Besides working as a gardener at Harbo’s Garden Center, he has a separate existence on the dark web, where he is known as Raoul153. There he flirts with the notion of eating people. This idea comes from his grandmother, who tells him stories about the history of his ancient ancestors, the Cannibal Gardeners of New Guinea.
Surprisingly, many share his dark interest. Some even volunteer to be his main course.
One of the people he encounters on the dark web is someone he one day meets in real life. Her name is Denise and she isn’t one of his volunteers but is a force to be reckoned with. Her Goth sensibilities and morbid interests make her a perfect match for Edmund. Or so he thinks.
She’s not so sure.
And, oh, yes, there is a real cannibal on the loose for them to contend with, and he's bringing along a friend.
The Cannibal Gardener combines chilling, supernatural suspense with a love story and generous doses of humor from a master storyteller.
Edmund spends his time split between working at the garden center and caring for his elderly grandmother. He moved in with her after his parents died, and since she cared for him when he needed her he has chosen to do the same now that she is the one who needs him. He enjoys her company and especially loves to hear her tell the stories of their ancestors. They are descended from cannibals she tells him, and he is fascinated by this. That may be what first sent him to the dark web. While grandma naps he often loses himself in grisly images and message boards for hours at a time.
Denise is a goth girl with morbid interests who happens to meet Edmund in person by accident. Neither of them intended their online personas to ever be revealed offline.
Milo is a serial killer/cannibal who hovers on the periphery of both their worlds and ends up being the catalyst for their meeting.
What ties them all together is a bit of old folklore and that was really my favorite part of the story, as I am a long time fan of folk and fairy tales, not the Disney type but the more gruesome variety.
This was a quick and gory read with a surprise ending that I was not expecting at all. I loved the old folklore that was tied to this story and coincidentally my computer wallpaper is a picture of Baba Yaga's house. If you like folk horror and Grimms' tales you'll want to read this book.
4 out of 5 stars
I received a complimentary copy under no obligation to write a review.
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