Wax and Wane

Name: Wax and Wane
Price: 13.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781088022580

✍️ Saoirse Ni Chiaragain

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$13.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A wife battles her husband's radicalization and monstrous transformation.

This narrative focuses on the domestic aftermath of political indoctrination. Cormac’s journey from angry outcast to violent extremist is mirrored by Ailbhe’s fight for survival. The text uses the Mic Tire organization as a catalyst for personal horror, blending social commentary with supernatural elements. It does not offer redemption but rather documents the irreversible loss of humanity. The story remains tightly focused on the couple’s home and the immediate threat posed by Cormac’s new identity.

Key Themes

radicalization domestic horror political extremism

Literary Context

Published in 2022 by Filthy Loot, this novel engages with contemporary Irish society and far-right movements. It reflects current anxieties about political polarization and the erosion of democratic norms within Ireland. The work sits at the intersection of gothic fiction and social realism, using supernatural metaphors to critique real-world ideological shifts.

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Shirley Jackson · Poppy Z. Brite · Sara Gran · Clive Barker

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Horror Fiction

🏛 Filthy Loot 📅 2022 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781088022580

📝 Description: Wax and Wane

Saoirse Ni Chiaragain’s novel Wax and Wane presents a harrowing study of radicalization and domestic terror. The narrative follows Cormac, a man defined by joblessness and impotent anger, who finds direction within the Mic Tire, a far-right group aiming to reshape Ireland into a primitive idyll. His wife Ailbhe witnesses his descent with growing dread as he adopts increasingly violent ideologies. The story tracks his physical and moral decay, culminating in his transformation into an inhuman monster. The plot centers on Ailbhe’s desperate struggle to escape her husband before his body contorts completely and his bloodlust turns toward her. Feral dogs howling outside their home underscore the escalating menace. This work examines how political extremism can consume individual identity, leading to personal destruction. It draws on gothic traditions of bodily horror and supernatural dread to explore the collapse of a marriage under the weight of hate. The narrative structure moves from psychological unease to visceral terror, showing the cost of ideological obsession. Readers who appreciate slow-burn psychological thrillers mixed with body horror will find this compelling. Those seeking lighthearted entertainment or traditional supernatural tales without political undertones may find the subject matter too heavy. The book suits those interested in contemporary Irish fiction that tackles real-world extremism through a dark, speculative lens.

💎 Our verdict on Wax and Wane

“

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Saoirse Ni Chiaragain delivers a tightly focused narrative that merges social critique with supernatural terror. The text effectively mirrors Cormac’s journey from angry outcast to monstrous extremist against Ailbhe’s fight for survival, creating intense domestic dread. By keeping the action confined to the couple’s home, the author heightens the claustrophobic atmosphere of escalating menace. The inclusion of feral dogs underscores the visceral threat, bridging psychological unease with bodily horror. This approach allows for a deep examination of how hate collapses identity and marriage. It is best suited for readers who enjoy heavy thematic weight, contemporary Irish settings, and stories that document irreversible loss without offering redemption. The slow-burn structure rewards patience with a harrowing look at political indoctrination's personal cost.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who appreciate slow-burn psychological thrillers mixed with body horror will find this compelling. The narrative offers a harrowing study of radicalization and domestic terror, tracking a man's descent into violent extremism alongside his wife’s desperate struggle for survival. It suits those interested in contemporary Irish fiction that examines how political extremes consume individual identity. Those seeking lighthearted entertainment or traditional supernatural tales without political undertones may find the subject matter too heavy. However, for audiences drawn to gothic traditions of bodily horror and the cost of ideological obsession, this work provides a visceral and unsettling exploration of marriage under the weight of hate.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Saoirse Ni Chiaragain delivers a tightly focused narrative that merges social critique with supernatural terror. The text effectively mirrors Cormac’s journey from angry outcast to monstrous extremist against Ailbhe’s fight for survival, creating intense domestic dread. By keeping the action confined to the couple’s home, the author heightens the claustrophobic atmosphere of escalating menace. The inclusion of feral dogs underscores the visceral threat, bridging psychological unease with bodily horror. This approach allows for a deep examination of how hate collapses identity and marriage. It is best suited for readers who enjoy heavy thematic weight, contemporary Irish settings, and stories that document irreversible loss without offering redemption. The slow-burn structure rewards patience with a harrowing look at political indoctrination's personal cost.