‘The Troop’ by Nick Cutter: How much is “too much” in horror fiction?

A/N: This post discusses horror fiction and elements of horror fiction that may make some people uncomfortable, or could be triggering. Please check out the book description on Goodreads here, as well as community reviews to decide whether or not it is something you are comfortable with.

I'm not a squeamish reader and I don't shy away from the darker sides of fiction. There has to be a line though, right? And up until now I hadn't found mine.

Body horror:

“Body horror or biological horror is a subgenre of horror that intentionally showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body.[1] These violations may manifest through aberrant sex, mutations, mutilation, zombification, gratuitous violence, disease, or unnatural movements of the body.” - Wikipedia

It's a term I knew the definition of but didn't realise there was a name to put to that ugly face. Things like 'Hostel' could be classed as 'body horror' and I've watched those many times over.

Something about this kind of horror hits different when it's written into a book. And if you want to add an extra layer to the ick, listen to it on audiobook. An all round unpleasant experience. All credit to the narrator though, Corey Brill was, for want of a better word… Brill! With 28 narrated titles to their name it’s no surprise. It was a quality reading.

Here's the thing: I knew 'The Troop' by Nick Cutter was going to be a bit grim, and from the off it didn't disappoint. Visceral descriptions of human bodies contorted and emaciated in ways I could never have imagined. Worms. Parasites. Shocking levels of suffering.

And yet, I was dealing ok with it. All things considered, I was at about a 4 out of 10 on the ick scale.

But what pushed me over the edge was when that same hyper-gross use of language was applied to other incredibly unsettling scenes.

TRIGGER WARNING - SPOILERS - READER DISCRETION REQUIRED

I'll read anything. I'm not easily perturbed by gore or violence. But I will draw a line at cruelty to animals, especially when that cruelty is described with a kind of gluttonous glee that truly distressed me.

I was doing some chores, my phone playing the book on the side, and I'd walked slightly too far away from it to hear it properly and I was relieved. "Oh well," I thought, "I'll have to miss this part".

When does character development and understanding become grotesque posturing?

I think, for me, it went too far. Was I convinced of the character's sociopathic personality? Absolutely. Did I need to experience his sexual gratification from acting out these violent desires? No.

As the plot unfolds we're privvy to a 'Lord of the Flies' kind of scenario. It moves away from the original horror, the cause of the action, and focuses more on the psychological and survival aspect. The evil that men do, and all that.

I have to give a nod to the writing itself. Techincally speaking, it's remarkable and unforgettable (for unfortunate reasons) and the author is a talented wordsmith. I just wish they hadn't gone all the way down that road with it, and this is speaking as someone who is very accepting to see how far that road goes. You gotta know your limits, and to understand that part of yourself sometimes requires a bit of exploration and courage.

'The Troop' is an evocative, desperate and challenging adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed the smaller vignettes between chapters that would shed light on the boys' situation and how it all began. But the main action often made me feel too nauseated to fully appreciate it.

I found it difficult to give it a star rating, caught between my emotional reaction and a technical respect of the craft.

Therefore, I gave it a mean 2 stars. I feel bad about it. But I can’t persuade myself to be kinder.

Written by Sarah