The ottawa review of book

 

                Wolf at the Door by Joel McKay 

Reviewed by Wendy HawkinWolf at the Door by Joel McKay – Scribble's Worth Book Reviews

 Once upon a time in a house deep in the woods of northern BC, a strong, thoughtful woman invited all her pals to a Thanksgiving dinner—her parents and in-laws, a delinquent brother-in-law, divorced neighbors, and her two children: ten-year-old Tommy and his teenage sister, Charlotte; Since one couple didn't show up, there were twelve. At least, not in their human form. It was close to "The Last Supper."

 wolf at the door is a kick-ass tour de force, a brilliantly plotted and brilliantly written debut novel that will leave you sitting up in bed with your eyes and ears wide open long after it's done. You will never be in the dark again.

 This fascinating story of 125 pages is told in six parts. Before dinner, cocktails, dinner, dessert, second helpings and dinner mckay treads the path of fantasy adventure, but his psychological deep dive is what makes these characters of the neighborhood the most fascinating. When I taught English, we often gave an assignment to make a dinner with several characters. Explain who and why and what will happen during the dinner. In a short story, the author should be concise and discriminating with psychological details, and Charg's dinner party

How will Char and her husband Doug save their family and friends from being the main course for a couple of vicious werewolves equipped with mythic speed, superstrength, razor teeth and claws, and a hinged jaw that opens wide enough to take in Grandma’s whole head? Even the quintessential minivan can’t stand up to this brutality. “The monster’s arms broke through the window next to Owen like a knife through an eggshell. The glass shattered inward, scattering across the seats and floor in tiny square little chunks. Char tried to reach for Owen, but the seat belt locked and held her back” (104). I’ll stop there in case werewolf horror isn’t to your taste.  

Wolf at the Door is a TV show waiting to happen. McKay’s sensory writing, keen dialogue, relatable characters, and perfect plotting creates a screenwriter’s dream. But don’t wait for that. Read it today, preferably in the daylight hours.



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