The Threshing Floor, by Steph Nelson
17 Nov 2024The Book
Synopsis:
She'll do anything to save her child. Even join a cult.
When single mom Dalice learns her toddler, Cash, needs a heart transplant, she gets desperate. There are no guarantees he’ll receive a donor heart in time. And even if he does, she can’t afford the expensive procedure.
Then Dalice meets Shane. He’s part of a mysterious group whose leader claims to be able to heal any disease or injury. Dalice is skeptical at first, and the ritual she witnesses makes her uneasy. But when a broken arm gets healed before her eyes, she can’t deny the truth, and she wants the same miracle for Cash.
As her son’s life hangs in the balance, Dalice must decide how far she’s willing to go to save him. Because the miracles in the secret group come at a steep price. A price that might be too high for even the most devoted mother.
My Review
The Threshing Floor is an excellent thriller horror novel written by Steph Nelson, and published by Dark Matter INK. A smart plot which focuses on two aspects, part of occultism horror and a bit of psychological thriller, with a mother who is desperate to find a cure for a son whose time is running out joins a cult that can perform miracles, but with a price that might be too high.
Dalice, a single mother, is working multiple jobs to care for her son, Cash, who needs a heart transplant. Even if the donor is found, she cannot afford the procedure; totally broken by the situation, Dalice finds hope when Shane, a nice stranger, enters in her life, bringing her not only the possibility of a companion, but even a supernatural cure.
Because Shane acts as the recruiter for the cult lead by her enigmatic sister, Reva, whose hands can perform healing miracles; but once we are inside the apparently benevolent cult, we discover there's a more sinister side related to the "altruistic" miracles of Reva. But when there's no more hope, how far can a mother go for her son?
Nelson chooses to tell the story through the eyes of Dalice and Shane, alternating those present moments with a look into Reva's past, slowly building the horror elements from those flashbacks. Dalice needs a miracle for her son, and she will go to any point if that means Cash is healed; however, Shane, wants to get out of the cult, something we understand when the nature of the miracles is revealed. He understands Dalice's situation, but after years together with Reva, the price is simply too high.
Through Reva's flashbacks, Nelson makes us understand how she evolved from being a miraculous girl, and how the pain of being used has influenced her, eventually being part of why the cult started.
After a prologue that leaves the reader with many questions, Nelson slowly builds the situation and the characters, weaving the atmosphere that makes this an excellent horror read. In a similar style to The Vein, the reader becomes engaged during the building process, making him unable to stop reading until we reach the conclusion.
From the initial page to the ending, The Threshing Floor is an excellent horror novel, a piece that will be loved if you like greatly developed characters and cult based horror. Steph Nelson is a talented author, and The Threshing Floor only reaffirms that.
