Genre: Horror
Publisher: Shadow Work Publishing
Publication Date: 1st June 2016
Pages: 196
MY REVIEW:
So very late in the year last year I got sent Thomas S
Flowers’ first book in the Subdue
series, Dwelling, for review. In case
you missed it, I absolutely loved it and you can find a link for the review at
the bottom of this page. You can also check out my review of book two in the
series, Emerging. If you want a pure
overdose of Thomas S Flowers, then you can also check out the Confessions’
interview with him at the link below.
Reinheit is
one that I heard so much about so I really just wanted to pick it up for my own
reading pleasure instead of it being a review request.
Another reason for stating all of the above is because
all of that was done before I read Reinheit,
which was before I was asked to write the foreword for the current version.
Just getting it out there that I loved this man’s writing before I was asked to
do the foreword. I know there are some people out there that would throw an accusation
of favouritism about. The rest of you that know me, know that isn’t true.
Anyway, on with the review.
Rebecca Moss has one mission in life; to please her
husband, Frank. This generally means her life is easier and she has less
bruises to cover.
When she sees an antique Queen Anne high back chair, she
just must have it, no matter the cost. When she discovers that the chair’s last
owner was a Nazi General responsible for some of the worst atrocities during
World War II, she is still not put off and buys it for her beloved Frank.
Although Major Eric Schroder is long gone, he owned the
chair for a reason.
That reason is still very much alive.
One thing I always comment on in a book by Thomas Flowers
is his flawless character writing. Reinheit
was his first novel and I am so happy to see that this element of his writing
was present from the very beginning.
This story is set in two different eras in time. We have
a section set on the front line during the second World War spanning 1941 and
1942. In this we have only two main characters. Major Eric Schroder and his lieutenant,
Braun. Major Schroder is a dedicated SS officer who believes totally in the Furhrer’s
cause and what he is trying to achieve. Vicious in one sense, he also has
secrets. Secrets that would have him executed without trial in the world he
serves. Braun is a man trying to do his duty but when that duty involves the
total destruction of any Jew living, the sense of duty is overtaken by his
sense of humanity.
In the present day, our two main characters are Rebecca
Moss and her husband, Frank. Rebecca is a timid woman in one sense but more
powerful than she could ever imagine in others. The sort of person that would
flourish in a totally different way if she was in a totally different
situation. Frank is just vile. An over confident, self-righteous prick who
believes he is better than everyone and dishes out abuse to Rebecca whenever he
feels like it, just to teach her lessons.
There is one other, mysterious old man who keeps popping
up. You have no idea who he is or what his purpose is until much later in the
story. I had an idea early on who he was. I was sort of right but it in no way
spoilt the story for me.
The plot? As well as the story being set in two different
eras in time, the plot also has two very distinct sides to it.
The easy part is the story of the chair. It changes
ownership throughout time and creates its own history due to something that is
connected with it. Something evil. The chair may move around the world and have
many owners but the inherent evil remains. If it obviously falls into the hands
of someone who is evil in themselves, like Frank, well, you can only imagine
the effects it might have.
The difficult bit is the direction in which the story
moves but it is also the clever bit. This bit is also a trait you will see in
other books by Thomas S Flowers. He likes to tell a good story but he likes to
tackle stories while dealing with subjects that a lot of other authors wouldn’t
touch in a million years. In his later books, for example, we see many people
dealing with PTSD. Not an easy subject to write about let alone do it in a
sensitive manor.
Reinheit deals
with two types of abuse. In the World War II scenes it deals with the
Holocaust. Not the sort of subject that a lot of us like to think about never
mind read about. Imagine what it must be like to write about it? Thomas Flowers
pulls it off spectacularly. He makes it horrific. He makes you want to cry. He
makes you ashamed. But within all of that, he does it in such a way that
sensitivity just oozes from the pages. It’s not glorified in any way shape or
form. It shows the struggles within the minds of the people involved in
carrying it out. It shows the sickening reality of what could have happened. It
is described perfectly to give you a sense of horror and despair, without you
feeling it was overboard at all. Bravo Mr Flowers.
In the present day scenes, we see images of domestic or
physical abuse. Whatever you want to call it, it’s wrong. Again this is not a
subject I can imagine a lot of people feeling confident writing about. Again,
Thomas S Flowers pulls it off masterfully. You want to do all of the above from
the War scenes. Cry, feel horror, feel anger, feel ashamed. For a writer to
make you feel genuine anger towards a fictional character to the point where
you have to walk away from the book for a while to calm down, that’s some
pretty powerful writing right there.
These scenes highlight the plight of many
women who have to suffer this type of abuse daily. Highlight being the
appropriate word. Not once did it come across as anything but brutal for the
victim. Bravo again Mr Flowers.
But with all the hidden messages and deep and meaningful
thoughts that this story will plant in your head, it is a bloody fantastic read,
again.
It’s like old skool horror in the sense of having an
object that is possessed by some sort of inherent evil that travels everywhere
with it. It touches on the occult from the Nazi perspective right through to
the good old fashioned scare the pants off of you present day horror, where
people can’t control or stop the evil.
Add into that mix the beautifully written scenes with the
sensitive issues and when you have finished this you will look like a cartoon
character who has just had a bomb go off in their face. Your hair will be
everywhere and your face black and you will have no idea what just happened to
you.
To summarise: an ancient evil spans decades to bring
terror and despair to anyone who comes into contact with a chair. Adding in the
sensitive issues, this is a very powerful story that will hold your attention
and your emotions to the very end.
General rating:
★★★★★ superb!
Horror rating:
★★★★★ yup, superb!
If you would like to help support Confessions of a
Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Reinheit or any other books from Thomas.
This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like
to buy books after reading my reviews.
Thanks.
Book Synopsis:
Rebecca Moss never questioned the purchase of the strange
seductive armchair. She wanted to please Frank. But the armchair has a dark
purpose. Nazi officer Major Eric Schröder believed fervently in Hitler's vision
of purity. Now the chair has passed to Frank, an abusive thug who has his own
twisted understanding of patriotism. There are those who want to destroy the
armchair, to end its curse. But can the armchair be stopped before it completes
its work?
CONFESSIONS REVIEWS OTHER BOOKS BY THOMAS S FLOWERS
Thomas is living a rather simple and quite life with his beautiful wife and amazing daughter, just south of Houston, Texas.
And for more about Thomas, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page
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