Book Review: The Girls of October by Josh Hancock

 John Hancock's The Girls of October is a novel told in news reports, interviews, essays, and film scripts, among other things.  The story it tells is that of Beverly Dreger, haunted her entire life by a boogeyman figure and obsessed with John Carpenter's Halloween. In 1981, Dreger allegedly murdered three of her college classmates in their dorms. The book presents us with evidence from Beverly's life. Evidence which could possibly explain her motives...or exonerate her from the crimes?

This is a fascinating novel with a unique and interesting format. I tore through it in just a couple of sittings (seriously, I only paused it to get some sleep). Besides the compelling mystery at the heart of the story, Hancock's tale also delves into horror films, why we love them and how we connect to them. A large chunk of the later part of the novel concern Beverly's analysis of the Halloween film, which was interesting in itself, even if I don't personally agree with such a Freudian interpretation of the film.

This is a fascinating read that deserves more recognition than it has gotten, and it's a near perfect read for the Halloween season. I definitely will be checking out Hancock's other work and hope that more people discover this underrated gem.

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