Dweller

In Dweller, Jeff Strand goes in a different direction from his more usual humorous takes on horror fiction. And while the novel is classified as horror, it isn't really. It is a story of friendship, love, life, and the depth of relationships. The story follows the life of Toby, and outcast boy and the victim of continual bullying, and Owen, the, well, we don't really know what he is other than a "monster." From their first meeting where Toby runs away in terror, the novel explores their growing friendship and how that affects their lives. Even when strained by events, their bond remains true. Both are outcasts, or "weirdos," as Toby refers to themselves, yet they find a connection which sustains them both, even if that is rather sad in many ways. Over the next 50 years, each of them has other experiences, and their relationship has both ups and downs. Yet this relationship is also the pillar of who each of them is. As mentioned, Strand moves away from his normal humorous style of writing. Except for little glimpses, such as Owen's penchant for ice cream and the young Toby's revenge fantasies, the tone remains sober. Even when things seem to be looking up for Toby, there remains almost a haze of discomfort which casts a pall on things. The overwhelming sense is that neither Toby nor Owen will every really enjoy a happily ever after. As mentioned above, the novel covers a period of about 50 years. In order to make this novel tauter, yet without huge gaps, Strand uses an effective technique of covering time gaps by offering brief snippets of conversations which keep the story going, giving a glimpse of intervening years without making the novel three times the length. This can be a tricky technique, but the author pulls it off. When I consider a book I have read, I pretty much boil it down to if I felt for the characters and cared for what happened to them, if I looked forward to each reading session, if it flowed well logically and without interruptions due to poor editing or storylines, and if it makes sense. Within these parameters, this book was a success. I had one issue of logic near the end of the novel where I didn't buy the reasoning behind Toby's son's actions, but I realize there had to be a trigger for the novel's climax. But overall, the story made sense. I could believe it. And I truly cared for the characters. I read the book in two sittings, looking forward to getting back to the book after a day at work. To say it grabbed my attention would be an understatement. I often have a problem with juvenile characters. They usually seem either too cartoonish for me, or they are merely adults in small packages. Strand does not fall into either one of these traps. His young Toby seems authentic as a young boy to me. Sure, he is a strange little boy, but he rings true. And as he gets older, his thoughts and speech mature as well. The 7-year-old Toby is a different character than the almost 60-year-old Toby. I also liked Nick and Larry, the bullies who made life miserable for young Toby. The author uses them well throughout the novel as sort of a foil for what Toby goes through in life. Dweller doesn't brazenly yank at the reader's heartstrings, but if someone reads this and doesn't feel even a little pull on them, well, perhaps some humanity is lacking. Dweller is a rather sad tale when all is said and done, but one that is engrossing. I strongly recommend reading it.

I love reading horror stories, but I will say this book was nothing like anything else I've ever read. This is about a man named Toby who befriends a monster in the woods and they form a lifelong bond. This book has elements to it I didn't expect; loneliness, despair, loss, and graphic violence. The way Jeff Strand wrote the monster made him seem almost humanlike yet also maintains that he is a wild animal. The character of Toby has quite a lot of depth to him, he is alienated in his youth and continues to maintain his friendship with Owen despite the fact that he knows can be very dangerous. I did feel the story skimmed over a lot over a long period of time, but this is still an intense yet sad tale. I honestly can't remember the last time I've read a book that got me so vested into the story and made me feel for the characters and got me riled up at certain moments. It reminded me a lot of the real life case of Timothy Treadwell who was mauled by Grizzly bears in Alaska after he thought he had formed a special bond with them over the years. Treadwell was also depressed and felt alienated from most of his human peers and developed an unhealthy and dangerous relationship with wild predators. This is a very memorable read, highly recommend for those who want a unique and different horror story.

This book was..... I don't even know what it was. It was brilliant, it was gripping, it was heartbreaking, it was creepy, it was .... it was a heartbreaking horror!! Unlike anything I've read in a long time!! Ok, so we have a Toby, who is 8 and is being badly bullied. He doesn't really have any friends and is a loner, as such. He goes into the forest behind his house and ventures further than he ever went before. He finds a monster, there isn't any other word to describe the hairy thing that has lots of teeth and claws! He runs home screaming but his parents think it's his imagination. Toby thinks that maybe it was and ventures back in there. Again he sees the same monster but this time Toby tries to talk to it. What follows is a story of a boy and his best friend Owen. the monster who lives in the woods. As I said, this book is unlike anything I've read before. While it does have gorey bits, I mean Owen is a monster and it does get bloody at times, this isn't just a horror story. This follows Toby from when he first meets Owen, and tells the story of his lifetime, through all the bad and some good times. From the younger Toby and the bullies he faces, to Toby's first love, to the older Toby and the way his life turned out, through it all we follow his friendship with Owen and the impact it has on him and others. This was an engrossing and addicting read and one I devoured! I had so many emotions whilst reading, my heart broke for both Toby and Owen so many times! How can an author make you feel so much for these characters!!! Well, this author certainly can. He doesn't sugarcoat anything, yet you find yourself rooting for Toby and Owen and wanting them to be Ok. I want to get into the story but I really don't want to spoil anything for you!!! This book will gobble you up and spit you out as a sniveling mess. I can not recommend it enough!!! Go grab this book right now and find out what happens when your best friend is a monster! This isn't the first book narrated by Scott Thomas that I've listened to, nor will it be my last. He is phenomenal! He portrays Toby perfectly and even though Owen doesn't really talk, he still manages to bring him across brilliantly too. I was enthralled while listening and didn't want it to end. A narrator I can highly recommend. *I received this for free but voluntarily reviewed it. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.*

