Listen to Your Sister: Bold Horror Novel Worth the Risk?

Listen to Your Sister Book Review: Calla feels like she’s drowning under the hefty burden of raising her brother, Jamie at the age of 25. Reckless, rebellious, and hard-partying 16-year-old who continuously pushes boundaries. Even though their listless middle brother, Dre, lives nearby, he hasn’t been able to help much. Rather than what he promised when Calla became her brother’s guardian. Unlimited pressure, leaving her feeling exhausted, overworked, and completely tired. Sounds of the nap is captivating, but it is totally opposite what she needs. Because anytime she closes her eyes, she feels and grips her in a horrifying nightmare. She saw displaying the death of her brothers in ways that seem less like dreams and more like chilling visions.

Table of Contents

Twisting Descent Into Psychological Horror

Neena Viel is the writer of Listen to Your Sister, and this is her debut novel. It is a masterpiece of speculative horror that pulls readers into a reality-warped fever dream. It is in the same vein as Jordan Peele’s films or trippy novels like The Other Black Girl, The Night Guest, and We Used to Live Here, each turning of the narrative feels more unsettling than the last. The tension grows with each twisting moment, its not so simple and impossible to predict what will happen next, either for better or for worse.

Dangerous Escape

Things are immediately out of control when Jamie joins the protest, it’s really forcing him and his siblings to get away fast. Because the police are actively searching for him, they decide to book a remote cabin through Airbnb, hoping for a quiet woodland retreat. But it is not far less than what they find. It is a dilapidated shack that hardly stands. The disturbed environment proves to be an excellent backdrop for an even worse condition.

Haunting and Unforgettable Experience

It is the best weird book in an excellent way, creating a Lynchian environment where the mundane twists into the sinister. You will feel the Listen to Your Sister novel story like a dream and you will enter the dark world. Neena Viel wraps everything in an unnerving haze that stops you to feeling comfortable. The way she explains the story of Calla’s nightmare is so outstanding and sometimes I feel my breath held while reading. Because of its gripping story.

As if I, too, was being pulled into a pool of oily water or stepping on a shard of broken glass. The vision of the characters is also suffocating, gripping you with fear, while the visuals are nothing short of horrifying.

Beneath it all, in the broken-down cabin you will find a raw, unfiltered picture of female rage that feels both exciting and unique. The darkest moments in the novel make you feel the siblings’ struggles are more genuine and even more difficult. Some amazing lines are remembered after the novels end.

Character That Misses the Mark

The author seems to wish Jamie would have an endearing charm, but the actions of Jamie are not great, which push him in the wrong direction. Jamie commits a violent assault on a girl at a party in the first chapter. This incident feels glossed over, instead of the truth. After that, she is frightened and sports a massive bruise on her collarbone. This is not completely justified and will happen. He is portrayed as a self-centered POS and an out-of-control teen with a heart of gold in the same scene.

It is really difficult to understand his real nature because of the imbalance. And sometimes feel like his careless behavior is excused by the surrounding horror rather than confronted. When i read, I feel his character is not given enough depth and also feel imperfect and oddly inconsistent over time.

Problematic Themes in the Story

Jamie totally tries to defend himself, but how do you describe the Jamie action where he hurt a girl without sounding like you’re making excuses? It’s not meant to cause abuse, but the creepy vision she experienced. Things are more worse where a small hand got stuck inside Alice.

It was not in a pornographic way that her cheek swallowed his fingers.” – Does that lessen the injustice? I hate him? But she also knows how to help women in a great way. She does not give pacifiers she gives them weapons. A condescending attitude, a misogynistic attitude, or a therapeutic attitude.

Where the Story Falls Short

The author writes a strong story, but psychological confusion hits too quickly. What is real and what is a hallucination makes it difficult to find a baseline. It is hardly described the major details and conversations, the setting, place, and time feel off. Anything could happen, maybe it is done intentionally to reflect the mental breaks of the siblings, it makes the actual story feel less effective. It’s a bummer because there are real solid, scary moments here. It is difficult to know them without a connection to the characters. It would be nice if we had more time with them before everything unraveled.