Page Count 240
Publication date August 2021
Publisher Flame Tree Press
Synopsis
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When dreams start bleeding into reality, a social worker is forced to face the mistakes of his past.
A serial killer has found a way to make his land of graveyards a sinister playground to be bent at his sadistic will.
The secrets behind August’s eyes will bring two worlds together, and end in a cataclysm of pain and ruin.
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Review
My first experience of Rolfe was Until Summer Comes Around, a unique blend of violent horror and teen romance that was somehow both cute and scary. Heart warming horror? Strangely it worked for me. But this? August’s Eyes? Do NOT expect any warm fuzzies here!
You should know going in that August’s Eyes features rape and paedophilia, thankfully the scenes are not graphic, mostly we’re dealing with threat and suggestion. Enough to turn my stomach but not deter me from the book entirely.
Rolfe wields all the spookies for August’s Eyes, from spiders, graves and ghouls to abduction and violence, the action doesn’t stop as dreams and reality flow together to tell a heartbreaking story.
John the main character has good development across this moralistic story which is mostly told from his POV in both present, dream form and past.
I really connected with Pat, a teen boy busting his ass to try and make honest money after a hard upbringing. He’s such a genuine and kind character with just the right amount of cheeky attitude. I rooted for him the moment he stepped into the story.
John’s therapist Dr Soctomah is a welcome addition that furthers the plot nicely and ties together the Graveyard Land scenario.
I’ve never been a fan of authors using brand names in their writing unless it has specific relevance. Maybe it’s because I read for escapism, or because it dates the story? For example- if a kid is eating cereal I don’t need to know its Coco Pops, if someone puts music on I don’t care whether it’s on Spotify or YouTube, it doesn’t matter to me which specific 2021 cartoon is playing on the TV in the corner. I found in August’s Eyes that every little thing is branded and it pulled me away from the story a little. A minor complaint that probably doesn’t faze other readers at all, just niggles at me for some reason. Other than that I highly rate August’s Eyes.
A fantastic -if brutal- mix of horror and thriller.
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