Disturbing, stylish, and unforgettable.
Leyse’s taut, unnerving tale probes the fragile line between civilization and chaos. When Steve fell under the spell of Christelle, he only saw a woman of extraordinary beauty and charm. When Christelle’s volatile side erupts, their intoxicating romance quickly turns into chaos.
At once angelic and volatile, Christelle is Steve’s deepest desire and darkest dread. Leyse deftly portrays the peril of loving someone who fascinates and destroys in equal measure. Manhattan, with its restaurants, apartments, and polish, cannot conceal the fact that chaos and wildness live inside people. Civilization unravels as a thin film stretched over something feral. The story’s power lies not in shock but in atmosphere. Leyse creates a style that mirrors Steve’s spiraling psyche, moving fluidly between ecstatic reverie and fevered delirium. The prose presses inward, leaving the reader with the same claustrophobic sense of entrapment that keeps on haunting Steve. What emerges is a stark exploration of the wilderness that lurks beneath affection, propriety, and the fragile rituals of civilized life.
A charged, thought-provoking work that lingers long after the final page.
Pub date April 28, 2024
ShatterColors Press
ASIN B0D2Z6YCSY
Price $0.99 (USD) Kindle edition
