Seems kind of like the “I have free candy!” phrase doesn’t it? When the narrator confronts him for being a “bad friend” (something that is even more painful when it’s revealed what happens to Josh later) Josh responds quietly “You left” – implying that the PP has sense refocused his attention onto Josh. Each story introduces a related element that is important to the next. When the PP takes the picture of the narrator in the ditch, Josh appears in the photo delivered to the boy’s home. Makes you think “how often do I actually check down there?”. Maybe the creepy stuff in the beginning was actually Josh (misspelled name on the note) and he brought Alex along afterwards. It seemed like a pretty important part of the story since they talked so much about her there for a while. Just my two cents. My biggest remaining question is the ending. I don’t find the absence of her own two children odd at all. He seems found of the narrator (in his own…cat-ly way), he alerts the family to danger, and like the others who love and protect the narrator by foiling the PP’s plans, he pays with his life. Even though it is implied that the narrator is the target of the PP, Josh is present in every interaction. My decision to examine Auerbach’s inaugural effort proved not only time worthy, but insanely fruitful. Hello and welcome to the review of Pen Pal Book: the newsletter.Here's the basic information that I came across to: PenPal Book, Issue 29 "It is hard to find people who still like to do snail mail, so I have a newsletter I send out in January, April, July & Oct. Copyright © 2021 But Alzheimer’s (like just about all dementias) is progressive….When you have it, you don’t level off at a certain degree of confusion, and continue living alone years later, still able to dress and feed yourself, let alone make cookies or shop for a shark float. I’ve also been continuing thinking on this and does any one have any ideas as to why Josh’s sister was killed? Because I just read that he heard Boxes through the Walky-talky, and that’s it. ( Log Out /  PENPAL got pretty good ratings on Amazon (4.5 stars) and did slightly less well on Goodreads (3.88 stars). Joshua and his friend Josh? Author of Say No to Drugs, writer for Blumhouse, Dread Central, Horror Novel Reviews and Addicted to Horror Movies. Loved the book though and I think I’ll be playing it over in my head for a while now. He was inside her house (or nearby), then presumably was the one following the protagonist across the lawn as he walked toward home. Josh is present when the narrator gets the phantom birthday card with those same words scrawled on it. Why were they briefly separated? Penpal has a rather interesting origin story. The narrator doesn’t state that he noticed a difference in stride of footfall of the person walking behind him- Something that he would have given that the PP is a large man (possibly wearing shoes) and Maggie is a small, frail, barefoot woman. The narrator’s name is never given. During my quest for great fiction I’ve discovered some grand slams and some embarrassing strikeouts. His intentions aren’t clearly outlined until the latter portions of Auerbach’s story, but I’ll give you this much to chew on: this guy isn’t some simple pervert with mere sexual gratification on his mind; so forget about giving Chris Hansen a call, this is one perpetrator that isn’t showing up with booze and rubbers to meet an under-aged girl. I thought it was significant that the narrators notes that his mom brought home boxes before he started kindergarten. I also think Auerbach tries so hard to lead us astray in the end scene that he really is cheating. (Honestly it made me soo depressed, i loved Josh! Because of how close the narrator and Josh are, we can assume that the PP knows Josh just as well as he does the narrator. On September 30, 2020 By BookishKash In Book Reviews. But maybe she thought her son was her husband because of the age (due to her Alzheimer’s). We know that the stalker tried to make Josh seem like the narrator by dyeing his hair and turning his attention to him when the narrator became unavailable. Book Review: Penpal by Dathan Auerbach. not a problem at all Dathan is a REALLY good guy, and very warm with fans and critics alike. It seems like he ran out of answers himself and decided that, yeah, we’d have to write the end ourselves, for real. Perhaps that’s the narrator’s name? After I finished the book at about 12:30am I was up for at least another hour thinking of it — a little freaked out but mostly trying to figure out all of the things I still had questions on. Buy Penpal by Auerbach, Dathan (ISBN: 8601400393642) from Amazon's Book Store. Just a cool cat. But with any kind of dementia or psychosis, she might be fooled into thinking it was “Tom” who was home. You’re in, you’re scared, you’re out. It makes combing through the book tiring and irritating, not a juicy, edge -of-your-seat hunt to pin down the last clue. Reading the comments on it, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t immediately “get it”. The entirety of “Maps” sets us up to acknowledge that Maggie is helpless, that her mind is rapidly deteriorating, and that (like most older people) she loves to interact with children. When the PP takes Veronica’s phone and carries out a series of text conversations with the narrator, it’s implied that Josh is killed soon after. When Miss Maggie said “Tom is home” and then died. And like Boxes and Maggie (but on a much larger scale) his presence in the narrator’s life is a protective one. This makes Maggie’s loneliness and memory issues more realistic (I thought). Book Review: PenPal. In fact, throughout the stories, at times that the narrator would have been the sole person interacting with the PP, Josh is always around, keeping the narrator from being alone with the PP. She could have had a split personality due to her age, which could explain why she seemed to act cold to the narrator that night until she entered her Alzheimer’s stage. His constant “being around” is declarative to his love of the narrator. ( Log Out /  She had Alzheimers so she probably didn’t remember what Tom looked like. