In anticipation of the Netflix release of the film of the same name sometime later this year, I decided to read the novel it’s based off of, The Devil All the Time. As far as first novels go, this one is pretty darn enticing. I breezed through this book not because it was an easy read, but because I couldn’t stop! It had me from the start, and with each graphic chapter I just found myself at the end way sooner than I imagined.
The follows various seedy characters around southern Ohio and West Virginia after World War II. And by seedy characters I’m talking about a broken soldier who offers up a blood alter to save his dying wife, a couple who are serial killers travelling around the country, a corrupt sheriff, an oddball kid and his crippled sidekick spewing out holy works, and a false preacher who’s got a taste for young girls. You read all that right.
Pollock manages to weave all of these disparate characters together by the books end, and it’s really fun to see it all come together so seamlessly. After a few pages I was able to follow the cadence of all of these characters easily, and picture them so vividly thanks to Pollock’s expertly placed details. While I’ve given you a taste of everyone you’ll meet, don’t expect rainbows and butterflies by the end of this, and it’s a nasty and disturbing road to get there, but if you like a bit of gothic horror, then this is the book for you! I cannot wait for the film, which has an incredible cast!