BOOK INFO
Publisher: 47North
Length: 278 Pages
The Bird Eater focuses on Aaron Holbrook, a character who has experienced nothing but tragedy throughout his life. His mother died when he was only sixteen months old, his aunt died when he was fourteen, and recently lost his only son, Ryder, in a car accident. The loss of his son causes him to spiral into addiction and leads to the crumbling of his marriage to his wife, Evangeline. His therapist suggests he head back to his childhood home in Ironwood, Arkansas as a way to work on himself and attempt to piece his life back together after the tragic death of his son.
Things seem to be slowly turning around for Aaron as he reconnects with his childhood best friend Eric Banner and first love Cheri Vaughn and begins repairing the Holbrook House, which has fallen into disrepair due to the neighborhood kids who frequently broke into the house to get a glimpse of the ghost that is rumored to haunt the property. However, things quickly begin falling apart for Aaron. He is frequently hearing strange noises coming from within the house and begins finding piles of dead birds in the living room. Aaron does not believe in the paranormal when he first returns to Ironwood and suspects he is being tormented by the town’s residents, but when his terrifying nightmares slowly bleed into reality and he is stalked by a mysterious young boy that only he can see, Aaron begins to realize their may be some truth behind the terrifying rumors associated with his childhood home.
I have been a huge fan of Ania Ahlborn’s work ever since I stumbled across her demonic horror debut Seed on Amazon and her ability to craft an elegantly written yet scary as hell story has reached new heights with The Bird Eater. Her depiction of Aaron’s slow descent into madness due to the combination of overwhelming grief that has dominated his life and the haunting visions that come from living in the Holbrook House again is extraordinary. After experiencing so much heartache and tragedy, I couldn’t help but root for Aaron to overcome his crippling addictions and get his life back on track even as he slipped further away from reality.
The Bird Eater is a bleak and chilling tale that is an absolute must read for any horror fan. Shortly after the release of the novel, Publishers Weekly announced Ahlborn has signed a deal with Simon & Schuster’s Gallery books for three novels and two e-novellas. That is absolutely huge news and I think it goes without saying that I will be looking forward to her future works. I know the year is still fairly new, but Ania Ahlborn’s The Bird Eater has already cemented a place in my list of best horror reads of 2014.
Rating: 5/5
Ania Ahlborn’s Official Website
The Horror Bookshelf 