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.

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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.