Out Behind the Barn

“Don’t you feel a buzz in ya?”

You humans are strange creatures. When you can’t get something you want the right way, you have to try the wrong way.

In Out Behind the Barn by John Boden and Chad Lutzke, I had a chance to see just how far someone is willing to go to fill the empty void in their heart. Unfortunately, their method involved leaving voids where others’ hearts should be.

Out Behind the Barn inspires many feelings in its readers. For me, I was filled with a profound melancholy, thinking about the woman who wanted a family, with two little boys who would love her forever. I love my mother. I could never leave her.

But these boys left their mother.

Each one found themselves leaving both of their mothers.

They lost the first when Miss Maggie kidnapped and killed them so she could resurrect them as her children. They lost the second when they found their hearts and killed themselves so they could be at peace. So they could stop the buzzing in their bodies.

Out Behind the Barn is a short, simple novella with a mystery which slowly unravels as you realize the mother, Miss Maggie, is not all she seems to be. She cooks wonderful food, but the boys cannot taste it. She educates them in literature, but has books they are forbidden to read. She tries to bring them a father, but she murders to do so.

Norman Bates would be proud of her methods, or perhaps Herbert West.

For the feline fans, there is a cat in this book. An adorable kitten, in fact. And since this is a book of horror and emotional loss, the kitten is murdered by a person who came back wrong.

So, some points are added for the cat, and some might be subtracted if the Writer steps away from the scoreboard for a moment…just need to learn how to write with the pen…

There. Done. She’ll never know.

Conclusion

When it comes to novellas, Out Behind the Barn is a prime example of the medium. It utilizes writing tropes and techniques well to create an engaging, emotionally effective story. While I saw the twist coming from a mile away, it was still beautifully done.

Plus, there’s a cat! And references to Lovecraft! And Bradbury!

It’s an engaging read for a cozy afternoon if you would like to be emotionally devastated rather than horrified.

Overall, Out Behind the Barn earns 4/5 Paws.