by SJI Holliday

Absinthe Books, out now

All Sophie wanted was her boyfriend to be a bit more…

SJI Holliday’s contribution to the initial Absinthe line-up for PS Publishing is a twist on a very familiar tale – “be careful what you wish for”. Sophie is bored with her boyfriend, oh so predictable Matthew, but agrees to go on an exotic date with him. To Worthing, not exactly the first place you’d think of as the capital of fun. Among the stale ice cream cones and dodgy pubs, she spots a fortune teller’s booth – the Mr Sandman of the title. But Mr Sandman is able to do far more than just tell her future; he can mould it. And as a result, Sophie’s life will never be the same again. Nor will Matthew’s, when he’s hit by a car…

Holliday doesn’t pull her punches in describing the way in which Matthew, Sophie and Sophie’s gay best friend Toby’s lives are affected. Everything that Sophie wished for seems to be coming true, but there’s always a downside.

This is a pretty linear horror tale – you can see it working well as an episode of a streaming service anthology series – with clearly delineated characters, and some horrific moments. It’s a novella and Holliday doesn’t try to explain everything; sometimes, less is more, and we don’t need all the answers to understand the final image.

Verdict: There’s a certain James Herbert feel to this (and that’s meant as a compliment) that keeps you engrossed in the grossness. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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