MaMa
MaMa
By Ruby Jean Jensen
The Sexton’s musings (spoilers possible):
This is a more mild horror however just because there is no explicit sexual content, swearing or scenes of extreme violence does not mean that you don’t get all the feels. This is not subtle horror either. This is not psychological horror. This is physical, monstrous horror in the form of old toys in an attic. It may be hard for the younger generation to understand what the toys of the late 1800’s and early to mid- 1900’s were like. Think Kewpie doll. An excellent example, and perhaps a cousin story to this one, would be the film Dolls (1987). Only in the film the dolls are not the bad guys…at least not in the right hands. This story however the dolls are malevolent, selfish creatures that use the trust and life force of a four year old girl, who just lost her father to cancer, to come back to life and then subsequently gain strength. Most of this book follows Dorrie, the four year old, and her older brother Tommy. The characters are those of a normal family dealing with the life changing event of loss. Tommy’s ultimate fate could have been very different had he felt he could confide in the adults in his life without sounding like a crazy person which is tragic and frustrating. It was a completely unexpected occurrence for me. I was truly in shock and even a bit angry. He was so brave but no one will ever know, other than the reader, how truly brave this boy really was. This made it hard for me to find solace in the somewhat happy ending the family actually has. Then of course the dreaded epilogue swoops in to make you wish the house had been burned to the ground. This is sometimes what horror is though isn’t it…not all endings can be happy. The loss of Tommy in this made me uncomfortable and I think that’s the point. Through all of his struggles to protect his family and his sanity, agonizing with him, rooting for him over the course of his journey to then have him lose the battle…that’s the real horror in this story. The other occurrence that will perhaps make some uncomfortable is the confrontation between Dorrie and her beloved dollies. That final meeting turns hardcore dolly carnage by a four year old. I thought it was awesome, personally, but I can see how it could be unsettling for some readers. A very tasty little morsel.