Book Review: The Tatman

August 16, 2016 by David Dubrow 1 Comment

Ray Zacek’s The Tatman is an intense tale of relationships of all kinds: sexual, friendly, and predatory. In it, protagonist Stephanie gets a weekend visit from her old friend Jen and Jen’s new boyfriend, the enigmatic, heavily tattooed Jason. Sparks fly.

The dialogue is very snappy and realistic, showing Zacek’s facility with the rhythm of how people truly talk: they don’t always communicate, let alone agree. Combined with the frank discussions about sex, the relationships between the characters take on a free-wheeling late-1970’s John Updike vibe. Looming over everything is Jason, the titular Tatman, and how he throws an already volatile situation into chaos with his virile, masculine presence.

Disquieting rather than disturbing, The Tatman is a short read that straddles the line between horror and thriller, and is well worth your time.

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Book Review: Chrysalis says:

January 24, 2017 at 8:49 am

[…] talent for snappy dialogue, ably demonstrated in his short story The Tatman, is in evidence here: everyone’s got a reason for what they say and how they say it, which is the […]

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"It began to drizzle rain and he turned on the windshield wipers; they made a great clatter like two idiots clapping in church." --Flannery O'Connor, Wise Blood

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~fin~

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Book Review: The Tatman

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