| Title | : | Carus \u0026 Mitch |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0692343377 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780692343371 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 88 |
| Publication | : | First published February 23, 2015 |
The barricades will hold.
They have to.
Carus \u0026 Mitch Reviews
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Suddenly I realise that the thing in the grass isn't lying down, but squatting.
It bursts up out of the darkness. I stumble backwards onto the concrete but the thing claws at my face and my hair's snagged and I'm shouting until my throat aches.
Okay, I don't understand this novella. It's very ambiguous. Carus is 15, her sister Mitch is 7. They live in a few rooms of a boarded-up house. They are scared to leave the house because their (now dead) mom told them it wasn't safe out there. Mitch was just a baby when they came to this house, she doesn't know anything about the world outside.
Outside has always been just the yard with its drooping flowers and tall fence. Everything beyond that point are just stories, either mine or from books. The photo encyclopedia she loves so much is as fictional as any storybook.
They have chickens in one room in the house. Every day, Carus leaves some eggs in her mailbox outside the fence. And they are taken and replaced by tins of food by a man known only as Jom, whom the kids have never seen.
Mitch is getting antsy and defiant, she hates being cooped up in the house and doesn't really believe her sister's warnings about how dangerous it is outside.
Now for the real question: What the fuck is going on here? It's very unclear. Is this post-apocolyptic? Are the girls indeed right and smart to hide, because there are zombies or aliens or summat out there? Will they really be in danger if they leave the fence? Or was their mom a psycho, and taught her kids to hide and live in isolation, then dying and leaving them all alone terrified of the outside world? Or is Mitch herself psychotic?
Anyway, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Is it gripping? Yes. Is it creepy? Heck yes. But it doesn't give us any answers and that grates my cheese.
Tl;dr - A well-written, creepy story that was very unsatisfying due to its lack of answers. I would only recommend it to people who love ambiguity in their stories. I don't like horror that doesn't explain itself in the end - but if it weren't for this pet peeve of mine, this would have gotten a 3-star (or 4 or 5, depending on the explanation). So I'm not discouraging you from reading it, but be warned!
P.S. The author contacted me to read this story, but I paid full price for my copy. Boo-yah!
P.P.S. After reading all the reviews for this on GR, I have to say I have no problem with the cover. I like the cover. -
I nabbed this from the Horror After Dark review list because I like what's going on at Omnium Gatherum. I've read a few books from them now and a couple of them have knocked my socks off. I include this novella in that category.
Carus and Mitch are the names of two girls living alone in a house. Their house is barricaded throughout and the girls only have access to a couple of the rooms. They have live chickens in the dining room. Their mother's locket hangs on the wall.
That's all I can tell you. Why, you ask? The fun that I had with this story was teasing out the truth of the narrative, and I don't want to spoil that for anyone else. I'm still not sure that I have all the answers, but I find as I'm thinking about the story now, a few more things have become clear. (Or have they? I'm not sure!) But I have always enjoyed ambiguous tales and this is definitely one.
I thought this story was well written and cleverly told. I expected answers that I wasn't given, and I liked that. I liked having to work a little bit to understand things. I enjoyed not having everything tied up in a pretty little package. In this way, Tim Major reminds me a lot of Greg F. Gifune and that's the highest compliment I can think of right now.
To summarize, I recommend this novella to lovers of ambiguous and sophisticated dark fiction. I call it sophisticated because this is more than just a straightforward story, it needs the reader's input to be complete. This reader loved it! -
I was gifted a copy of this novella by the author, Tim Major. A great many thanks for the opportunity to read this wonderful story.
When I first started reading this book, I was immediately reminded of the novel Bird Box by Josh Mallerman. I loved that book, and although there were parts of this novella that reminded me of that book, they weren't really similar the farther I got through it. To me, this book seemed more of a psychological thriller, and it was a nice treat.
Carus and Mitch are two sisters who are hidden away in a few rooms of their house, while barricades block off the rest of the rooms to keep them safe from the frightening things outside. The windows are covered, and the Carus only goes outside at certain times to pick up trades from someone named Jom. They trade chickens and eggs for tins of food, crackers, and chicken feed. The girls continue like this for years after their mother disappeared. The novella tells the story of how the younger sister, Mitch, begins to question Carus, and how their relationship becomes strained as Mitch ventures outside, against the wishes of her sister.
