The boys crept to the window and watched as Miss Maggie carried the long bundle into the barn, the weight of it stooping her aging back. Rafter lights spilled from the barn doors, and Davey saw an arm fall from the canvas-wrapped parcel. He smiled.“She got someone!”Both children grinned and settled in their beds, eyes fixed to the ceiling.This was family growth.“Boden and Lutzke weave heartache … growth.
“Boden and Lutzke weave heartache and a backwoods tale as easily as telling a story around a campfire, delivered in an incredible voice.”
~ Robert Ford, author of BORDERTOWN
“Poetic, unnerving, and heartbreaking. The partnership between Boden and Lutzke yields the kind of story that leaves you aching and unsettled. Long after finishing, I couldn’t stop thinking about Maggie, her boys, and what happens out behind the barn.”
~ Kristi DeMeester, Author of BENEATH
“Lawdy mercy. This story was amazing. There’s something magical and sad about it. I dig it a lot.”
~ Michelle Garza (half of the Sisters of Slaughter) authors of MAYAN BLUE & THOSE WHO FOLLOW
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4.5/5 stars!
OUT BEHIND THE BARN is totally original, weird and creepy. I loved it!
That said, this is not the type of story I’ve come to expect from either of these authors. I’ve enjoyed the work of John Boden for years now and what I always expect from him is beautiful writing and poignancy. I expect the same from Chad Lutzke as well, just slightly less poetic, maybe? I’m not sure what I expected from this novella, but it was not this strange story of Maggie, her farm and her boys.
Davey and Ronny are watching when Maggie gets home and carefully unloads her burden into the barn. Then an arm drops down from her carefully wrapped package. This has happened before, so they are not surprised or alarmed. Will the package work this time? You’ll have to read this to find out.
I’m finding it very difficult to review this book without giving anything away. It was short, spellbinding, mysterious, creative and suspenseful. Once the mystery is revealed, the problem remains as to how the characters will deal with it, and that’s where the poignancy I expect from both of these authors showed up-in a big way.
The only issue I had with this story is that I expected to see one more chapter regarding a certain character’s reaction to those poignant events. Then again, maybe that would have spoiled how I imagined that reaction went down?
OUT BEHIND THE BARN is a powerful piece of work, in spite of, (or perhaps because of of?), its short length. Either way, it affected me, and I’ll be thinking about the boys and Maggie’s farm for a long time.
Highly recommended!
*I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
This one hit me on so many levels! By page 43 I was thinking “this is one creepy story”! And then I began to care about the characters, the boys. In the back of my mind I knew something was not right when the boy noticed the stitches on Miss Rose and that they were just like his! Oh, the ending had me in tears! These authors working together bring the reader one heck of a great horror tale that also touches your heart!
There is such a beautiful, nostalgic sadness about these characters. I loved every page of the read and continued to think about the story for long after.
This novella came highly recommended so I was glad to finally get it from my TBR to my read pile!
The story within was decent, and I think the last 3rd saved it from becoming a DNF at one point. There was a period of 20-30 pages where nothing happened and I became a bit worried that it would slough off into nothingness.
But every time I mentioned I was reading this, someone would reply saying “wait until that ending! Wow!”
And I’m thankful I plowed through. The ending is an emotional gut-punch and I found myself bordering on tears as it reached its conclusion.
I would recommend this for folks who want a slower paced action-less emotional read. Horror is present, just not in the traditional sense.
If you’re in the mood for dark fiction that reads like an odd folk tale, this book is perfect! I really enjoyed the way Lutzke and Boden worked together. Hope they do some more releases in the future!
Hauntingly and poetically pulls the heartstrings.
It was truly spellbinding. Short– but gets right to it.
The authors were one step ahead of you the whole time and unveiled the characters in this same eerie way. I loved it!
I devoured this story quickly. It’s truly amazing how painfully homesick I felt for these characters- but yet was so amazed and in awe, I couldn’t put it down. Needless to say, I finished this story in one sitting. It is one I will be re-reading time and time again.
Joy and heartache all in one.
Lots of great book recommendations within.
