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Scratch
Like all small rural towns, Canaan, West Virginia has its secrets: lies, infidelities, and even murder are kept hidden in the minds of the residents there. But there is one secret they will go to any lengths to protect.
A little girl named Gabrielle, believed to be an angel, has been kept chained in the church basement for over a century now, prisoner of an ancient pact. Unaging and unearthly beautiful, Gabrielle has the power to heal.
A madman pursues outsiders Adam and Holly Mansfield to Canaan, intent on kidnapping their daughter. Once there they discover there is one other secret in Canaan.
Chained deep in the heart of the mountain is another being, a demon called Scratch. If Gabrielle is freed, Scratch will be as well, and his vengeance and evil will consume the town.
A little girl named Gabrielle, believed to be an angel, has been kept chained in the church basement for over a century now, prisoner of an ancient pact. Unaging and unearthly beautiful, Gabrielle has the power to heal.
A madman pursues outsiders Adam and Holly Mansfield to Canaan, intent on kidnapping their daughter. Once there they discover there is one other secret in Canaan.
Chained deep in the heart of the mountain is another being, a demon called Scratch. If Gabrielle is freed, Scratch will be as well, and his vengeance and evil will consume the town.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2011
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 7, 2016
What evil lurks within the hearts of men? Wayne Wise knows.
Horror is probably the most difficult genre to write. Not only do you have to scare the crap out of your audience, you have to make sure the mood remains tense between scary episodes. Scratch is one of those novels where you spend just about every page waiting for something horrible to happen, and when it finally does, boy does it ever.
Scratch and Gabrielle are spirits imprisoned by the townsfolk of Canaan, West Virginia. They were bound long ago, when America truly was the New World, and their keeping has been handed down through one family line to the present day. Gabrielle is imprisoned in the church, and her gift for healing is used to cure the various injuries and illnesses the town suffers. Scratch, for his part, is doomed to feel all the pain that Gabrielle absorbs during a healing. Scratch is strong enough to leave his pain-wracked body and travel the village in spirit, feeding off of the many secrets and dark emotions buried in Canaan. It's a dirty little cycle with no sign of ending...until the Mansfield family, fleeing their own troubles, comes to live in Canaan.
There's a lot going on here, and Wise does an excellent job not only keeping all the plotlines straight, but humming along at the appropriate clip, cris-crossing them as needed. The subplots are SO intricate and layered into the main plot that you'll find yourself wondering 50 pages from the end, how the hell he's going to tie up every loose thread...but he pulls it off beautifully. The cliffhangers that occasionally end each chapter are timed and placed perfectly; they feel organic and not manipulative. The descriptions of both Pittsburgh (where the Mansfields run from) and the West Virginia countryside are vivid without being overdone; this really could be made into a movie. I also loved how plot resolutions were both subtle and clever; you'll think you know how a thing is going to turn out, but at the revelation point, the truth turns out to be slightly more interesting than what you'd guessed.
Character-wise, the players seem drawn from life, people you might actually know with problems you can genuinely relate to. Adam Mansfield is technically the hero here, and his growth and development is a major theme. However, everybody in this novel has strengths and weaknesses with which they grapple; some people win those fights, while others lose. Over and over again we see people wrestling with their own fears, flaws, and desires, and when the town finally gets what's coming to it (in spectacular fashion), justice is meted out fairly based on how hard each person has worked to be on the side of the angels, so to speak. In fact, the most brilliant thing about this novel is that the worst evils here don't live in supernatural creatures. They live in human hearts.
It's really unfortunate that a lot of libraries won't consider this as a purchase because it's a self-published work. Its also unfortunate that a good chunk of the rest of the world is really not ready for the mythic themes that run through this novel like an electric current (would that we were). But, per our old friend Ranganathan, "Every reader his/her book." and "Every book its reader," so consider your patron population and choose accordingly. Recommended for people who are drawn to psychology, philosophy, or alternative spirituality, as well as for libraries that have horror collections, especially in the tri-state area. Also recommended for larger fiction collections, where eclectic work has a fighting chance at finding its true audience.
Horror is probably the most difficult genre to write. Not only do you have to scare the crap out of your audience, you have to make sure the mood remains tense between scary episodes. Scratch is one of those novels where you spend just about every page waiting for something horrible to happen, and when it finally does, boy does it ever.
Scratch and Gabrielle are spirits imprisoned by the townsfolk of Canaan, West Virginia. They were bound long ago, when America truly was the New World, and their keeping has been handed down through one family line to the present day. Gabrielle is imprisoned in the church, and her gift for healing is used to cure the various injuries and illnesses the town suffers. Scratch, for his part, is doomed to feel all the pain that Gabrielle absorbs during a healing. Scratch is strong enough to leave his pain-wracked body and travel the village in spirit, feeding off of the many secrets and dark emotions buried in Canaan. It's a dirty little cycle with no sign of ending...until the Mansfield family, fleeing their own troubles, comes to live in Canaan.
