Deena Undone

by Debra K. Every Narrated by Not Yet Available

Overview

A terrifying nightmare sets off a series of attacks on Deena Bartlett's five senses, and her eighty-year-old Aunt Agatha is responsible. But the old woman is not alone. She's made a monstrous bargain with the Sensu, a malevolent entity whose stock in trade is attacking a person's senses, one by one. It has promised Agatha health in return for one evil act-the killing of her niece.

Deena has remained loyal to her bitter aunt for years-her self-imposed penance for having neglected her now-dead parents. But Agatha is dying and her insults will soon end...until a string of inexplicable incidents. A sound so piercing Deena's nose bleeds. A smell so vile her breathing suffocates. And against all reason, after each attack, her aunt's health improves. With mounting dread, Deena discovers the bargain her aunt has made. When the Sensu thrusts her into its realm, she must battle not only the power of her aunt's long-held secrets but her own guilt as well.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Every crafts a genuinely spooky tale that relies less on body horror and more on the slow and patient buildup of moody suspense—an approach that FANS OF GRADY HENDRIX AND STEPHEN KING WILL SURELY WELCOME…The author manages to infuse her solid horror story with larger themes—including motherhood, grief, youth, and death—that lend Deena an added layer of depth while raising the stakes of her emotional and physical journey. The novel’s eerie, open-ended conclusion is reminiscent of classic horror novels and movies that manage to satisfy even as they unsettle. A COMPELLING PLOT AND MOUNTING SENSE OF DREAD INFUSE THIS ATMOSPHERIC THRILLER WITH PLENTY OF CHILLS.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Deena Undone is a REMARKABLE PIECE OF WRITING. … loving descriptions of the natural landscape; vivid character portrayal; and a novel supernatural motif—the notion of an ancient entity that seizes upon its victim’s five senses, individually and collectively, with terrifying results…all incorporated into a broader tale of searing domestic conflict fueled by love, betrayal, and hatred. THIS NOVEL IS A SUCCESS IN EVERY SENSE.” —S.T. Joshi, Bram Stoker recipient H.P. Lovecraft, A Life

“A panic attack of prose, slowly seizing your senses until there’s no breath beyond Debra Every’s final word.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, Ghost Eaters, Vulture’s Best Horror Novel of 2022

“A GLORIOUSLY UNSETTLING STORY that’s as grounded in the real as in the surreal. Deena Undone is ultimately a book that is very much about mortality – Agatha’s, certainly, but also in the context of Deena’s own troubled past and the strange connection between the two…a book that understands that grief is insidious and guilt follows its own laws. Debra Every deftly explores familial conflict through the lens of the supernatural. THIS IS THE LITERARY EQUIVALENT OF WATCHING A CAR CRASH, A FAST-MOVING AND DESTRUCTIVE STORY THAT’S HARD TO LOOK AWAY FROM.” —Entrada Publishing

“Unique and intriguing…kept me on the edge of my seat. MASTERFULLY CRAFTED. A FASCINATING READ.” —Alma Boucher, Readers Favorite

“Debra Every provides what readers crave most in this hypnotic psychological horror novel filled with atmosphere and suspense as sharp as a razor.”—Michael Aronovitz, The Winslow Sisters and The Sculptor

“Deena Undone explores familial trauma with the urgency of a lit fuse making its way towards a stick of dynamite. With vibrant language, picture-making storytelling and psychologically realized characters, Debra Every marches us deep into the murky waters of ancestral horror.” —Meredith Finn, Cue the Dog Productions Producer of The Rite, Flowers in the Attic, and the V.C. Andrews Dawn series

“Every’s writing style is engaging and evocative, skillfully capturing the escalating tension and fear that permeate the narrative. One of the strengths of Deena Undone lies in its ability to seamlessly blend supernatural elements with psychological depth…Overall, ‘Deena Undone’ is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that explores themes of guilt, betrayal, and the lengths one will go to protect their secrets.” —Pratibha Malav, A Kind of Commitment–this

“Debra Every has created a supernatural marvel with CRISP AND BEAUTIFUL PROSE that combines the real and the fantastic, drawing powerful parallels to our shared human experience. Fearing the worst for Deena, you will find yourself entangled along with her in a world of sinister characters controlled by her Aunt Agatha, UNABLE TO STOP TURNING THE PAGES.” —Bruce Makous, Virtually Dead and Riding the Brand

Kirkus Reviews

2024-04-26
A woman must uncover the truth behind the horrifying bargain that strips her of her senses, one by one, in Every’s horror novel.

Deena Bartlett cares for her dying, elderly Aunt Agatha at Wilshire Rehab Center. She has long had a tumultuous relationship with her cantankerous aunt, but Deena—partly fueled by the facts that her own parents were both dead by the time she was 25 and that Agatha is the only living relative she has left— attempts to do her part. When Wilshire’s mysterious old cleaning woman, Jadwiga, warns her to “take care…She is coming for you,” Deena soon finds herself facing a nightmarish set of attacks seemingly designed to take out her five senses, one by one: “The hum rose higher in pitch, piercing the stale, hot air. Deena threw her hands over her ears hoping to block it out—which was when she discovered it wasn’t coming from the room. It was coming from inside her head, growing louder and higher, throbbing against her temples, pressing against her eyes until it felt as if they would burst from their sockets.” Deena seeks help from Jadwiga, who reveals that Agatha made a deal with the Sensu, an ancient creature who feeds off Deena’s senses in exchange for curing Agatha. After each attack, Deena is left with a mark somewhere on her body for five days before the Sensu moves on to the next sense. When Deena is branded with the last Tactu (touch) mark, her life will end. To stop the relentless attacks, Deena must discover the truth behind her aunt’s bargain before it’s too late.

Every has crafted a genuinely spooky tale that relies less on body horror and more on the slow and patient buildup of moody suspense—an approach that fans of Grady Hendrix and Stephen King will surely welcome. The gore is never gratuitous as the tension slowly mounts and Deena uncovers the family secrets that have made her a marked woman. That’s not to say the book doesn’t have some absolutely stomach-churning moments, especially when it comes to the twisted old Agatha: “With a satisfying sense of release she pulls off her fingers, one by one, and drops them into the lake, watching the blood turn the water black. As each finger sinks it expands, becoming a formless, irregular mass floating just below the surface. She gazes at them as a mother would her children, her need for a legacy finally satisfied.” The dialogue mostly feels natural, with only a few missteps—such as the repeated appearances throughout the novel of a disembodied voice intoning “I’ve got you now,” a catchphrase that tends to come across as more “campy Wicked Witch” than legitimately creepy. The author manages to infuse her solid horror story with larger themes—including motherhood, grief, youth, and death—that lend Deena an added layer of depth while raising the stakes of her emotional and physical journey. The novel’s eerie, open-ended conclusion is reminiscent of classic horror novels and movies that manage to satisfy even as they unsettle.

A compelling plot and mounting sense of dread infuse this atmospheric thriller with plenty of chills.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192249758
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	10/08/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged