Family Business
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- Create Date：2022-12-19 08:51:31
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jonathan Sims
- ISBN：1473228778
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Summary
When Diya Burman’s best friend dies， her life falls apart。 She loses everything。
But then she gets a new job: working at Slough & Sons， cleaning up after the recently deceased。
Clearing away the remains of lost lives， Diya begins to see things。 Horrible things， that can’t be written off as imagination。 Nothing is as it seems with the Sloughs。
It’s a dirty business， cleaning up after the dead， and if Diya’s not careful she might end up getting buried under the family tree。
But then she gets a new job: working at Slough & Sons， cleaning up after the recently deceased。
Clearing away the remains of lost lives， Diya begins to see things。 Horrible things， that can’t be written off as imagination。 Nothing is as it seems with the Sloughs。
It’s a dirty business， cleaning up after the dead， and if Diya’s not careful she might end up getting buried under the family tree。
Reviews
Entazis
，
What I liked about this book is the unique take on hauntings， ghosts and memories。 The real horror is not the death but being forgotten。 It's really about human connections and how easy it is to slip away from memory for vulnerable and marginalized people， and all those who are considered undesirable to society。 And the concept with the cleaning company is just amazingly done to potray this。I read this as an audiobook and the narration by Rachel Petladwala was really good and I love the fact tha What I liked about this book is the unique take on hauntings， ghosts and memories。 The real horror is not the death but being forgotten。 It's really about human connections and how easy it is to slip away from memory for vulnerable and marginalized people， and all those who are considered undesirable to society。 And the concept with the cleaning company is just amazingly done to potray this。I read this as an audiobook and the narration by Rachel Petladwala was really good and I love the fact that Jonathan Sims got to pop up as the monster of the book， just like he did with the 13 storeys。 。。。more
Natasha
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It's been AGES since I tore through a book this good in a day， and I gotta say Johnny Sims does it again。 Like Thirteen Stories， Family Business had me on the very edge of my seat the whole time。 I'm very interested in knowing exactly what Mr Bill was waiting on whilst consuming the memories of the lost and forgotten。 I would also like to know more about Mr Bill and what exactly he is。。。。jokes aside Xen。 When Mr Bill started erasing those memories of Angie is cried and was about ready to flip so It's been AGES since I tore through a book this good in a day， and I gotta say Johnny Sims does it again。 Like Thirteen Stories， Family Business had me on the very edge of my seat the whole time。 I'm very interested in knowing exactly what Mr Bill was waiting on whilst consuming the memories of the lost and forgotten。 I would also like to know more about Mr Bill and what exactly he is。。。。jokes aside Xen。 When Mr Bill started erasing those memories of Angie is cried and was about ready to flip some damn tables。 Diya is a protagonist that has connected with me on an emotional level， going through the motions of grief and loss whilst disappearing from the world。。。。In all honesty this book is simply amazing and I'm sad I don't get to have the experience of reading it for the first time all over again。 Looking forward to your next book Johnny 。。。more
Laura Jayne
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This was an excellent read and had such a great pace。 We follow Slough and Sons;The Family Business of the title as they go about the business of cleaning up after the recently deceased。 The story is told through the eyes of the newest addition to the team， Diya。 Diya has her own reasons for joining but what of the mysterious visions that suddenly start to haunt her。。。。What begins as a thriller trickles down into a horror or throller if you will。。。 I'm sure that term won't catch on but this book This was an excellent read and had such a great pace。 We follow Slough and Sons;The Family Business of the title as they go about the business of cleaning up after the recently deceased。 The story is told through the eyes of the newest addition to the team， Diya。 Diya has her own reasons for joining but what of the mysterious visions that suddenly start to haunt her。。。。What begins as a thriller trickles down into a horror or throller if you will。。。 I'm sure that term won't catch on but this book is definitely worth a read！ 。。。more
Breagha Mozian
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jonny is everything alright at home
Thrill Seek
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_____________________✅What I liked _____________________👩🏿🤝👨🏻Great cast of POVS （ but too many） 👥 Characterization is fantastic， with realistic and likable characters。 ✍🏻 I'm intrigued by the author's writing style。💨 A quick and enjoyable read。 💭 A imaginative storyline。🕵🏾♀️ A fun mystery is woven throughout almost the entire plot， which was really fun thing。 👻 It's quite a spooky story and and will undoubtedly give some readers the creeps！ ❄️ A good book to read now， during the colder months _____________________✅What I liked _____________________👩🏿🤝👨🏻Great cast of POVS （ but too many） 👥 Characterization is fantastic， with realistic and likable characters。 ✍🏻 I'm intrigued by the author's writing style。💨 A quick and enjoyable read。 💭 A imaginative storyline。🕵🏾♀️ A fun mystery is woven throughout almost the entire plot， which was really fun thing。 👻 It's quite a spooky story and and will undoubtedly give some readers the creeps！ ❄️ A good book to read now， during the colder months。_____________________❌ What I didn’t like_____________________👩👩👦👦There are numerous characters and names to remember。 🐌 In my opinion， the pacing was very slow， and the story dragged right up until the end。 🏃🏻♀️The ending felt too fast and rushed to me。Overall， I had a good time with this book。 The only thing that slowed my reading was the slow pace of the story， which made it difficult for me to maintain my attention and fully immerse myself in the story while reading。 I still have Jonathan Sims' previous book， "Thirteen Storeys，" on my shelf， and I'm looking forward to reading it soon。 Have you read any of this author's previous works？ If so， what book did you read， and how did you feel about it？3/5 ⭐️ _____________________________________ #JonathanSims#FamilyBusiness#thrillerbooks #horrorbooks 。。。more