This book is so good. It is about love and guilt and it’s full of humor. It’s intelligent and original. It helps you forgive yourself your darkest thoughts. Dweller surprised me. I expected horror — and I got it — but what stayed with me was the emotional depth. It’s the story of a young man and his relationship with a creature living in the woods behind his house, and somehow, Jeff Strand makes that premise feel intimate, even moving. The book is violent at times, but the violence is never gratuitous. It’s balanced by a quiet sadness and a strange kind of friendship that unfolds between boy and beast. I was genuinely touched by their bond. Strand doesn’t just write horror — he writes humanity into it. There’s humor here too, of course. That signature Jeff Strand wit runs through the story, keeping it from ever becoming too heavy. But unlike some of his more outrageous novels, Dweller feels more reflective. It made me think about loneliness, loyalty, and the blurry line between monster and man. This is horror with heart. And it’s one of those rare horror books that made me feel something deeper than fear.

Jeff Strand ist ein großer Fan vom Film "Mein großer Freund Joe" (Dem Original) und mag diese alten Monsterfilme. Diese haben ihn auch zu dem Buch Dweller inspiriert, wo es zwar weniger düster als in seinem Roman Pressure zugeht und es ist vielleicht auch nicht so witzig (Aber es gibt ein paar Lacher), doch trozudem hat Strand wieder alles richtig gemacht. Die Geschichte zieht sich auch diesmal vom Kindheitsalter der Hauptfigur, bis in sein Erwachsenenalter. Während dieser Zeit ist Toby mit einem Wesen befreundet, das im Wald wohnt und das er Owen nennt. Owen wirkt monströs, aber auch sehr menschlich. Das Buch ist durchgehend spannend, denn immer wieder scheint Tobys Geheimnis fast aufzugfliegen. Owen kümmert sich um Tobys Schulbullies, aber auch unschuldige Menschen fallen ihm zum Opfer und so ist Toby hin und her gerissen das Monster unter Kontrolle zu halten, oder seinen eigenen Freund zu töten. Das Buch hat viele traurige Stellen und besonders der Schluss bleibt einem noch lange in Erinnerung. Strand hat hiermit endgültig bewiesen, dass er ein verdammt guter Autor ist, der sich hinter niemandem verstecken muss. Ich kann sein nächstes Buch kaum erwarten.

Dweller is an at once touching and cringe inducing tale about loneliness, reclusion, and secrets. Secrets so dark and dangerous that they will destroy the life of the person who keeps them if they are revealed. And yet secrets about things that fill a deep need inside, a need so strong that the main character becomes completely irrational and disconnected from the potentially horrible consequences of the secrecy as he systematically creates a series of reasons to downplay the risks and isolate himself psychologically from the dangerous dependence the need creates in him. The tale really strikes a chord in light of all the stories that hit the news front lines repeatedly about people who held such terrible, dangerous and life breaking secrets. People who held others captive in their homes for years without even the immediate family ever knowing anything about it. Pedophiles who kept their secrets from their entourage until that one mistake that destroys their deeply troubled lives and damages all those around him. People who kept boas or other very dangerous animals in there homes until they got loose. Toby, the main character in this book is not a horrifying criminal. He is simple and kind but wholly isolated from others around him. Yet events will transpire that will force him to be the bearer of a dark, dangerous, potentially life destroying secret. The need filled by keeping this secret is so great that he will fall prey to its mind altering seduction throughout his whole life. A fascinating journey into the effects of secrets. Highly recommended.

This book is amazing! I loved it and couldn’t put it down. A quirky and surprising look at life and lifelong friendship.

I've never read anything quite like this before, in fact I am stunned by what I see as one of the most amazing horror...come fantasy...come friendship..come relationship stories I have ever read. Toby Floren is bullied at school and his whole world changes when he meets a monster in the woods near his home, a monster that becomes his best pal and life long friend. Let's face it what would life be without true friendship and we follow Toby from his young innocent years to the twilight of his life. In that time we laugh with him, we get to know (and love) his monster friend Owen, and we see Toby confronting his life situations and how (with the help of Owen) he deals with all the issues that challenge him. It makes for fantastic reading at times brutal, at times funny but always entertaining and from the heart...well done Mr Strand a truly great accomplishment and one I will remember for a very long time...