What Hides Within by Jason Parent REVIEWED

I'll be honest. I'd been eyeing the work of Jason Parent for a while, for a variety of reasons.

He's garnered a significant amount of positive buzz over the past few years. He's very local to me, just one town over. His books all seem to have slightly off-kilter storylines...all things a guy who reads this kind of stuff looks for.

Something different, but comfortable.

When I was offered the opportunity to review the book, the author's debut novel, recently re-released by, for my money, the best publisher of horror fiction in the business right now, I was elated.

Rightfully so.

This book is fantastic. Notes of Chuck Palahniuk permeate the story in a wonderful way...Giving this book has serious mass-market potential. At the very least, I see it becoming a cult-classic of sorts to be revered by college students in a few years time.

Jason Parent has some serious ability to tell a story, with an incredibly unique voice and it's that quality that makes What Hides Within stand out of the crowd.

AND DID YOU SEE THAT FREAKIN' COVER!? Bloodshot Books puts out gorgeous editions of their books, taking meticulous care to make it look as good as it reads. Gotta be one of the best looking books I've seen in a while...

What Hides Within tells the story of a very standard, ho-hum guy, Clive. He's in his early thirties, works a mindless punch-in-punch-out kinda job, and shares an apartment in Fall River, Massachusettes (an impoverished city, about a half hour from me) with a college drop-out.

Clive's world is turned on it's head when on a fishing trip with his best friend-with-benefits, Morgan, where he ends up with a spider lodged in his ear, and eventually his brain.

Soon, he's a suspect in a rash of murders and all hell breaks loose.

That's the gist, but there's really so much more to this story. Tons of plot-twists, truly unexpected ones occur, catching even the most seasoned reader off guard. It's a wonderful mish-mash of genres, at the core being a horror novel, but so much more, with strong comedy, mystery and even romance elements tied into the story.

My favorite parts of the book are it's characters and locations. Given that the book takes place in areas I hang out in regularly, it was incredibly easy for me to envision this story while it unfolded, in places I go often, with characters that I know very well. One great scene takes place in a mall food court where I have been a million times. I truly appreciated this, as I often do.

Parent is also a master of surprise. I was caught off-guard many times while reading this, always kept on my toes.

My one critique is a bit of a sagging second act, where the pace slows a bit too much. However, this is quickly amended in the books final acts, and the books reaches it's climax with the blistering pace and jaw-dropping moments that dazzle the books first act.

Overall, I recommend What Hides Within, especially for those seeking something a little different. It's a great looking book, with a great story at it's core.

Available now through Bloodshot Books.

4/5.