There's a lot going on here, and Wise does an excellent job not only keeping all the plotlines straight, but humming along at the appropriate clip, cris-crossing them as needed. The subplots are SO intricate and layered into the main plot that you'll find yourself wondering 50 pages from the end, how the hell he's going to tie up every loose thread...but he pulls it off beautifully. The cliffhangers that occasionally end each chapter are timed and placed perfectly; they feel organic and not manipulative. The descriptions of both Pittsburgh (where the Mansfields run from) and the West Virginia countryside are vivid without being overdone; this really could be made into a movie. I also loved how plot resolutions were both subtle and clever; you'll think you know how a thing is going to turn out, but at the revelation point, the truth turns out to be slightly more interesting than what you'd guessed.
Character-wise, the players seem drawn from life, people you might actually know with problems you can genuinely relate to. Adam Mansfield is technically the hero here, and his growth and development is a major theme. However, everybody in this novel has strengths and weaknesses with which they grapple; some people win those fights, while others lose. Over and over again we see people wrestling with their own fears, flaws, and desires, and when the town finally gets what's coming to it (in spectacular fashion), justice is meted out fairly based on how hard each person has worked to be on the side of the angels, so to speak. In fact, the most brilliant thing about this novel is that the worst evils here don't live in supernatural creatures. They live in human hearts.
It's really unfortunate that a lot of libraries won't consider this as a purchase because it's a self-published work. Its also unfortunate that a good chunk of the rest of the world is really not ready for the mythic themes that run through this novel like an electric current (would that we were). But, per our old friend Ranganathan, "Every reader his/her book." and "Every book its reader," so consider your patron population and choose accordingly. Recommended for people who are drawn to psychology, philosophy, or alternative spirituality, as well as for libraries that have horror collections, especially in the tri-state area. Also recommended for larger fiction collections, where eclectic work has a fighting chance at finding its true audience.
May 1, 2012
This is the review I did on Amazon:
Scratch is my first foray into Amazon's program in self-publishing. I bought it on the recommendation of a friend who knows I like this kind of fiction (horror/fantasy) and because the beginning takes place in a location I'm well familiar with: Pittsburgh Pa, specifically Oakland, the area containing University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. Anyone who has ever gone to school here will get a kick out of a VERY accurate footchase from Craig St past the Cathedral of Learning and Carnegie library, and into Schenley Park!
Scratch is a story of a town (Canaan, West Virginia...that one appears to be a fiction, if Google Maps is correct) that is hiding a secret (two actually). It seems some of their ancestors bound a healing angel Gabrielle(and her not so healing brother, Scratch) a century ago. They've been using her to heal their nicks and bruises over the years. It seems a town with a secret like this is prone to some pretty decent nicks and bruises, and would do anything to keep their secret.
The book moves along briskly, but gets bogged down a bit in some dream sequences that I personally am never fond of. The characters are an interesting mix. My one complaint is that I wished that a little more time were spent fleshing them out a bit more. It can be a trick to make "bad guys" sympathetic and vice versa, but I think it was pulled off here.
By book's end, there's a hint of what Gabrielle and Scratch's nature is, and I would like to see a little more. Maybe a sequel.
I'll definitely give Mr Wise's other books a whirl (In fact, the price alone got me to send a digital copy to my friend, another ex-Pittsburgher living in LA)
April 27, 2012
Not only does this story have an angel and a demon, it has a homicidal maniac chasing the protagonists deep into the country. You know what though? It all works!
The story elements were seamlessly meshed together for an incredibly easy read. Adam and Holly Mansfield were very easy to relate to and sympathize with. The whole concept of the chained angel and demon was intriguing and unique.
For most of the book, it was more of a drama then a fantasy/horror. It was still an entertaining read as I was entirely caught up in the lives of the Mansfields. They were characters I wanted to see succeed and to be happy.
The villainous madmen that chased after them was very three-dimensional and was fully fleshed out. He was a very believable character. Wise did a very thorough job on every aspect of this novel.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. I think it will surprise you too.
The story elements were seamlessly meshed together for an incredibly easy read. Adam and Holly Mansfield were very easy to relate to and sympathize with. The whole concept of the chained angel and demon was intriguing and unique.
For most of the book, it was more of a drama then a fantasy/horror. It was still an entertaining read as I was entirely caught up in the lives of the Mansfields. They were characters I wanted to see succeed and to be happy.
The villainous madmen that chased after them was very three-dimensional and was fully fleshed out. He was a very believable character. Wise did a very thorough job on every aspect of this novel.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. I think it will surprise you too.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews