“Negative Space” by B.R. Yeager is a horror novel which introduces three main characters, Lu, Ahmir, and Jill, who are connected to each other by Tyler, a problematic teenager. Tyler affects the lives of the characters in diverse ways, but his influence is always negative as they grow up in the small decaying fictional town of Kinsfield, United States.
Yeager uses a choral narrative, which means the three main characters use interior monologue to make the experience personal, but at the same time, their lives never truly intersect. The characters lead lonely lives marked by a deep sense of disconnection and a depressive atmosphere. The author introduces the horror in the use and dependence of a strange weed, with liminal properties that connect the users with a strange dimension, where actions can affect reality. Also, the town faces a suicide epidemic and there is even an underground forum community where youths talk about the people who are dying.
This book is one of the best I have read in 2025 due to the atmosphere and the narrative. This was not a short book, but I would absolutely consider reading it again in the future. I recommend this book to people over 16 who enjoy reading an atmospheric horror novel that explores empty lives. 5 out of 5
Leave a Reply