This was my first time reading anything by these two authors, and as many of you see by my bookshelves, the horror genre is something fairly new to me. I never knew what a positive community this genre was or could be, nor did I know how much joy I was missing out on! Most horror movies miss the mark for me and most books– too gruesome or too much sexual violence… but this my friends… Had me engaged the ENTIRE time. It wasn’t too gruesome which I was very surprised and the fact that I loved it so much is definitely an indicator I will be checking out more books by these authors.
If you haven’t tried the horror genre and are interested, I highly suggest starting with something light like this. My light side and dark side were both able to cherish this story. It’s about balance and it was achieved nicely.
The ability these authors have to feed your wild dark side yet sink empathy deep into your heart and bones is art. It is real. It is raw. It is pure horror to wield these elements together, so brilliantly.
I want to thank Chad Lutzke for sending me a paperback copy, which I won via a Twitter contest. You have gained a new fan John and Chad, and I am so appreciative for being introduced to these works. Thank you!
All opinions and reviews are my own, and voluntary.
“Some people have wings on their heels and others feet of lead. Some have anchors and others have threads that attach to whims and pull them along.”
Horror can produce, compassion, empathy and tears! This story has all of this and more! The two young boys as main characters are so endearing, if I could have stepped into the scene, I would have wrapped those two little souls into my arms!
Wonderfully written and poetic! There were times I had to re-read a line because it was just so moving!
“He just knew about protecting and hurting, and without one would come the other.”
“Wrap us in wing and silver. Kiss our hurts and heal our hearts.”
My sappy, mushy, heart needs mending!
OUT BEHIND THE BARN is a collaboration between authors John Boden and Chad Lutzke. I have only read one other book by Chad Lutzke prior to this, but I can say with certainty that I will be looking up other books by John Boden now, as well! The styles of these two authors combined to create–in my mind–a flawless “whole” in this novella.
We’re given a short scene in the synopsis that the story actually opens with: two young boys sneaking to their window at night, see an older woman carrying a large bundle into the barn. An arm falls free from the bundle, and the two boys excitedly go back to their beds.
“. . . a puzzle. Only my box doesn’t have all the pieces . . . ”
This snippet is enough to conjure all kinds of scenarios into my mind, as a seasoned horror reader. The possibilities of where the authors could take this story from there are limitless!
Somehow, very early on in the book, I forgot all my preconceived notions and simply “lived” in the words that unfolded. That the tale is told through the eyes of one of the boys, makes it even more incredible as events at the farm they call home are casually disclosed.
“. . . A smile full of naivety and innocence, optimism and blissful ignorance . . . ”
I won’t go into any other specifics of this novella, because it is one that is best to simply go into “like a child”–without any answers, and full of trust that the authors will give you all that you need.
This, they do with an elegance that makes it seem as if the story came to them easily. Yet, if you read their notes at the end, you’ll see that it actually took quite a bit from Boden’s first conception of a short story, to become the finished product you now see before you.
There were no easy answers here, just a brilliant telling that builds up steadily as your mind absorbs all the details.
“. . . Time moves fast, or not at all anymore . . .”
Though many images simply raised additional questions, this style was so fluent that I didn’t mind in the least. In fact, the notion of taking more than one sitting to read it entirely never even occurred to me. While reading, I felt that I was observing the story taking place before me, instead of intaking a flow of words. That is how powerful this story was. I mentally felt transported to this quaint farm life.
Overall, I honestly can’t think of a single thing that didn’t satisfy me in this novella. The writing style was wonderful, the characters realistic, and the setting lacked for nothing. Everything that I needed to enjoy this story was contained within these pages.
As for the tale itself, this is one that I can not see leaving my mind anytime soon. It is also a book I fully intend to re-read often in the future.
Highest recommendation!
A haunting story of two boys and Miss Maggie. I truly did not know what to expect when I sat down to read this. A heartbreaking story of loneliness and love. Miss Maggie is alone and finds a way to have a family only its not a way you are expecting. She mothers and cares for the two boys and even finds other adults to have in their lives. The whole story had an air of mystery to it, how did she get the boys, who are these adults she brings home in the night? By the end, my jaw was hanging and I will admit I did cry. I wasn’t expecting such a dark and twisted answer to this beautifully written story.