Scratches

A mother and son with a strained relationship inherit a house following the sudden death of a family member with a violent past. When the son moves his bedroom into the basement he starts to experience unexplainable and terrifying phenomena. After he uncovers a dark secret concealed within the house, they quickly learn that some truths are better left a mystery.

Can they overcome their differences in order to survive or will the darkness overcome them both?

Title: Scratches

Author: Joshua Marsalla

Hardcover: 130 pages

Publication Date: 05/11/2020

Publisher: Independently Published

Language: English

ISBN-13: 979-8642086827

ASIN: B088GKFZT

My Review

When things go scratch in the night!!! Looks like Marsella got it right. 😊

This little dark tale of a novella is devised of all the right stuff that makes the hub go pitter-patter. If it’s in fright or moments of heart or shock, it is one of those stories you can’t put down.

Connor is home and on summer break. He and his mother, Janet, have just moved into the house they inherited from his deceased grandfather that also was her childhood home. Their life isn’t plush and Janet is exhausted after long hours on her feet working to provide food on the table. Conner’s father has been out of the picture all his life and he has learned to mind his mother’s ways, especially when she has had her drinks and tunes him out to watch her Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy after work.

In a moment of exactly one of those nights, Connor has a brilliant idea to move his furniture into the basement since it’s much cooler down there and it would give him a bit of more privacy. His mom doesn’t like the basement anyway so he would have free reign.

There’s not much left in Janet to argue, she is always so exhausted, and she lets her son be. The drinks do a fine job drowning out her childhood memories in this home she isn't ready to share with him yet.

Connor is a good kid, but the absence of a dad and the loss of a grandfather he never really knew, have him curious. When some scary things start happening around him in the basement and his mom becomes tight-lipped, he takes it on himself to investigate.

What he learns about this house, his family and himself is truly shocking and becomes hauntingly real when things go scratch in the night!

***

I was blown away by this debut novella…shock and awe in the best and some disturbing ways. It is highly readable and the overall writing style is kept conversational. There’s quite a big story tugged into the 130 pages of this novella that somewhere at midway became practically unputdownable.

There’s a bit of that Americana feel to it but it is broken, it hurts, and you can feel the characters' struggles. Conner is such a likable kid and despite his mother’s faults, she will grow on you as well. All of it in such a short time.

When the family mystery unfolds, it turns into quite a disturbing story all the while haunting elements are going on in the basement. Between all of the components that come together and added up right, I enjoyed all the nostalgia outside of the dark elements too.

If you need a break from longer books, try this nugget with a bite. You won’t be disappointed.

Happy Reading