Reid’s deconstruction of the Final Girl trope. The last woman standing, bloodied but triumphant, surviving through her “virtue” and willpower? Reid picks that trope apart with precision, unraveling it bit by bit until the truth emerges—not explosively but with a slow, chilling realization. It’s sharp, disorienting, and a genuine shift from the usual psychological thriller formula.

Another thing: as a creative type, “fact is stranger than fiction,” is a quip I’ve always hated, furiously. However, Ward may be the first evangelical to effectively prove how mystifying (not just horrifying) the truth can be. Further inspired by the CIA’s MK Ultra experiments, this novel may in fact be a glimpse into possible philosophy and thought of what the modern world may perceive as “supernatural” Phenomena—among many other things.