A young musician finds himself locked inside a gas station bathroom in the middle of the night by an unseen assailant.

This was a TRIP. Nat Cassidy has a way with words and connecting you to the protagonist in his novels. Mary: An Awakening of Terror was a masterpiece in character development and atmosphere.

While this is a novella, it doesn’t suffer from the shorter format, and in fact makes it work for the story. What was the motivation behind the antagonist’s actions? No idea. We are wondering throughout the story who this assailant is and what he wants. Alongside our protagonist Abe we are just as terrified and confused.

This is worthy of a 5 star rating, and I only took off .5 stars because it didn’t personally resonate with me. HOWEVER, you, dear reader, may connect deeply and emotionally with this main character and his struggles: a secular Jewish musician, floating through life, pining for an unrequited love, and dealing with generational trauma.

Overall, great read and recommended if you’ve got a short amount of time for a wild ride!