Mike Eakins
If Wes Craven wrote a show for the CW it would be October Animals! When I received my copy of Nicholas’ new book, I wasn’t too sure what to expect as I was just going on a brief description but that seemed to be enough to catch my attention, and I’m glad it did!
We start off with being introduced to Elizabeth Batson (Lizzie) and her friends who live in the small town of October, IL. During the town’s celebration, Lizzie and her friends start to feel a separation driven by the hammer of grief. An emotion that will soon take over and change their lives forever.
October Animals, on the surface, is a fun spooky romp in a small town about some friends during their favorite time of the year in a town that embraces everything about Halloween. However, as the book goes on and you get to know and understand the characters you start to realize that Nicholas Day has encased you in a tale not only about Halloween but examines life and what it means to us or at least what we think it means.
Day writes with the passion of Vin Scully calling Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in the 88 World Series. Now, that’s not to say that no other author writes with that same unbridled fervor, however, not all of them are going to capture your attention, introduce solid characters, and deliver excitement on damn near every page. I’ve read October Animals a few times since it fell into my hands, and every time it felt just as fresh and exciting as the first.
