That Boy Ain’t Right: The Vile Thing We Created is a Story of a Terrifying Child with Terrifying Powers

 

The Vile Thing We Created

By Robert P. Ottone

Hydra Publications, 2023

410 ppg.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop

Kobo

Smashwords

 

Couples who consider parenthood go through a whole host of mysteries. Should we start a family now? Is this a good time? Will we be good parents? Will our kid turn out okay?

 

It’s really a toss-up on that last one, but for Ian and Lola Sumner, they have NO control over how their offspring turns out, because something sinister is at work here!

 

Ian and Lola Sumner almost accidentally became parents in the past, but they weren’t ready. Now, in The Vile Thing We Created by Robert P. Ottone, they are absolutely ready to welcome their very own little bundle into the world. But what happens after their pride and joy enters their lives turns out to be a nightmare!

 

I could relate when I read about the whole time the couple are debating what life will be like after their baby arrives. Been there! First-time parents really cannot know what to expect after having a kid! They can only do what they can and just hope for the best.

 

I had to laugh at the scene where Ian and Lola are having dinner with their friends, who are parents and bring their toddler along. There’s all these things that Ian is hearing about what happens when life with a toddler comes around and he is freaking out. Wow, have I been there! Trust me, I kept thinking twice over the whole “becoming a parent” thing before my first was born. And, yes, the expectant parent does need to be careful about what they eat, although I really didn’t see anything wrong with eating frozen mozz sticks. Those were a favorite! But I know that some people are super-careful with foods when it comes to pregnancy.

 

Yeah, becoming a parent definitely changes your life. All of the things that the non-parents take for granted when they don’t have a kid, like sleeping in and being able to leave everything lying around the house, will definitely come to a stop after parenthood.

 

Ian’s sulking over the HUGE disappointment at his job had me laughing. Apparently, he has a hard time dealing with disappointment. I could only think, ‘Parenthood is going to be hard for that guy.’ Because when you’re a parent, you gotta get used to disappointments! They come with the territory!

 

After the baby is born, Ian and Lola have the typical fights most couples have, even first-time parents. What’s not typical is what happens with their pride and joy. The two of them are now both seeing strange figures and strange things keep happening with the kid. The two of them just chalk it up to stress or their imagination, but it’s hard to ignore as it keeps happening. And some of the strange stuff that keeps happening goes on for a long time too. It was very unsettling and VERY scary to read and it made me feel like something BIG was going to happen in the story later on. (It does!)

 

I liked how Ian and Lola try their best to resolve problems and work on forgiving each other for the fights and mistakes. It’s obvious they love each other very much. And it’s good they get out every once in a while sans kid, because couples NEED that together time on their own. It is the best way to keep a marriage strong after a huge life event, like a kid entering the picture.

 

The child Jonesy may seem cute and innocent on the outside, but on the inside lies something sinister. And he seems to be targeting Lola too. She gets the worst of his dark side, and because she has a past of being institutionalized plus she went through postpartum depression, people aren’t taking her claims of what’s happening with Jonesy very seriously. I’m glad she has a protective brother who tells Ian “My sister needs help,” otherwise what Lola goes through would only continue to be dismissed. Even a doctor and her therapist think everything is just her imagination. She gets to a point where she is terrified of Jonesy, and I am too! Lola even gets to a point where she says of Jonesy: “He’s not a child. He’s something else.”  That kid is seriously scary. He’s like a demon child, or something. Did Nana spike the tea she gave to Lola during her pregnancy, or something??

 

Whatever it was, it was enough to keep me reading. The last chapter had me muttering “WTF?” and “holy shit” a lot! WHOA!! I was holding my breath as I read the whole thing. Wow. I was NOT expecting the story to turn out the way it did! The Vile Thing We Created is brilliant, scary and mind blowing! I LOVED it! What a great story. Well done!

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

The Healing Power of Travel: Not All Who Wander are Lost Shares Stories of Healing and Transformation

 

 

Not All Who Wander Are Lost: Purposeful Travelers Share their Stories of Healing

By Sara Tyler with contributing authors: Wendy Zanders, Jessica Hanaghan, Joahna Tupas, Sarah Lorimer de Santi, Kruti Desai, Tatiana Foldesi, Kate Scully, Vanessa Holloway, Judy Winsberg, Kayla Lowery, Casey Hearne, Amy Giacometti, Bobbi Gould

Nomad Publishing, 2023

235 ppg.

Buy link

 

 

I never knew just how amazing of a role travel can play in a person’s life until I read Not All Who Wander Are Lost. There is so much I loved about this book! As someone stuck at home, it gave me the opportunity to become an armchair traveler, visiting places and countries I have only dreamed of going to. As someone who has traveled with family, I got to relive memories of family vacations. And as someone who has found solace and comfort from my grief in my travels, I could relate to a lot of what these authors were talking about in how traveling helped them heal from their grief.

But travel can do so much more for people. It allows us to go somewhere new and unknown. It allows us to soak in new cultures and experience the sights, sounds and tastes we cannot experience at home. As Jessica Hanaghan writes in her chapter, “Travel has a way of surprising us. You never quite know what to expect when you step outside of your comfort zone and explore new places and cultures. But one thing is certain: travel can be incredibly therapeutic and healing. There is something about immersing yourself in a new environment, seeing new sights, tasting new foods, and meeting new people that can open your mind and heart in ways that you never thought possible. It’s a chance to break free from the constraints of your everyday life and discover new aspects of yourself and the world around you.”

Not only can you have those experiences when you travel, but you can also have them when you get lost! I know lots of people hate getting lost, but even when I’m running late to get somewhere, I love getting lost! It was in getting lost that I have learned where places are, how to get somewhere, meeting interesting people and seeing wonderful things. I am a wanderer by heart. My mom had a strong sense of wanderlust so we were always moving from one city or state to another. I grew up wandering. So, provided my health and the weather are good, I will go wandering. I love taking the road less traveled. I love to explore. So even if I am “lost,” I don’t really consider myself to be lost. Just wandering. And that’s why I love the title of this book so much.

The women who wrote these stories experience so many different things while traveling; growth, healing, transformation and learning to love oneself. It is interesting to note how travel is able to provide so many different experiences for each person. I remember the time I flew to St. Louis to attend my father’s funeral. My father died an alcoholic and we had a difficult relationship because he was abusive to us kids. However, it was on that flight that I worked through all of my conflicting feelings that I had about my father, and I found the strength to forgive him for the past. By the time I walked into his funeral, it was with a loving heart. Travel has that kind of healing power. I guess I should not be surprised that this happened, as one contributor, Kruti Desai, wrote, “There are many healing powers that traveling with others or engaging in culture and human connection can bring.” I am grateful I got to experience some of that healing power.

And as another author wrote, “Travel is transformational.”

I love how many of the authors share how they were able to travel — or not! — once the pandemic hit and the world basically shut down. Some of them managed a bit of travel and others stayed where they were, indulging in their vacation spots.

Not All Who Wander Are Lost is an amazing and inspirational book that I really enjoyed reading. Once I picked it up to read, it was definitely hard to put down! I loved reading every chapter; there is so much healing, comfort, hope and transformation to be found in all of them. Instead of just coping with their grief or accepting their lot in life, and rather than giving in to the expectations of what everybody else wanted them to do with their lives, these women took control over their lives, found the power and strength to move forward, and faced their fears as they explored new places and embraced new adventures. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading travel stories, but also for people struggling with grief and uncertainty. If you are stuck in life or bogged down by negative emotions, consider traveling as a cure for what ails you. Say yes to the journey, take the trip, and go where your heart leads you. You and your life will be better for it.

Five stars.

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.