If there’s one thing that makes me squirm, it’s bugs, and supernatural thriller Together We Rot is crawling with them. I just — I can’t do bugs. *shivers* I can’t, but good writing has a way of pulling me in and keeping me there. Skyla Arndt’s creepy and chilling debut novel follows ex best friends Wilhelmina and Elwood navigating the horrors of a small-town cult. Bugs aside, I am allured by all things dark, and exploring all the mystery and complexity of that, so I was excited to get to the bottom of this cult business.
Wil is sure that her mother was taken and possibly murdered by Elwood’s religious family, and she’s devastated when Elwood refuses to believe this and basically chooses his family over her. Elwood’s father is intense and straight-up abusive, but Elwood can’t fathom the idea of him being a killer. Of his church being a cult. Of anything Wil is accusing them for. But there’s so much he doesn’t know, and so much that’s going to rock his world.
We get to see both characters’ POVs, and I liked alternating between the angry, headstrong Wil and the soft, innocent Elwood. I was particularly drawn to Elwood’s chapters because he’s so deep in his religion, physically and mentally. He misses Wil, he wants more out of life, but he feels bound to his role in the church and doesn’t see any way out of it. His only bits of happiness come from his two buddies at school and his beloved butterfly collection — which, of course, his dad disapproves of. It only gets worse as Elwood discovers that the “role” his dad is preparing him for… is to be a sacrifice. Cue the record scratch, followed by horror music.
The book had a pretty slow start, setting us up with where Wil and Elwood are in their lives (separated, miserable, the whole thing), and it’s here, when Elwood realizes his fate, that it kicks into high gear. The two are reunited and reluctantly agree to team up — Wil hides Elwood from the church, and Elwood helps investigate Wil’s mother’s disappearance. Their relationship is deliciously tense, since Wil struggles with her own hurt and anger towards Elwood. That, mixed with plenty of unsaid romantic feelings. The more they learn about the cult, about the supposed evil stirring inside Elwood, the more they realize they need each other.
They need more than each other, though — their friends get involved and won’t leave them to handle the dangers alone. It’s a fun aspect, with many different personalities in the group. Their chemistry and banter is great; they’re like a proper Scooby Gang. I especially enjoyed the character Lucas, Elwood’s friend. He and Wil are both stubborn and naturally butt heads, but they care so much about Elwood and are determined to help him. Characters like that, that would do anything for their friends despite how scary the situation is, get to me.
The characters are one of the strongest parts of the book, along with the lovely writing that makes the dark and scary come across as ethereal and beautiful. There are a lot of good pieces working together, but it did feel like too much was jam-packed into the second half of the story. Still, I’m super impressed with Skyla Arndt’s debut and hope to read more from her. Even if there are more bugs involved… 🙈
**Much thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Together We Rot will be released on August 29.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Sara Bechtol 