Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

Blown away.  Those were the words I had after finishing Mud Vein.  This Book Rack entry is a current read of mine instead of pulling from the vault.  I will preface.  This book is not for everyone but I personally loved every weird piece of it.  In fact, I have not read something on this level of psychological romance since Gone Girl.   I hate to use that comparison because it’s not even close to the same story.

Any summary of the plot would do an injustice to future readers.  Here’s  what I can say.  Girl is kidnapped and left in a strange house.  She finds a man from her past tied up in the same strange house.  The story twists around their means of survival while the girl comes to gripes with her past.

Reason for being on the Rack:

Hands down, the writing.  The style and the flow of words twisted across the pages.   I also appreciate where the author had to go in her mind to write something this haunting.  I wasn’t so much involved in trying to love the book or the characters.  The words spiraled around in a picture that allowed the reader to feel the main character in a weird psychological way.  I say weird because it’s in a way you can relate to but not really sure you want to with the character.

I read the good and bad reviews going into this book.  I think for some people, it’s difficult to associate with darkness.  The main character is a very troubled individual and has been most of her life.  The writing puts the reader smack dab in the middle of her troubled mind.  And it’s not very pleasant at times.  In fact, it can be very confusing on how someone can think in such a manner.  But that’s the darkness.  Sad people are often not logical.

Instead of Gone Girl, I think a couple of Terrence Malick films would serve as a better comparison.  I did not love the first one I watched.  That’s because I didn’t understand.  You have to feel the experience of his films.  You have to feel the experience of Mud Vein.  Every ugly piece of the beautiful book.

If you are interested in reading Mud Vein, here’s the Amazon link.  If you are worried about the cover, it’s not that kind of book.  It’s metaphorical and makes sense once you read the story.