Adult Fiction Staff Pick: I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 by Robert Brockway

I try not to judge a book by its cover, but Robert Brockway’s horror-comedy I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 caught my attention for, I think, obvious reasons. This book did not disappoint either—its concept is as original as its title.

Perfect for: Readers searching for an unsettling, dark humor (and yet, somehow still heartfelt) novel.

When forty-something Maksim “Ivan” Ivanov is not delivering food to make ends meet, he is instead acting as a contract killer for the imaginary friends of adults who struggled to let them go as children. The money is better but the stakes are higher, so Ivan sets a couple of rules for himself. First, he will not take on dangerous assignments. A talking ostrich is one thing, but a giant, angry bear is out of the question. Second, he will not kill a child’s imaginary friend. After all, children need their imaginary friends, like Ivan once did. Yet, after Ivan meets eight-year-old Kay Washington, whose imaginary friend proves to be dangerous to both others and herself, he accepts that, sometimes, rules are made to be broken.

Readers, tread carefully. The friends in this story may be imaginary, but the subject material is very real. Though humorous, this horror-comedy is not a cozy read and deals with a variety of heavy topics, such as isolation, loneliness, and self-harm. Brockway broaches these difficult matters in conscientious ways, but if these subjects are upsetting, then it might be best to set this one aside.

If you enjoyed: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite or You’d Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace.

I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 is available at the library in regular print.

Brianna

Information Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

Local Author Spotlight: Dr. Ashley Baker, Author of The Furious Others

 

The Furious Others by Ashley Baker

In her newly released novel The Furious Others, Dr. Ashley Baker describes the final hours in the lives of ten young women who have been the victims of a serial killer.  

Rather than telling the story from the perspective of the killer, The Furious Others flips the traditional horror novel format and begins in Purgatory, where the killer stands condemned for multiple murders. Chapter by chapter, the book reveals the sinister side of Jason LeDown through the eyes of his victims and the few lucky souls who survived their encounters with the brainy, awkward, and angry young man. 

HollowFest at the Cumming Library

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If you're looking for a hauntingly good time, then the Cumming Library is just the place for you! Join us for HollowFest, an adult program series all about Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Don't worry - we won't have headless phantoms roaming about (unless you count a paper horseman), but we will have an abundance of creepy stories and crafts.

Horror Books in Hollywood

October brings cooler weather, warmer drinks, and spooky reads. Stories often circulate about strange coincidences and tragedies surrounding the Hollywood production of films like The Exorcist and Poltergeist. These new horror books pose similar questions about what really happens behind the scenes. 

Silvia Moreno's Silver Nitrate is set in ‘90s Mexico City and revolves around a film reel cursed by a Nazi Occultist. The protagonist, Montserrat, is having trouble finding work as a sound editor. When her best friend and former soap opera star, Tristen, befriends the cult horror director who created the film, they're challenged to shoot the missing scene to break the curse. Strange things occur as they unravel the mystery of the film and the occultist.