Family Curse
Tenacity Plys
Bottlecap Press
January 1, 2022
Book Links:
https://amzn.to/3F3WXR9
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3XGZqtd
https://bottlecap.press/products/curse
They say in town that every generation, fairies lure a member of Virgil's family into the local woods, never to be seen again. Virgil doesn't really care about that; they're just squatting at their aunt's vacant house during quarantine. But one night, they're awoken by a knocking at the back door that leads them into a tangle of family secrets, and a mystery that's as heartbreaking as it is chilling.
To avoid disappearing themself, Virgil has to piece together journal entries from three generations of their relatives, who all spent their lives wondering why their siblings were taken. If Virgil can solve the puzzle, they won't just save themselves — they'll put more than a hundred years' worth of family history to rest. This story of a neurodivergent family's struggle to understand themselves is by turns spooky, funny, sad, and hopeful despite everything.
Praise for Family Curse
“Family Curse is a sardonic epistolary mystery, a unique narrative braided with humor and slow-building dread.”
—Sloane Leong, author of Graveneye and Prism Stalker
"Tenacity Plys makes sure nothing will hit us as realistically as fiction does. The work makes one question our very history and horror...simply let this novelette take you where it wants, and without question.”
—Pascale Potvin, Editor-in-Chief of Wrongdoing Magazine
“With a measure of strangeness and a measure of humor, Plys artfully deconstructs a family curse. The reader is left with troubling questions: what does it mean to be alien, estranged, lost in the woods — even amongst one's own family?”
—Germ Lynn, author of Pressured Speech
“Family Curse is a densely packed and layered novella that merits a reread. It achieves an unusual and delightful mix of chills, comedic relief, and thoughtful consideration.”
—Anna Veriani, author of The Winter Quarters
My Review
Family Curse is an intriguing little "horror" novel about a family where someone disappears every generation, or so it seems. Virgil is cleaning out their aunt's house after she passes away, and while Virgil originally put no stock in the stories of fairies in the woods luring past family members away, never to be seen again, that all changes when they see a child standing at the edge of the forest. And then the knocking starts.
Now, Virgil must try and uncover the mysteries of their family before they disappear too.
I found this to be both spooky and kind of strange. It's a very short read, and it's written like a diary, which I enjoyed. I also feel like the story, while having multiple different views on what could possibly be taking the family members, was more of a metaphor for people who are different. Anyone who doesn't fit into society's mold of "normal". As someone who is neurodivergent and struggled throughout childhood and the teenage years, and now as a mom to an autistic child, this book really spoke to me. I liked that it was a different take on how society views people who may act/think/work differently than others. The only thing is, I do wish it had been longer. I'd love to really delve into a family history involving a "curse" and see how it all comes together.
If you're looking for something a bit different, check out Family Curse.
4 stars!
Author Bio:
Tenacity Plys is a nonbinary autistic writer based in Brooklyn, with publications in Hobart, Ethel, Bullshit Lit, Alien Buddha, Word Gathering, and Pif Magazine. Xir Pushcart-nominated story “I Love My AI Son” will be featured in Alien Buddha’s Best of 2022 anthology at the end of this year.
Xe has also had short films screen at over 20 film festivals, including at Anthology Film Archives in New York! You can find more of xir work through xir Twitter, @tenacity_plys, or website, tenacityplys.com!
Author Links:
tenacityplys.com
https://www.instagram.com/tenacity_plys/
https://twitter.com/tenacity_plys
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