Bookmarked: Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims
Content Warnings: Unethical Business Practices, Murder, Classism, Mentions of Suicide, Mentions of Death, Cannibalism, Social Anxiety, Loneliness, Derealization, Apparitions, Hearing Voices, Aggressive AI Systems, Ghosts, Overworking, Conspiracy Theories, Government Cover Ups, Insomnia, Self Medication, Addiction, Obsessive Compulsions, Sickness, Rot, Smoking, Near Death Experiences, Drowning, Descriptions of Gore, Blood, Assault, Paranoia, Teeth, Mentions of Deadnaming
Summary
After a brief introduction to unethical billionaire Tobias Fell, and his apartment building Banyan Court, as well as his murder we are introduced to our first resident of Banyan Court, Violet. Violet is a nightshift worker that enjoys the peace of the night, that is until she comes across some mysterious whispering figures at the end of an alleyway that she normally walks down on her break. She begins to notice more and more of these whispering figures, following her constantly. She then receives a letter inviting her to dinner with Tobias Fell.
Over the course of the novel we are introduced to several different people who are connected to Banyan Court all of them are in some way intertwined with the building, or Tobias Fell himself. The building itself seems to be attacking these people with a sort of supernatural entity. The building shows People different things and seems to prey upon their insecurities, fears, or traumas. After they experience an entity they're invited to dinner with Tobias Fell. There isn't much more I can say without giving away some major plot points, however the ending was incredibly satisfying.
Review
Immediately I loved the undertones of this novel from the prologue. It almost felt like something that we would hear in the news today. I also loved the character Violet that we're introduced to in the first chapter. As someone who has previously worked nightshift and is still a night owl by preference I really shared her sentiment with being awake while the world around you is still and silent, as well as the calm that comes with it.
One thing that I found really refreshing about this novel, as well as Mr. Sims other works, is the diversity of the characters. Its never something that's overly in your face so sometimes the revelations are pleasantly surprising. I love when representation is well done but not forced and that's something that is well done in this novel.
This book definitely has some similarities to The Magnus Archives, which I wasn't surprised by because they were written by the same person. Part of what makes horror like the work of Mr. Sims so enjoyable to me is that it has layers for us to pick apart as the audience. Another talent that I've come to admire with Mr. Sims work is his ability to make the mundane seem absolutely terrifying. Even something as simple as a nightly walk can be made into something terrifying and anxiety inducing. I like this because, while yes watching a Final Girl go up against a supernatural beast like Jason Voorhees is amazing, horror was meant to reflect the anxieties of the populace and he does this so well.
The not so subtle undertones of no one's hands being completely clean while they have ties to a billionaire were probably one of my favorite parts of this novel. I mean even the characters that didn't live in the building were affected simply because they had ties to the buildings owner.
Closing
This is the type of book that I suggest reading with a good annotation system because you will have repeated names, places, and even some dates. That's all that I have for you guys for now, it is pouring the snow where I live so I'm going to go ahead and post this unedited and come back tomorrow to clean it up and add some links for you guys. If you want to see more from me feel free to click the link below where you can find my other socials. Y'all take care, and thanks for stopping by!
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