The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

Synopsis

So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.

But the murders were seventeen years ago, back when her name was Sabrina. Now, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29-year-old. She works as a physical therapist assistant and lifts weights with her boyfriend, Lucas, who’s the sweetest, most considerate man—as long as he’s not angry. But when Lucas spontaneously agrees to join a couples trip to a cabin in the woods, the visions get worse, a strange figure stalks her during the night, and that male voice in Sadie’s head keeps calling, asking her to do things she’s never fathomed.

Sadie’s not sure if it’s her paranoia or something else entirely . . . But she is sure of one thing—this time, she’s not going to sit idly by as everything starts to unravel.

Overall Rating

5/5

Spooky Rating

3/5

Gore Rating

3/5

Quick Take

The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is one of the best horror novels I have read in quite some time. It is definitive of what Pink Horror is and should continue to aim to be. The folk horror aspects paired with PTSD representation were beautiful and heartbreaking. I felt like this book was a weird and scary accurate portrayal for many of my own experiences. It has a deep place in my heart.

Tell Me More

The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a folk horror novel rooted in PTSD and trauma. It highlights how many friendships amongst young girls can be toxic. If you are the “odd one out,” you are often subject to bullying. Growing up in this position left me with a lot of trauma I still have to sift through, and The Mean Ones made me feel seen.

The novel focuses on Sabrina – the sole survivor of murders in a cabin where she lost her two best friends when she was younger. Having changed her name to Sadie, she is now a physical therapist assistant and weightlifter with her boyfriend, Lucas. Their relationship is steady enough – as long as nothing makes Lucas angry.

Sadie/Sabrina experiences strange voices and images that others cannot see, and her therapist is convinced that these are symptoms of her PTSD. Yet, after committing to a couple’s trip with Lucas and their two friends, her visions get worse.

I don’t want to spoil anything because there are some amazing twists and turns throughout this novel. But I will say that I loved how Schlote-Bonne used folk horror as a scare factor, AND a sense of strength in “otherness.” The novel takes the reader back and forth between the past and present to highlight the terrors that Sabrina’s “friends” put her through. This style reveals what happened to them, incorporating folk horror elements, and highlighting the toxicity in Sadie’s current relationship with Lucas. The real-world horror presented throughout The Mean Ones had me in tears. Being assigned female at birth often puts many of us in traumatic situations and relationships. Schlote-Bonne handled these difficult topics with ease, while providing a finale that captures the genre while providing a macabre sense of relief. Sadie/Sabrina’s story will stay with me as steadfast as Schlote-Bonne’s first novel, Such Lovely Skin, did. She is becoming a master at creating horror that captures real life horror with the inexplicable without sugarcoating anything. Please read The Mean Ones, I beg of you.

*Thank you so much to Creature Horror for the ARC!

Content Warnings from Storygraph

Graphic

Murder, Blood, Child death

Moderate

Bullying, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts

Minor

Domestic abuse

Review Scales for Reference