Unspeakable Things

I read this almost in one sitting—my brain latched on like dark, twisted bubble gum. “One more chapter” turned into 2:20 a.m. and me bargaining with myself over the last twenty-five pages. Cassie is thirteen, growing up in the 80s inside a family that feels equal parts art scene, academia, and quiet collapse—Vietnam vet father drinking himself under, a mother straddling independence and expectation, a sister in the crossfire. It’s not dramatic dysfunction. It’s the kind you live inside. There’s also that subtle, disorienting bleed-through of the adult world—blurred boundaries, things kids weren’t supposed to see but did. It’s never overplayed, but it explains everything about how Cassie understands people. And she does understand them. She’s sharp, darkly funny, and believable in a way child narrators rarely are. Not precocious. Not naive. Just… aware too early. Meanwhile, the town is just beginning to grasp what a serial predator even is—boys disappearing, coming back changed. Cassie deciding to figure it out shouldn’t work. It does. But the real weight isn’t the mystery—it’s the undercurrent. The unspoken rules. The kind of pain that didn’t have language yet. The things families keep hidden, set against a world that’s somehow even more dangerous. It’s all in here. The writing slips into something quietly beautiful at times, almost without warning. It’s dark, tense, and a little too honest. Less about what happens and more about what it felt like to grow up when the world was shifting and nobody knew how to name it yet.

This is, perhaps, the vaguest story I’ve ever been exposed to. If you’re looking for a straightforward read that communicates explicitly, this likely will not work for you. Much of what the narrator experiences is told through obscure references and you, the reader, are left to decipher each implication. I think, however, as long as you have the life experience to guide you through the story’s coded message, you’ll be aptly haunted by this dark, convoluted tale. I found the way it was written to be quite effective in conveying the guarded mindset of the narrator looking back on the experiences she had while on the cusp of her teenage years. In a small town in Minnesota, boys are being abducted and molested. They return, but they are not the same. Cassandra (Cassie) tries to make sense of these events while fearing her father, hating the strange parties her parents throw, and dreaming that a boy named Gabriel will save her from the unhappiness her home life brings. Jess Lourey writes with raw, disquieting ferocity and I was truly enamored by her prose. It was both breathtaking and terrifying, as so much of it was true to life. She skillfully depicted Cassie’s growth and understanding as she learned that heros are not always what she once believed them to be and that small-minded prejudices can do great damage. The story, itself, is well-done. It’s a slow-burn with far more drama than mystery but the circumstances of Cassie’s life are overwhelmingly unsettling. Personally, I loved that this book was packed full of unspeakable things and that the author chose to let readers work it all out in their own minds. The main thing that I didn’t care for was the inconsistency in the maturity of the storyteller. As a narrator reflecting back on her life, Cassie’s observations sometimes felt unbelievably young - often even younger than the twelve year old version of herself that she was telling us about - and, at other times, she seemed so much older and wiser. It kept throwing me off, as I couldn’t figure out how old the actual narrator was supposed to be, although I knew she definitely was not meant to be a child. I was also a bit dismayed by the predictability of the main villain although, in truth, there are multiple monsters in this book, some more apparent than others. Aside from that big reveal in the end, I did enjoy the way this book closed. I can’t imagine a more fitting way to bring Cassie’s story to an end. Unspeakable Things is well-worth the read, especially with the right expectations in mind. It is not a thriller, although promoted as such, and while mysterious, the actual mystery sits on the back burner most of the time. If you like cryptic, dramatic tales and don’t mind the potential for triggers, I do believe you will enjoy this story.

I really want to love this story, but there are a few things stopping me. This was my first book by Lourey, and I don't think it'll be my last, as I do believe the writing itself was very well done. Simply put, I wish Lourey would have done a bit more research, more on that later. The worldbuilding was very well done. And I think that is what stands out the most to me. The countryside, the farm houses, the little town of Lilydale, it was all picturesque, clear and alive in the mind's eye, and that is thanks to the author's ability. I recognize this place (and story) are modeled from a real place and event, but that's not the point. Whether completely a figment of an author's imagination or a biographical retelling, it's the ability of the author to place the reader in the world of the story that matters, and Lourey has that talent. The characters were also fairly well done, not as well done as the worldbuilding, but well done none the less. They were each distinct personalities. Cassie was obviously the most fully fleshed character in the story, but even she felt just a touch off. The storyline itself was a great concept. Overall, I really liked the storyline. A child's perception of a major crime in her small town, and it came off very credible. I could imagine much of what occurred as how a twelve year old wound perceive them. My issue was the very misguided notion that all s€xual kinks equate to being s€xuallY devi@nt, and all devi@nts are the essentially same. If that was not the author's intent, that is certainly how it read. None of that is accurate in the least. A little more research could have gone a long, long way. I do grasp, too, that some of the intent was likely intentional to match the era of the story, but even in that era there was much of that was presented here that would not have been believed in that way. It really took me from the story, especially because do much of the book was so good. I'd recommend it as a decent read, enjoyable, and certainly keeps you wanting to know what happens next. I would just also caution that the actual nitty gritty details are not accurate in the least.

I bought the book because how much people hyped this book on social media. Unfortunately i have to agree with the other 1 Star reviews. There is absolutely nothing happening at all until the last 4 chapters which is a total of 13 pages. I have to say that i really liked the book being written in the POV of a 13 year old girl. But i feel its more like a following of her life. I also like the way it was written BUT the title, the cover and the "scare" on the back of the book dont match whats written for the first 286 pages. Again ... nothing happens.

Captures perfectly the sonic, pulsing, ever-present dread of a child growing up in an abusive household, headed by a narcissist supported by his enablers; and in a place where kids must grow up fast as the adults continually fail them

I struggled a little bit getting into this but it was a decent read and I definitely am glad I read it.

This will keep you in the edges if your seat and will make you chew all your nails out. This is a hybrid of a psychological thriller, stark reality and unending suspense. I could relate to young Cassie and could picture every other character in their environment . A fabulous work

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is so very well written. Gripping read from start to finish.