The Grimmer by Naben Ruthnum (ARC Review)

Title: The Grimmer
Author: Naben Ruthnum
Type: Fiction
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Horror
Publisher: ECW Press
Date published: September 26, 2023

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by ECW Press in exchange for an honest review.

The small-town mysteries of John Bellairs are made modern with a dash of Stranger Things in this spine-tingling supernatural horror-thriller.

After his father returns from treatment for addiction, highschooler Vish ― lover of metal music and literature ― is uncertain what the future holds. It doesn’t help that everyone seems to know about the family’s troubles, and they stand out doubly as one of the only brown families in town. When Vish is mistaken for a relative of the weird local bookseller and attacked by an unsettling pale man who seems to be decaying, he is pulled into the world of the occult, where witches live in television sets, undead creatures can burn with a touch, and magic is mathematical. Vish must work with the bookstore owner and his mysterious teenage employee, Gisela, to stop an interdimensional invasion that would destroy their peaceful town.

Bringing together scares, suspense, and body horror, The Grimmer is award-winning author Naben Ruthnum’s first foray into the young adult genre. This gripping ride through the supernatural is loaded with vivid characters, frightening imagery, and astonishing twists, while tackling complex issues such as grief, racism, and addiction.

⤖ My Review ⬻

When I found out that The Grimmer was a Canadian YA novel set in British Columbia, was written by a diverse author and contained diverse characters, and was pitched as a “spine-tingling supernatural horror-thriller,” I was hooked. The mysterious cover made me want to read it that much more, hinting at hidden clues and meanings that awaited within The Grimmer’s pages.

Overall, this book was an entertaining read. I laughed a few times, and also cried at others as this book touches on grief and racism. Ruthnum skillfully weaves together themes of loss, identity, coming of age, and the supernatural, creating quite the interesting combination in a narrative.

The pacing felt a little strange at times, but once I finished the book, I realized that this was probably on purpose and to add to the experience. It definitely left me feeling unsettled, and kept me on the edge while I navigated the twists and turns of the plot.

I really like how the author handled everything and how the story wrapped. I would definitely read something by Ruthnum again, and recommend The Grimmer to fans of horror and thriller young adult novels.

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Naben Ruthnum is a Canadian writer, who has published work under both his own name and the pen name Nathan Ripley. He won the Journey Prize in 2013 for his short story “Cinema Rex”, and has since published the books Curry: Reading, Eating and Race (2017), a non-fiction essay collection about immigrant cultural identity in food and literature, and two literary thriller novels, Find You in the Dark[4] and Your Life is Mine. Ruthnum’s current novel, A Hero of Our Time, was published in January, 2022 and a novella, Helpmeet, was published in May, 2022. Originally from Kelowna, British Columbia, Ruthnum is of Mauritian descent. He has a master’s degree from McGill University, where he wrote his thesis on the role of Oscar Wilde in the development of the ghost story in British literature.