Judging a Book by Its Cover: Silk

Hi Mrs. B,

So, this was a book I read last year, a purchase that my SO got me, entirely based on the back of the book. I'm not talking about the excerpt or the summary. It was one single quote. Just like we talked about before, a single quote can make or break a reader on a book.

Silk by Caitlin R. Kiernan is a pretty amazing read. Very, very dark.


Now, mind you, if it had been me, the quote on the cover from Neil-freaking-Gaiman would have been it:

"A remarkable novel: a powerful and disturbing story. Deeply, wonderfully, magnificently nasty." - Neil Gaiman

But, it was one of the quotes on the back cover that caught his eye:

At the very bottom is a quote from Poppy Z. Brite: "Caitlin R. Kiernan writes like a Gothic cathedral on fire."

Yup, that clinched it. That image. Writing like a Gothic cathedral on fire -- all hellish and horrifying. 

That sold it. 

Yeah, Mrs. B., this was a great book. Not recommended for people who easily have nightmares, though. (I don't normally have nightmares and I had nightmares about spiders and demons for a week after reading this. I'm not arachnophobic. I don't know if you remember, but I was always the one capturing spiders and putting them outside to keep other people from squishing them.)

Definitely recommended for anyone who loves a good scare, a solid horrifying read, punk music, and 80s subculture.

Much Love!

-Odd