While I thought this was a great book (I read in quickly, and in one sitting, because it was so delightful), I wish there had been some more concrete answers to some of the mysteries in the book. I also wish this book had been longer, because I thought that it could have been a fantastic full length novel. I look forward to reading more from this author. -
It is said that humans are creatures of habits and I am certain that I have some of my own. I believe I even started to develop another one and that is to fit, as much as possible, more titles released by Omnium Gatherum Books within my readings. The first few ventures I took in their publishing work have been satisfactory. Actually, that is an understatement since the rewards coming out of Omnium Gatherum’s titles I read have been more than just satisfactory. As it proved to be the case with their latest book falling into my hands, Tim Major’s novella, “Carus and Mitch”.
Carus and Mitch are two sisters living alone in a big house, isolated from the outside. Only their home is reduced to only a few rooms and a small yard, with the rest of the house boarded up. Each day they attend their chores, among them exchanging the eggs from the chickens living in their dining room for canned food and checking the barricades raised against the outside world. But things are about to change for Carus and Mitch.
My full review:
http://darkwolfsfantasyreviews.blogsp... -
I’m just going to be blunt right away. I don’t like the title of the book, and I don’t care for the cover either. I don’t like them because I feel like they’re misleading. Not misleading in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village kind of way, but in that Tim Major’s caliber of writing far exceeded any expectations I had after seeing the cover, title, and reading the synopsis. It’s a fine wine and choice sirloin wrapped in a Happy Meal box. They do this great story a great injustice.
What I found inside were two sisters (Carus & Mitch) being brought to life by way of believable dialogue and character subtleties that drove much of the story. The two young girls (age 7 and the other in her teens) find themselves living alone in a house that has been strategically barricaded with particular areas off limits. And we don’t know why. Save for a certain time of day—and only in a particular area of the yard—going outdoors is forbidden. Again, we have no idea why. The younger sister is in the dark as much as we are, while her older sibling continually reassures her that there are no real people left and the world is not what it once was. Clues start to slowly give way to evidence of a post-apocalyptic setting with still several mysteries yet to be revealed.
Much of the book leaves you guessing as to what exactly is going on with these girls and the life they have grown accustomed to. For example, every day the girls harvest eggs from their live chickens and place them in a trade box beyond an unusually tall gate, while the enigmatic, unseen character who goes by the name of “Joms,” takes the eggs and leaves behind chickenfeed, cans of food, and crackers. Yes, a bit curious.
I was surprised at how long the story carried on without filling too much in and yet I didn’t care. Sure, I wanted to be let in on all the little secrets. But I was fully enjoying the mysteriousness of it all while watching the interaction between the two sisters. Major’s writing carried the story in a way that wouldn’t be easy for just any writer to pull off. I felt like I was never bored when I otherwise should have been.
Initially I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. It left some questions unanswered and took some deep reflection to search for conclusions. After further digestion, along with a good night’s sleep, my level of satisfaction upped. I don’t believe any reader will be able to fill every missing piece of the puzzle that is Carus & Mitch, but I think they’ll have fun trying.
~Chad Lutzke, Horror Novel Reviews -
Highly recommend this book to speculative fiction fans! This is one of my favorite reads so far this year (2015). Great characters, great mystery. You won't get all the answers, but you'll enjoy unraveling the mystery.
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Two young girls, Carus, 15 years old, and her 7 year old sister, Mitch, are wrapped up tightly in their own little fortress of a house in the middle of nowhere. Most of the windows are covered to hide any light from within, and they have built a strong reinforcement to barricade another section of the home. It is much better for them to live at the back of the house because it faces the hillside. They promised their Mum to stay hidden when she brought them to their uncle's house five years ago, so they won't break that promise. They won't leave to see the scratching and creeping beings outside. Even though their Mum is gone now. Each day they gather the chicken eggs that they will leave in the trading box between the gates for canned foods, or crackers from the trader named Jom, but otherwise, they stay inside where it's safe. Mitch is too young to remember electricity, or the ocean, or what it was like to receive mail, but Carus often tells her stories of the life they use to have in Oxford. Lately, her headaches have been too painful to tell them very often, but she has to take care of Mitch and show her how to stay alive in their world.
