Welcome to Litsy!

This book is definitely a vibe - it‘s a story about ghost stories and the hold they have over us. We never see what actually happens - just the retellings (or remakings!), first as a campfire tale, then a low budget 1970s horror, then a 1990s meta-horror remake, and finally a podcast. These stories are all by men, about women and the novel is secondarily about how men control women‘s stories. Thought provoking with spooky vibes.

“Amber‘s temple met sandstone. Shards of white-hot stars pierced her field of vision, like light from a projector burning through a snagged filmstrip, bubbling and distorting and chewing through the quivering celluloid until a black hole burst open and swallowed her, leaving behind nothing but darkness.”

This is the third Chapman book I have read and he never fails to launch me in his worlds that I think about daily. Truly his works are my Roman Empire.

The Remaking takes place in Pilot‘s Creek with the story of a mother and daughter who was persecuted by men for being witches. Their legacy lives on in cult horror movies and one haunted woman, Amber Pendleton. Just like Ghost Eaters, I will be thinking about this one for a long time. 4.75 stars!

Well, it's a signed ARC, at least! Weird!

Me: aw man, why does Thriftbooks keep lying about ARCs being hardcovers?! Sucks!
Then...

Listening to the first episode of a new podcast and this book is the first topic and I gotta say, the author is charming. Hearing that Let's Scare Jessica To Death was a touchstone for this novel -does- make me want to retry it.

The Remaking started off strong with a measured blend of sad and unsettling descriptions. Part two proved just as intriguing and I was excited to see how everything played out. Part three, however, overflowed with superfluous details and repetitiveness. This is really where I struggled the most with the story, as I desperately wanted things to move along. The final section conveyed a powerful message, but I didn‘t love the execution here.

Much of this book about a recurring ghost story haunting one woman‘s life is so-so. Decent concept but poor execution. Then comes the last part, which is so bad this goes straight to pan territory. Just no.

Thank you to @QuirkBooks for this copy of “The Remaking”.

I was nervous about this one because the reviews aren‘t great, but I ended up really enjoying it. I thought that the characters were strong and the use of time was really interesting as it went through different periods to illustrate the story all while using horror tropes to really create the ambience. I thought this was clever and creepy and would love to see it be made into a movie. (My reading buddies joined in for my photo 😺)

"But the repetition is the POINT," screams the book.
"I don't CARE," I call back before wandering into the woods for the 70th time.

Tracking my progress, I just made it to the 90s meta remake. Presumably something must go badly enough to warrant a true crime podcast? I guess it could be a true crime podcast about witch burnings.

A ghost story plus an urban legend plus a horror story. There's nothing not to love in this one. And so many little easter eggs tossed in for those of us who are fans of horror movies and books. Look, even Eleanor loves it!

4/5 ⭐ Recommended for #horror fans! This was a fun and creepy read, but what I really loved about it was its commentary on movies, particularly horror movies, and the influx of remakes and retellings and reimaginings. This was a great read.