We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This short and surprisingly breezy novel answers the question of what you get when you combine group therapy sessions with body horror and unseen monsters trying to bust into our world, Lovecraft-style. In the hands of a lesser writer this might turn into a muddled mess but Daryl Gregory keeps a sharp focus, adroitly mixing humor and horror as a group of five individuals meet to discuss their common monster issues. These issues end up requiring more than just primal scream therapy to deal with. But there is assuredly screaming as well.
My only real complaint with the story is its thinness. It’s short to the point of robbing some of the emotional heft of the characters because events unfold so rapidly and speed toward the end. I wouldn’t say this feels like a first draft because the prose is nicely polished, but it does seem like there’s not quite enough meat on the bone. I was left satisfied but only just.
On the other hand, it’s kind of nice to read something where the author doesn’t spend dozens (or hundreds) of pages world-building and going deep into the backgrounds of every character, no matter how insignificant.
Recommended, particularly for those looking for a fresh take on the usual monsters-all-around-us plot.