Sunday 11 May 2014

Plague by Lisa C Hinsley




As this is all set in the UK it all feels just that little bit more real for me and it hits home just at that shudder part just between your shoulder blades.

There is a fabulous little scare right at the beginning that starts to put your goose bumps on high alert.

As the UK succumbs to the plague families start to get shut in their homes for protection and isolation. As it spreads to a small street somewhere in the north of Wales LH concentrates your focus on one small family.

LH does very well to put across the tension that goes on within a shut in house and as her characters are always so wonderfully rounded and honest the vulnerability and fear is palpable.

She manages to almost bypass the horror and revulsion that is someone suffering with the plague, although she does describe it in a horrifyingly detailed way, it is the innocuous horror of what the State does to “protect” the public that becomes the real terror.
There are plenty of gory moments and some sickening mental visuals which really crawled under my skin, I did start to wonder if I had my own sore throat  and buboes at one point.

The ending is hopeful but with a massive waft of sadness as our main character goes through some of the most horrendous internal dialogue and decisions.

Another brilliant short but terrifying story from Lisa Hinsley.


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