Petrified Women Review

Some pranks go too far. This one could be deadly.

Harley has the perfect boyfriend. Why can’t her best friend see that? He’s nothing like the others, especially the one who still haunts her memories. She’s finally picked a “keeper” with Aiden.

Sure, he’s a bit eccentric. His wood carving hobby is a little odd. His need for isolation while he carves his life-size female figurines is strange. And maybe his obsession with pranks, or "scares" on Harley goes a little too far. But what do you expect? Aiden’s an artist.

Harley has finally picked the perfect boyfriend. That’s why this year, Harley ignores all her best friend’s warnings. She has the ultimate surprise planned for Aiden’s birthday, one that’s going to help her get even in their battle to out-prank each other.

She hides in his apartment, excitedly waiting to pull off the scare of a lifetime…

But then he comes home, and Harley witnesses a different side of her boyfriend. The side that exists behind closed doors when he doesn’t know anyone’s watching.

Is this just one of his scares? Or is there something more sinister lurking behind his playful nature? Harley’s about to find out.

CONTENT WARNING:

Sexual Assault

Violence

Body Horror

Strong Language

Reader discretion advised

Review

An e-copy of the book has been provided by the author, Jeremy Ray, in exchange for an honest review.

“This is dedicated to all the survivors: I see you. Your strenth can’t be described in words. Thrive.”

A remarkably written short story about a woman; her life’s horror and, what I can only assume as a toxic, relationship gone awry.

If I may first point out that you should not take this book’s trigger warning lightly. I, personally, do not read synopsis and wasn’t aware of it until I finished the book and wrote this review. It dragged me into a spiral towards my anxiety. But I pushed through it and am extremely thankful I did.

Jeremy Ray did a wonderful job in commencing this story. The beginning chapter gave us something to ponder on without really putting out so much detail. It established a foundation to which the readers will grapple on as they climb towards the peak of the story.

With its marvelous pacing, this novel guides us slowly through the past, unraveling the very reason why the current situation is going to happen. Snippets of the characters’ personality are also injected throughout the flashbacks and present to give us a sense of who she and the people around her are. What surprised me is the moment when the title made sense. Beautiful, peculiar, and mesmerizing it’s a scene that I would like to see translated in a short film.

Petrified Women, more than a story of trauma and karma, is a story of empowerment. It reminds us that we are not alone in this world of black and white. A powerful and effective short story written to wake us from our frozen time.

About the Author

Jeremy Ray graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a MFA in Dramatic Writing. He is the recipient of the Max K. Lerner Playwriting Fellowship for his play Boiling Point and the Shubert Playwriting Fellowship for his play Sisters of Transformation. His work has been performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and his screenplays have placed in the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Competition, The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, and the ScreenCraft Drama Contest.

However, he is most fond of prose. He spends his free time devouring books like the bookworm he is.

1 thought on “Petrified Women Review”

  1. Pingback: The Gatherings Review - Wander with Jon

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