Wednesday, August 16, 2023

The Handyman Method - Nick Cutter

I thought Nick Cutter's 2014 horror tale, The Troop, was a great read. I read the premise of his latest novel, The Handyman Method, and thought it looked intriguing. And the cover is eye catching.

Okay, I'm going to be somewhat obtuse here as I don't want to spoil things for you.

Trent, Rita, and their young son, Milo move into a new subdivision. And their new house is...well it's the only one there. Trent is between jobs, as they say. When he sees an item that needs attention in his new house, he decides to undertake the repair himself. And like many of us, he turns to the internet to find some guidance. And he stumbles across upon Handyman Hank's site. And the weirdness begins. At home and out in the world. Specifically big box DIY stores. As odd as it sounds - these bits were darkly humorous and decidedly true. Cutter skewers toxic masculinity through the big box, the website and another program that pops up on Milo's computer. Quite frightening for sure. There are a number of other dark events and pieces. 

But. Yes, there's a but for me. The Handyman Method started down avenues that I understand are 'horror', but I found them to be things I didn't want in my head. Misogynistic comments that were truly vile. A doomed turtle. The plot seemed to feel repetitive and I decided to take a break from the book. I came back to it, but realized my opinion hadn't changed. I fast forwarded my way to the final chapters to see what answers the ending might bring. 

So, it's a rare DNF for me. I do know there's lots of others who quite enjoyed The Handyman Method, so check out the other reviews on Goodreads.

I will say that the narrator, Corey Brill, did a fantastic job interpreting and presenting Cutter's work. He brings out a mocking, caustic voice for Handyman Hank that is spot on. Trent's voice is just as good - the anger he carries, the biting sarcasm, the ugly hate and more are captured with Brill's reading. He speaks clearly and enunciates well. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of The Handyman Method.

2 comments:

Ethan said...

I too enjoyed The Troop, so I had this one on my TBR. I might need to wait a bit before giving it a go!

Luanne said...

I'll be curious to see what you think Ethan.