The latest novel from Clay McLeod Chapman feels like an assessment of the past decade in America.
The horror here is deeply rooted in populism, the Trump era of the politics plus a country that never fully grasped or it seems recovered from the pandemic.
Much in the same way that John Carpenter satirised Regan’s America, Chapman is critiqued the America of 2024.
There is paranoia and ignorance by the elders, while the younger ones are glued to screens 24/7, munching on whatever TikTok feeds them.
To say Wake Up and Open Your Eyes is angry and shooting straight down the barrel, would be an understatement. Chapman feels like they are screaming the words onto the page in some chapters, while others, which are lifted from broadcasts or streams, feel plucked straight from the social media of today.
This isn’t just aimed at fascist and far-right politics which feels like they are consuming parts of the world, but at those who sit idly by as things that would be considered ‘weird’ and wrong, become a new kind of normal.
At some point, no matter what your politics are, you will feel the wrath of Chapman within these chapters.
There is a deep-rooted nihilism that makes this a compelling and seemingly accurate depiction of our times, just wrapped up as a pandemic-come-horror story.
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman is available in various formats from Titan Books from 7 January 2025.
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