I received a copy of the e-book from the author himself in turn for an honest review. I was totally hooked after reading the first chapter. I love most apocalyptic books, but this one seemed unique in the relationship of the two sisters and their small part of a bigger, more frightening world. It was a little shorter than a regular book and I might consider it more of a novella. All in all, it was a great read. Thanks Tim! -
Carus & Mitch is the first horror short story I’ve ever read and I must say it made me a fan of the genre.
The closest thing I’ve read to this was Stephen King’s Under The Dome and they are clearly in two different levels but Tim Major’s writing and plot gripped me very tightly, regardless of this difference.
Mitch and Carus are amazing characters and their relatioship is very interesting to read about. But I do think the short story, even though being supposed to be short (duh!), would’ve benefited from a deeper exploration of their personality traits. It’s like showing the reader a piece of chocolate and not letting him eat it.
Now, trying not to spoil anyone: I think the ending could’ve been more intense and complex. Mainly because I built up such high expectations due to the gripping beginning and middle parts of the storyline. The idea of this two sisters living alone in a closed house, barricading themselves and being afraid of going outside is very inviting to the reader, or at least to me it was. I just had to find out why!
What I admired the most in Carus & Mitch, though, was Tim Major’s ability of writing a whole story (and spooky one furthermore!) with just two characters and still make it so gripping.
To wrap it up, Carus & Mitch was a reading I enjoyed quite a lot and would recommend if you’d like to start reading different and spooky book genres.
And keep in mind that looking at the chocolate is quite good already since that means the chocolate is there in the first place! -
This brief but intense book kept me awake till I finished it. I should know better than to start a new book at midnight. The author, Tim Major, is masterful at creating atmosphere and steadily increasing the sense of foreboding that permeates the story. Sisters Carus and Mitch live alone, barricaded in a few rooms of a large old house. Questions abound from the first page. Why are they alone? What is outside that they are afraid of? Why are they so tired and achy? What happened that brought them to such circumstances? I had to keep reading to find out.
Clues appear gradually, but the questions grow more frightening with each chapter. With each small revelation, the fear and creep factor multiply tenfold. By the time I reached the end, I was absolutely breathless. I'm still not completely certain what happened, but that is part of the strength of this book. I lay awake, going over and over every detail, trying to reconstruct the course of events. The story is sure to stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended!
Special thanks to the author for the review copy. -
I received a digital copy of this novelette for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Carus & Mitch was a decent little read. The first three quarters of the book are very well written and give you a great profile of the title characters. The story is interesting and suspenseful. The last quarter, while still well written, seems to be a little rushed and was initially confusing to me, but sort of resolved itself with the finale. I think it would have benefited the author to stretch it out a bit further and make sure the changes were gradual rather than all at once.
While I would have liked a more detailed explanation into the mysterious setting of the story, it was nevertheless enjoyable.
Regardless of the confusing ending, it was still very good and well worth an hour or twos reading time. -
Carus & Mitch is a wonderfully creepy tale of sisters surviving alone in a partitioned home in an ambiguous new world. I enjoyed every moment here. The rules of this new world are vague and they are given to you in small doses, hints & clues, or not at all, which adds to the mystique, the mystery. And the charm.
The dynamic between the sisters is great and more than a bit heartbreaking, especially as the situation is revealed. They play off each other well, with unique personalities that read like authentic little girls.
I'd recommend this piece, while heartedly. Especially for fans of Tim Lebbon's In The Valley Where The Belladonna Grows. Carus & Mitch has a similar air about it. It's haunting, on a few levels and I'm sure that I'll revisit soon.
**Note: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. These are my unbiased feelings, I loved this piece. -
This one makes you go "Hmmmm". I found myself turning it over and over in my brain long after I had finished reading it. From beginning to end I was caught up in Carus' attempt to protect her little sister Mitch. I found myself along for the ride as things begin to spiral out of control and I felt her pain as she does the best that she can to keep everything together.
