A Special Place, Peter Straub's first published novella, will come to stand as one of the author's mostdeeply unsettling works of fiction. A rumination on the nature of evil, the story centers on a boy, Keith Hayward, who is drawn by his nature to an irresistible fascination with death and the taking of life. Hisfather's brother, the good-looking, suave Uncle Till--the infamous ladykiller, who has led a shadowycareer as a local celebrity--recognizes his nephew's innermost nature and gleefully tutors him in art ofdoing ill without getting caught.
Even a cold-blooded sociopath must learn some lessons in survival, in seems, and Uncle Till is onlyhappy to provide a tutorial, in the latest imaginative and disturbing work from one of America's mostcelebrated horror writers.
This novella from the horror master Peter Straub is quite concise, but the conceit is so disturbing that it will stick with you much longer than lengthier works. Connected to Straub's novel A DARK MATTER, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the development of a killer. When he gets caught cutting up a cat, young Keith Hayward is sent to his Uncle Till. Where Keith's mother saw trouble, Till sees potential and nurtures Keith's sadistic tendencies. Frightful "experiments" with animals lead to horrifying acts with humans, and everything comes to a head when reports of a serial killer come to light. Selected by Publishers Weekly as a 2010 Top 100 Book.
- Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres, Fiction + Literature Themes
- Subgenre: General, Erotica, Legal + Courtroom + Crime, Horror
- Publisher: Pegasus Books
- Pages: 135
- Edition: Reprint
- Language: English
- Format: paperback
- Release Date: July 20, 2010
- Date Published: July 20, 2010
- Author: Peter Straub