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The Open Curtain (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
Some say that Brian Evenson is a master at walking the line between a variety of genres. This is true, but Evenson doesn't just write in many different genres, he expands the definition of what each genre can be, and with this book, it's horror. Following a misunderstood Mormon teen in search of a father, Evenson channels his own infamous and conflicted past with Mormonism into a psychological nightmare about the dangers of organized religion, and the finest example of how simple but well-picked words can make a reader feel absolute unutterable dread. Recommended for anyone who is tired of trite gore and genre cliches, and hungry for something subversive and new.
— From Chandler's RecommendationsDescription
There is not a more intense, prolific, or apocalyptic writer of fiction in America than Brian Evenson.--George Saunders
A contemporary gothic tale about the apocalyptic connection between religion and violence.--Publishers Weekly
When Rudd, a troubled teenager, embarks on a school research project, he runs across the secret Mormon ritual of blood sacrifice, and its role in a 1902 murder committed by the grandson of Brigham Young. Along with his newly discovered half-brother, Rudd becomes swept up in the psychological and atavistic effects of this violent, antique ritual.
About the Author
Brian Evenson: Praised by Peter Straub for going furthest out on the sheerest, least sheltered narrative precipice, Brian Evenson is the author of ten books of fiction. He has been a finalist for the Edgar Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the World Fantasy Award and the winner of the International Horror Guild Award, the American Library Association s award for Best Horror Novel, and one of "Time Out New York" s top books. The recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and three O. Henry Prizes, Evenson lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where he directs Brown University s Literary Arts Program.
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