I’ve been a long-time fan of Christa Wojciechowski’s horror novellas, having read both SICK, PART I and SICK, PART II, so that I was excited to finally be able to pick up the last installment of this trilogy, SICK, PART III.
I was curious how John and Susan Branch’s story would play out. This codependent couple from hell had reached a critical turning point in their relationship. Their roles had blurred between victim and perpetrator.
John, especially, is a tour de force character. Think of Howard Hughes and how extreme wealth can sustain neuroses that could never survive poverty. At times, I felt like a reading a psychological case study of an extremely disturbed patient.
As we learned from the previous books, John is a master of manipulation, while Susan has been the dependable caretaker for his bizarre illness. How would they go forward as their private drama is now exposed to the world?
The author answers this question with a rather realistic dive into the medical, judicial and criminal system and presents some expected and unexpected consequences. It’s a twisty-turning journey for these two unforgettable characters.
This is horror at its very best—intelligent and thought provoking. Christa pokes a stick at all the dark cavities of human nature. The same elements that I enjoyed, such as elegant descriptions and snappy dialogue, in the previous installments, were still present. She plots without brakes, sending the reader screeching to the jump-off-the-cliff ending.
I was actually a bit shocked, but upon further reflection, I decided that the ending was true to the evolution of the characters as witnessed throughout the trilogy. They had grown as people, requiring some adjustment within their relationship. Not textbook, but very entertaining!
Connect with Christa on her website, My Sweet Delirium.
Buy her books on Amazon!
