We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory
Genre: Adult fantasy/horror
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Release date: August 2014
Source: Purchased
Pages: 182
The nitty-gritty: A short but powerful tale of six unusual people who form a support group, unexpectedly horrific and sad, which left me wanting more.
We knew each other, at first, only by our words. We sat in a circle and spoke to each other, presenting some version of ourselves. We told our stories and tried out behaviors. Dr. Sayer said that the group was the place for “reality testing.” What would happen if we exposed ourselves and shared our true thoughts? What if we talked about what we most feared? What if we behaved according to rules that were not predicated on our worst suspicions?
Perhaps the world would not end.
I picked up a copy of We Are All Completely Fine after reading several glowing reviews, and it wasn’t until I recently received a review copy of Gregory’s Harrison Squared that I realized the two books are connected. These sorts of serendipitous discoveries delight me to no end, and so I decided to read this book first, even though Harrison Squared is a prequel. I zipped through this in less than a day. At less than 200 pages, it’s a quick read, not only because of the page count, but because I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Brutally violent and shocking, Gregory gives us a highly imaginative set-up that shows how fear can control us.
Most of the “action” takes place in the past, as five lost and damaged people who have suffered supernatural traumas are brought together for group counseling by psychotherapist Dr. Jan Sayer, who seems to genuinely want to help them recover. Stan was captured and partially eaten by a family of cannibals (but survived!); Harrison used to slay monsters, and has been immortalized in fiction as a monster detective known as Jameson Jameson (Jameson Squared); Greta has intricate scars all over her body but won’t talk about where they came from; Barbara was once captured by a creature known as the Scrimshander, who flayed her arms and legs and carved images onto her bones (then stitched her up again); and Martin hides behind a pair of video game glasses through which he can see the “dwellers” who come from another place to torment humans.
Jan cajoles them into coming together, week after week, as they gradually start to open up and tell each other their stories. If you were to take the supernatural aspects of this story away, you would still have a very powerful tale of the group dynamics of people with scars—both physical and metaphorical—who try to use therapy as a way to heal. But the weird circumstances of these characters are what makes this book so special. One by one, each character tells his or her tale, and the reader discovers that there are certain connections among them. Each character has a distinct personality: Harrison is angry, Stan can’t stop talking about his horrible experience, Greta is silent until almost the end, and Martin is clearly scared to death, and is afraid to take off his “frames.”
But the character of Barbara was the one I connected with the most, emotionally. She’s a wife and a mother of two boys, but she feels so distant and apart from them that it made me terribly sad. Her scars are literally bone deep and she can’t escape them.
You’ll definitely need a strong stomach for this story. Gregory describes each character’s ordeals in Technicolor blood and guts, and even though I’m not usually squeamish when it comes to descriptive violence, I have to admit several scenes in this book made me queasy. But in between these horrors are lovely human moments when the characters connect with each other.
One thing that I’m still puzzling over is the narration of this story. It’s clear in the beginning that someone in the group is narrating: “There were six of us in the beginning. Three men and two women, and Dr. Sayer. Jan, though some of us never learned to call her by her first name.” And yet—the narrator is never identified, and comments on all six characters. It could be first person omniscient point of view, but I’m not really sure because I’ve never read a story quite like this. If anyone has read this book and knows what I’m talking about, I’d love to hear what you think. It’s driving me crazy!
I was also a bit confused by the ending. I honestly expected more of an “ah ha!” moment at the end, because the lead-up was so good. But it sort of fizzled out for me, with an odd connection between two of the characters that came out of nowhere, and an ominous message that foreshadows more bad times ahead.
But otherwise I loved this story. Gregory is an author I’ll be watching for sure, and I’m all primed now to read Harrison Squared, which tells the story of Harrison’s early life. I’m also wondering if Gregory will ever write back-stories for some of the other characters. I’d love to read more about Martin and Barbara. (But not Stan or Greta. Their stories would be too much for me, I think!) For readers who aren’t afraid to dig deep into the horrors of the human condition, We Are All Completely Fine is a must read.
Find the book:
I’ve read good things about We Are All Completely Fine, but I’ve been on the fence about it due to the gruesomeness you note. I’m usually not too affected by that sort of thing, either, but when readers make a point of noting it, I suspect it might be more than I can stomach.
booksbrainsandbeer recently posted…Beatniks & Super Powers
I read a lot of books with graphic violence, and it doesn’t usually bother me either. But this kind of caught me off guard. Still, completely worth reading!
Oh, this sounds really good! And I had absolutely no idea that this and Harrison Squared were connected in any way (it hadn’t even clicked they were the same author). Think I may have to bump this up my list.
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Confessions of a Moody Reader
I’m reading Harrison Squared soon, and looking forward to seeing what the “connections” are:-D
You’re not the only person who noticed that about the narration. Part of me kept picturing some nebulous spirit thing that was only present when they were all together, because that was the only time “we” got mentioned before splitting off into third person again. It was a really different way of telling the story, and I like it although I’m also puzzled as hell by it!
Bibliotropic recently posted…Flex, by Ferrett Steinmetz
I had to look up “first person omniscient” and I still don’t think it fits that style POV. I guess I’m going to have to ask the author someday! Or maybe he just made up his own:-D
Great review, Tammy! I just finished reading this one myself. As you know, I read Harrison Squared…and I’m completely SHOCKED how different the two books are. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on HS because I wonder if our opinions will differ depending on what order we read the books. Harrison refers a lot to his time in Dunnsmouth, and it’s really cool because many of those events are in HS, but now I have to wonder how much of it was played down based on some of the things he said in this book!
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: Burned by Karen Marie Moning
Oh wow, now I’m DYING to read Harrison Squared to see how different it is! I’m so curious! Hey, what was your take on the point of view narration?
I’ll write about this in my own review, but the whole point of view narration reminded me of (don’t laugh) The Breakfast Club. You know how it begins with a voiceover reading an essay written after their detention?
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: Burned by Karen Marie Moning
The way this book is told, along with the subject matter of people slowly revealing their stories sounds really fascinating to me! The only thing holding me back is the super squeamish scenes *shudders*. Great review Tammy!
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence recently posted…Blog Tour: Gayle Forman Q&A for I Was Here
Wow, this sounds amazing! Probably a bit too gruesome for me though, sadly. I do love the sound of the group therapy dynamics – that’s a really great way to set up flashbacks and exposition. Hope you enjoy the prequel too! 🙂
Danya @ Fine Print recently posted…Review: Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Pretty great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and
wished to say that I’ve truly loved surfing around your weblog posts.
In any case I’ll be subscribing in your rss feed and I’m hoping you write once more very soon!
kennethblmp.wordpress.com recently posted…kennethblmp.wordpress.com
I had no idea that this book & HARRISON SQUARED were connected!
Sounds good. I love your reviews. Thanks for doing all you do!
I stumbled upon your review after searching google for info on the narration of this book. It drove me a little crazy because I thought the seemingly omniscient narrator was going to be part of the reveal at the end. I’ve read a few Gregory books and was expecting a better ending, but I, like you, enjoyed reading this book regardless.
I did an interview with Gregory and he talked abut why he did the narration that way. Although I did the interview after I had read the book, so I was puzzled until he explained it. Thanks for visiting, Bea!