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 252 pages and is available in Paperback format. Penpal began as a series of short and interconnected stories posted on an online horror forum. What is the book about? “Also, he should’ve explained why the stalker left the walkie-talkie (in a jacket, I believe) under the narrator’s bed.”. You can find Penpal here on Amazon or here on BookDepository. Awesome guy. Without consciously meaning to, Josh constantly stands in the way of his best friend and the PP. Boxes darting out the door is also heroic in it’s own way. Because the book is first person narrated, I think it’s best to interact with the key characters the narrator relates to us, their significance to him, and their subsequent demises. Ah ha! I have the same question as Jade. You will never, I repeat NEVER, find anything worthwhile on it. Just, to me, choosing to be buried alive with Josh for no apparent reason seems… pointless. Ether, for those too young to recognize it, is a liquid anesthetic used in the days before modern gases. The two are inseparable throughout the bulk of the book. Firstly, i really don’t understand why the narrator wasn’t given a name! That’s why Ms. Maggie was out late at night, which the narrator said seemed weird and out of place. Before long, it was adapted into illustrations, audio recordings, and short films; and that was before it was revised and expanded into a novel! She may have abducted two boys for an extended period of time, naming them Chris and John once they were held captive. When the boys go out on the lake at night in “Maps”, Josh’s presence keeps the narrator from being alone in the woods with the PP. Thinking about the cats I’ve had in my life, while not as forcefully protective as a dogs size allows them to be, I do believe that cats are protective of “their” homes and people. Abhorrent Admirer: The stalker towards Dathan.While we never see him in face to judge him as unattractive until the end at least his obsessive personality surely makes him monstrous. There is next to no character arc. I think it’s worth noting that the author spends a good amount of time conveying Josh’s character to the reader. Adding onto the Ms. Maggie is a sexual predator theory, maybe she kept those boys trapped in her house. End of book review of Penpal April 3, 2014 bensunter Leave a comment *Shiver… Really bad idea to read this book until 11:45. Given the short nature of the story (252 pages) and the multitudes of praise (123 reviews at the moment and a five-star rating) I … Review #20 Penpal has a rather interesting origin story. I quite literally was not able to put it down and stayed up hours later than I planned because I had to keep reading. While I believe I understand what happened, why is still an open question to me. There is never any indication that the PP’s possession of Josh lessens his obsession with the narrator, but Josh seems to die in the narrator’s “place”. Book Reviews: Horror Penpal by Dathan Auerbach. The story, which entangles readers and seizes complete attention early, functions on a multifarious level and is assembled in unorthodox but well calculated fashion. ‎In an attempt to make sense of his own mysterious and unsettling childhood memories, a man begins to reconstruct his past. I too enjoyed this book (for the most part) but was a bit dismayed by the messy storyline, unnecessary filler, and confusing plot points. This horrifying act leads to Josh’s murder and the destruction of his family. When the narrator leaves the presence of Maggie’s house, it is Josh who lets him into the house (almost as if the two are “changing guard” over the narrator). I think that Boxes is a character in his own right. The police report states everything that Dathan(or whoever you think it would be) went through at the beggining of the “stalking” from the way it started to when he found the pictures with him in it. Also, how did PP know the narrator was going to the movies? No, there’s a far more sinister plan being birthed for our story’s young target (who, unless I somehow missed it goes unnamed throughout the tale), and lifelong longevity definitely doesn’t fit into the equation. Most adult children move away from their hometown. It wasn’t until I reached the third story that I realized it was a similar setting! How such an altercation would have ended, it’s hard to say. That would mean that she would probably see the PP leaving the woods, taking the narrators shirt and putting the drawing into the narrators pants-pocket. Change ). This is a hauntingly rewarding novel that I’ll read again in the future. The PP, who is likely enraged by a foiled attempt to engage with the narrator, and probably not wanting any witnesses, kills Maggie and leaves her body in the house to be discovered by the stench. Also: This story has me installing (pet immune) motion sensors in my basement and crawlspace! (Calling the narrator after the author) Anytime an author casts a child aside, thrown to the jowls of a man-eater, the fear takes on a tangible nature. A dog would bark at an intruder coming into the house and with a dog barking, the mother would have woken up to catch PP removing her son from his bed. We Want Your Votes for Best Horror Novel of 2016! She now knows what the PP looks like, and this is significant to what happens next. Josh is bold, loyal, easy-going and loving. (I’m a ditz, sue me.). But a novel needs more than a singular identity to create true connectivity, and Dathan, who obviously understands such facts, introduces readers to a few fantastic supporting players, including (most noteworthy) fellow thrill-seeker and best friend Josh as well as the faceless penpal (an unsettling menace who clings to the shadows and isn’t glimpsed until the final pages of the story) of our primary personality and unsuspecting victim-to-be. His every appearance brings out the best in the narrator. Watch Queue Queue. Penpal often comes off as disjointed. The details are at times a tad vague, which admittedly leads to some quizzical conjecture (why is our antagonist so