The author did an excellent job of ratcheting up the tension and leaving me on the edge of my seat. For a short story, this one packed a lot of punch! -
Carus & Mitch centers around two young sisters who live alone it a barricaded house. They're only connection with the outside is trading with a mysterious figure named Jom. While this story is short it manages to suck you in and leave you wanting more. With a twist ending you won't see coming, this story is a must read!
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I received a copy of this novella from the Author.
This story left me unsettled! Which is what makes it good! I'm always looking for different, unpredictable and perhaps even a bit out there. This hit that spot for me! When I started reading "Carus & Mitch" I didn't stop. When I was finished, I had to take a moment to consider what I had just experienced. Fantastic! -
An enjoyably dark and twisted little read that keeps you guessing long after the book is done.
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A nice quick read, enjoyed it very much. Good twist ending. The book seems like it's a small part of a much bigger story, it could easily be expanded on.
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(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
This book was actually shorter than I expected... more of a short story than a novella. I still found it quite interesting, though.
I was really unclear about exactly what the society was like that Carus and Mitch were in. While it was clear they were hiding from something... I really couldn't figure out what it was they were sheltering from.
Parts of this story read very much in a more surreal way. I thought perhaps that one of the characters had descended into insanity by the end... but even reaching the end page, I understood very little about what was really going on.
It was good to see the relationship between Carus and Mitch. I was intrigued by the fact that the names didn't seem to be their real names... that raised more questions than answers, too.
I didn't really get a good image of the house the sisters were staying in. While it was apparently boarded up (and probably really dark), it didn't really feel like that. It would have been good to see more of how the two of them were able to feed themselves and cope without any kind of electricity. I would have liked to know what the scratching sound actually was... if it was only in their heads, or if there were others outside.
I thought the fact that Carus' and Mitch's relationship grew strained towards the end came across really well. I thought Mitch was written really well for the age she was and there were times I felt some sympathy for Carus... even though I have my own theories for what happened at the end of the book.
I was intrigued by the mentions of Jom, though I wasn't sure what kind of a person he was, since I didn't get a chance to see him or get to know anything about him other than what Carus and Mitch said and what was written on the notes.
I did find this book really quick and easy to read. In the future, I would definitely be interested in reading more books by this author. This has a creepy atmosphere and is well-written... even without many questions being answered by the end. -
Tim Major’s novella Carus & Mitch is very much in love with its own ambiguity. So much so that after reading it, you’re left wondering what it is you’ve been doing for the last hour, and if you had a good time doing it. It’s got some interesting characters, a bizarre and unfortunate family dynamic, a terribly grim setting, and a series of mysteries that remain unsolved.
Major serves up a very bitter meal here, something unrelentingly dark and distressing. In that respect, the novella is extremely successful. Carus, the protagonist, is locked in the house with her younger sister Mitch, and is forced to not just provide for her, but maintain a level of physical security against an unnamed antagonist or disaster just outside. As both of these characters are children, it evokes a terrible poignancy: what happened to their mother? How will these poor children survive?
Carus boils everything down to an almost ritualized series of traditions that keeps them both busy and safe. She trades eggs for canned food, rations out the cans, and occasionally gives what few luxuries they acquire to Mitch, usually as an apology for having yelled at her or something similar. These two are hanging on by a thread, and we feel awful for them.
Still, we don’t know what’s happening in the world outside, if anything. Everything’s told in vague hints. Lacking a definitive climax, the story simply ends with us none the wiser. Ambiguity can have a very prominent place in dark fiction like this, but without any resolution, we’re left somewhat unsatisfied.
(Originally reviewed on Ginger Nuts of Horror:
http://gingernutsofhorror.com/4/post/...) -
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have no idea what's going on in this story. I've read the whole thing and still feel almost completely lost, which just adds to the mystery of the story. I'm really not sure if I should be mentally urging the girls to leave the house or if I should be cheering them on for staying safe for so long. I don't even know if this is something that should genuinely leave me terrified for the future (like a zombie apocalypse) or if it's an isolated incidence. There are just still so many unanswered questions, but maybe I missed some of the clues.
While reading the story, I was scared for the girls. I wanted Mitch to just do what her sister said and stay safe. I was living in the moment, and like Mitch, wondering what I would find outside. Unlike Mitch, I didn't want to actually go outside and find out (because I was picturing zombie apocalypse.)
Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It kept me engaged and made me worry about the girls, but I need just a little bit more resolution than I got. I'm not saying I need all my questions answered, because the lingering questions make horror stories more horrifying, but I could really use at least some partial answers to a couple of them, you know, so I at least know what I'm really scared of. I would definitely recommend this to horror fans.
Reviewed on Just Another Girl and Her Books blog
http://www.justanothergirlandherbooks... -
I was contacted by the author to read in exchange for a review which didn't color my review in any way. I really liked this novella,though like several other reviewers the ending left me a little unfulfilled. Carus and Mitch are two young girls who are virtual prisoners in a dilapidated house surrounded by barriers they have to check every day. In fact they barely even go into the yard. Slowly, in layers, we are granted peeks into their world which seems to be post apocalyptic (post plague? zombie? I'm not entirely sure, hence the unfulfilled part).
Carus is the elder sister and she is the full on caretaker of her baby sister, Mitch. Mom is absent and her room locked up. I'm unsure if Mom is dead, turned, run off, for most of this. Carus and Mitch raise chickens and put eggs in a box and recieve canned goods in return. This is their only contact with the broader world and one skipped delivery resulted in threats.
Mitch is truly chafing at her confinement and Carus has all she can handle trying to keep her sister inside and safe. Carus is old enough to know something is wrong out there, old enough to remember life beyond this house and the bad things that happened before their mother sheltered them there.
And then one day Mitch goes outside and everything goes sideways.
This is a creepy atmospheric novella but the ending felt a little too obsfucated. I never felt I understood all the world or the threat fully. Still, I enjoyed this one. -
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novella in return for my honest opinion.
My honest opinion is that I enjoyed this book, but it left me wanting a little more. This is a story about atmosphere and not story.
Carus and Mitch are two sisters living barricaded in a house. They have chickens, and someone named Jon (who they never see) comes to collect eggs in return for tinned goods. But who is Jon? How did the girls' mother die? And why is it so important that they never leave the house.
We never get a true answer, although the reader can come to some conclusions. And we are dealing with a highly unreliable narrator (who doesn't even realise how unreliable she is).
And like I said, I wanted more, but I think a good novella or short story should leave you wanting that little bit more.
I would definitely read more by this author. -
Weird. Totally and indisputably weird! Throughout the novella the reader is left drawing vivid pictures about why the characters, who are very well depicted, spend their time doing the things they are doing and why the need for the level of order and secrecy. The reader is left with huge imaginative leaps surging through the mind - all put there by the author's incredible use of words. At each step taken the characters become fuller yet less, more humane but horrific. We question every action by the characters and every moment of inaction. By the end of it all the reader has gained an insight into a macabre world that exists at the deepest levels of the psyche
The author provided me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review -
I know it sounds strange, but as much as I enjoyed reading this book as it was very suspenseful, I just didn't get the whole point of the story and was confused in certain parts. Loved the whole idea of two girls whose mother went missing (dead) and lived in a couple of rooms and were afraid to go outside. I do thank Tim Major for gifting me an e-copy of Carus & Mitch in exchange for an honest review.
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Though I don't usually read ebooks or novellas, the author contacted me to see if I would like a free copy. Of course, I said yes! This is a story about Carus and Mitch, they are young sisters, struggling to survive. The book has lots of twists & turns in it, just when you think you have something figured out, you find out that it is something else. It is a novella, so doesn't take a long time to read it, but you'll probably want to read it again. and again. and again.
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Carus & Mitch by Tim Major
There is not much more than what is given in the summary of Carus & Mitch that I can tell you or it will ruin the story. What I can say is the story is well written and shrewdly told. The book leaves you scratching your head and guessing what is going on; nothing is straightforward or spoon fed to you(which is a refreshing change).
If you like apocalyptic mysteries, you will like this book. It was a refreshing, enjoyable read!
3.8 Stars -
XXX This Kindle edition of his new book was a gift from Tim Major. Thank you, Mr. Major, for sharing your work with me.
Carus & Mitch is an excellent alternate world held together by sisterly caring. The ending was -POP- completely unexpected, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys a short trip into a very vivid imaginational land.
