Vicarious

Name: Vicarious
Price: 12.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780645763843

✍️ Chloe Spencer

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review)

$12.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A woman infiltrates her bully's family to exact revenge after losing her husband.

Gertie’s life shifts dramatically after Jack dies and Bea reappears. She chooses to dismantle Bea’s world by becoming close to her. This involves joining the PTA and starting a romantic affair with Bea herself. The goal is total destruction of Bea’s happiness. Spencer writes about the collateral damage inflicted on innocent parties like parents and children. The narrative highlights how trauma can distort one’s sense of justice. It shows the difficulty of maintaining such a complex deception. The story focuses on the psychological toll on Gertie as well. Her actions are driven by a need to erase her past pain. This results in a chain reaction of suffering for everyone involved.

Key Themes

revenge trauma domestic infiltration

Literary Context

Published by Slashic Horror Press in November 2023, this novel fits within contemporary American horror fiction. It draws on the tradition of psychological thrillers where personal history dictates present danger. The setting relies on modern suburban dynamics and school environments to create tension.

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Tana French · Gillian Flynn · Paula Hawkins · Shirley Jackson

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Horror Fiction

🏛 Slashic Horror Press 📅 2023 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9780645763843

📝 Description: Vicarious

Chloe Spencer’s Vicarious presents a narrative centered on Gertie, who survives a savage bathroom assault in her youth. She finds solace with Jack, but his sudden death leaves her vulnerable. The return of her former school bully, Bea, triggers buried trauma. Gertie decides that revenge is the necessary path forward. She inserts herself into Bea’s family life to destroy them from within. Her targets include Bea’s parents and children. She even infiltrates the PTA members of her daughter’s high school. A sordid romance with Bea becomes her primary tool for this internal demolition. Spencer, publishing through Slashic Horror Press, structures the story around these intimate violations. The text examines how grief can curdle into vengeance. It explores the messy reality of retribution rather than offering clean justice. This work suits readers who enjoy psychological horror and domestic thriller elements. Those seeking lighthearted supernatural tales or traditional gothic atmospheres may find it too grounded in brutal realism. The narrative does not shy away from the consequences of such obsessive behavior. It traces the collapse of multiple families through calculated manipulation. Spencer’s approach focuses on the emotional decay of the protagonist. The story remains tightly bound to the personal histories of Gertie and Bea. There are no grand cosmic threats here, only human cruelty amplified by loss. The pacing reflects the slow burn of a long-planned scheme. Readers will follow Gertie as her plan unravels in unexpected ways.

💎 Our verdict on Vicarious

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Spencer delivers a tightly bound narrative that eschews grand cosmic threats for intimate violations. The text effectively examines how trauma distorts one’s sense of justice, tracing the collapse of multiple families through calculated manipulation. By focusing on the emotional decay of the protagonist, the story highlights the difficulty of maintaining deception and the collateral damage inflicted on innocent parties. It offers a grounded, brutal realism that avoids traditional gothic atmospheres in favor of psychological horror. The narrative does not shy away from the consequences of obsessive behavior, making it a compelling choice for readers who enjoy domestic thriller elements blended with horror. It provides a nuanced look at the need to erase past pain through destructive means.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

Readers drawn to intense psychological realism and the darker aspects of human nature will find significant value in this narrative. The book appeals to those interested in how grief can curdle into vengeance, offering a raw examination of retribution’s messy reality rather than clean justice. It suits individuals who appreciate stories focused on emotional decay and the collapse of families through calculated manipulation. Those seeking lighthearted supernatural tales or traditional gothic atmospheres may find it too grounded in brutal realism. However, fans of domestic thrillers with horror elements will gain from its tight focus on personal histories and the psychological toll of maintaining complex deceptions.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Spencer delivers a tightly bound narrative that eschews grand cosmic threats for intimate violations. The text effectively examines how trauma distorts one’s sense of justice, tracing the collapse of multiple families through calculated manipulation. By focusing on the emotional decay of the protagonist, the story highlights the difficulty of maintaining deception and the collateral damage inflicted on innocent parties. It offers a grounded, brutal realism that avoids traditional gothic atmospheres in favor of psychological horror. The narrative does not shy away from the consequences of obsessive behavior, making it a compelling choice for readers who enjoy domestic thriller elements blended with horror. It provides a nuanced look at the need to erase past pain through destructive means.