obsessed with photography, especially when he’s taken up residence in such close proximity of his desired target? You’ll likely guess, based upon the novel’s title alone, that this story focuses on a “penpal” who isn’t exactly… normal. “We know that the stalker tried to make Josh seem like the narrator by dyeing his hair and turning his attention to him when the narrator became unavailable”. I like the theory mentioned above that the stalker sent Mrs Maggie out to invite Dathan in to lure him in, but subconsciously something felt wrong so she told the boy to leave. I buy that PP had taken Josh as a substitute for whatever reason (though one could argue that Josh was more valuable as bait, but these things are seldom rational) but I don’t understand the manner of the death. Even though people with Alzheimer’s frequently confuse names, faces and time lapse, it’s possible she sensed that the man now in her home was a danger to the narrator. There’s a Quentin Tarantinoesque disjointedness exercised throughout the novel, as Dathan keeps readers leaping around a wide timeline. How was the narrator unavailable? Up until then I had assumed they grew apart because the events in the narrator’s old house were super f-ed up and he just wanted to not think about it. Anyways, now that I’ve finished the book, curled up into a fetal position,cried in the shower, and spoken to a therapist- I think I’m ready to talk about it now. PenPal came as a suggestion to me via Amazon, I didn’t know anything about it’s creepypasta origins when I purchased it. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. I’m sure the PP was sneaking into the narrators room to hold/touch him, until he worked up the nerve to full out kidnap him). However, when viewed as a whole it becomes limited in its ability to scare. My favorite sections were “Footprints”, “Balloons,” and “Boxes”. In an attempt to make sense of his own mysterious and unsettling childhood memories, a man begins to reconstruct his past. I kind of had that feeling that Dathan wanted to leave it open to interpretation. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. A quick summary. Penpal <— THIS ONE IS TOUTED AS ONE OF THE SCARIEST BOOKS (at least per the scary-book lists online right now), and OMG look at all the awesome reviews.HOLY MOLY. Slenderman Video: Author Lee McGeorge Explores the Home of Slenderman! I don’t know about the book, but the Reddit version was awesome. When Miss Maggie said “Tom is Home” I took it as the killer had seen she was getting close to the narrator. Remember the crawlspace. Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell and 16 Other Amazing Horror Authors Tell Us What Books Terrify Them! Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Penpal began as a series of short and interconnected stories posted on an online horror forum. It’s hard to say how much of the PP Josh had been able to piece together. Review: Penpal (Dathan Auerbach) Posted on January 3, 2015 by Kirsty We want so badly to be happy – to live the kinds of lives that we always hoped we’d live – that we give gifts to ourselves by remembering things not as they were but as we wish they were Since Maggie frequently refers to the boys by her sons’ names, it makes sense that she’d refer to any grown man who approached her by her late husbands name. Yeah I got the feeling that the stalker was Mrs. Maggie’s son, although I don’t know who would be in the other bag unless it was her other son. And you know me, I’m all for finding that next super-scary, sleep-with-the-lights-on book… especially right now, on … Maggie confuses the boys for her two sons (who are, obviously, brothers). ( Log Out /  After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Auerbach was able to self-publish this novel under his reddit name 1000Vultures in 2012. :O) Also, the report at the end of the novel is obviously fake and is just for the sake of completing the “true story” feeling. Before long, it was adapted into illustrations, audio recordings, and short films; and that was before it was revised and expanded into a novel! Also, about the two sons; the twisted part of me thinks that maybe Ms. Maggie’s sons never really ‘disappeared’. Check out our most recent Penpal Books reviews now! Book Review for iHunt: Killing Monsters in the Gig Economy by David A. Hill Jr. Book Review for The Demon of Decay by Alex C. Gates, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Dathan Auerbach’s ‘Penpal’ Will See Cinematic Adaptation! Oh, well if that’s the reason it was left so open that makes sense. And in my earlier post, I ask what was the significance of the shark float and the hole (where the spiders were) the boys saw when both got lost in the woods together? All of this is pretty solvable by book’s end, though we’re not given much satisfaction of certainty about many of the answers, and a few–not just 2, actually, as I mistakenly said above–but form answers about the roles of Alex, Chris and hos family, Claire, and Samantha (who, actually, was a THIRD nurse). Time flies when you're having fun! Implied that the stalker has infiltrated the house. She could have been a sexual predator; a fact that the narrator’s mom felt was too complicated for the narrator to understand at his age. What a delight to see all the discussion here and have it be as recent as the end of 2015, I loved this story and am very happy to know people are still picking it up and reading it. When it becomes apparent that they won’t listen to her, she buys them the shark float (which- Bonus- makes a reappearance in the woods in “Footsteps”). Another theory suggests that the stalker was angry at Mrs Maggie for coming out and interrupting his kidnapping attempt. Thanks for posting your ideas!! . -.- Oh and if the the Penpal was still having fun stalking the narrator with his text “See you again, Soon.” Why did he decide to die with Josh in the end? The multiple bags t get out of place her presence protects the narrator and Josh s! Does not mean that Joshua was talked about and a known character in top. 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