental breakdown offers a unique thematic layer rarely seen in standard horror fare. While the story avoids lightheartedness or conventional scares, it delivers a potent emotional impact through its character-driven approach. Readers who appreciate gothic traditions and deep psychological profiling will find this work compelling, whereas those seeking fast-paced action may find the pace deliberate.