Puck
，
ObSESSED
Kevin
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3。5 stars Review to follow
r。
，
boooo i didn’t wike it。 i think jonathan sims’ writing is much better suited to shorter fiction - idk if that’s a result of having written ~200 short stories for the magnus archives or if the magnus archives stood out from the start precisely because of his ability to write compelling short stories， but whatever the case this attempt at a novel felt flimsy and insubstantial to me。 the first half is very repetitive and i didn’t find it particularly interesting - it actually reminded me a lot （ton boooo i didn’t wike it。 i think jonathan sims’ writing is much better suited to shorter fiction - idk if that’s a result of having written ~200 short stories for the magnus archives or if the magnus archives stood out from the start precisely because of his ability to write compelling short stories， but whatever the case this attempt at a novel felt flimsy and insubstantial to me。 the first half is very repetitive and i didn’t find it particularly interesting - it actually reminded me a lot （tonally and content-wise） of season 5 of tma which tbf i didn’t enjoy much either！ just kind of a dour slog through a bunch of extremely incidental characters’ Personal Hellscape Experience（tm） with a very very overt social message pasted over the top， and it isn’t that i disagree with the message because i don’t but i do like my fiction to make me reach a little harder for meaning than this did。 all of this is critique that could be applied to his first novel too - thirteen storeys， which i enjoyed far more - but imo that one worked better because it functionally was just a bunch of very different short stories linked by the connective tissue of the overarching plot （again much like tma） and the variety worked very much in its favour。 this too has a waft of the loosely connected short story thing with diya’s different cleaning jobs but the variety is definitely lacking！ i also didn’t find diya a compelling enough character to carry the weight of the narrative alone， and in fact all of the character work in this novel felt a little thinly sketched。 and while i mentioned thirteen storeys i think it’s also relevant to note that in my review for that book i said i often found myself mentally rearranging sentences to make them flow better; i’ve wondered since if that was kind of a harsh comment to make but now having read this one i stand by it！ for example on page 2 of family business we get “it had been hard to see any way out， but maybe irritation would turn out to be her path out of grief” - that’s just too many times to use the word ‘out’ in a single sentence lol。 i don’t even think sims is a bad writer - his prose is often quite evocative but it tends to flow much better when read aloud than it does on the actual page imo。 very little of this worked for me， sadly！ 。。。more
Imogen Cassidy
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Compelling and Just the Right Amount of GrossSims knack for putting you in a world so removed from your own experience is amazing。 Apart from this being genuinely creepy， it was also a fascinating look into a necessary job and a heart wrenching exploration of grief and grieving。 Great stuff。
Javier
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Sims is really a good writer。 This one is no exception。 And definitely feels like he's trying new things。This kinda read like Stephen King。 The GOOD part of his novels。 Fully recommended if you are into horror。 Sims is really a good writer。 This one is no exception。 And definitely feels like he's trying new things。This kinda read like Stephen King。 The GOOD part of his novels。 Fully recommended if you are into horror。 。。。more
Haden
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jonathan sims LOVES a good threatened apotheosis and so do i
Eleanor
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Family Business is a dark， gory， morbid little beast with a bright and defiant heart。 It opens with quite a disgusting clean up of a flat after it's owner passes away （it put me right off my late-night-reading mug of hot chocolate） but if you can get past that， the horror blooms into that of a different sort。 The disgusting becomes mundane and the fear becomes not one of the mess after a person had passed， but of the loneliness and isolation one can sink into during a lifetime。 A fear of being f Family Business is a dark， gory， morbid little beast with a bright and defiant heart。 It opens with quite a disgusting clean up of a flat after it's owner passes away （it put me right off my late-night-reading mug of hot chocolate） but if you can get past that， the horror blooms into that of a different sort。 The disgusting becomes mundane and the fear becomes not one of the mess after a person had passed， but of the loneliness and isolation one can sink into during a lifetime。 A fear of being forgotten and abandoned by those you love。 A true and abiding horror。The characters are real， rounded and breathe life。 I kept expecting to see Frank's van around the corner while reading this， or bump into Xen at the pub。 And I love that， it grounds all the supernatural of the story firmly in your connection to its characters and world。 The description is delightfully eerie。 Listeners of The Magnus Archives can likely close their eyes and imagine the glee with which Jonathan Sims describes every insettling detail。 He does a building sense of the uncanny with great skill。If I have one criticism， it's that the build to the reveal is too slow， and the actual Finale Point happens so quickly that it's more than a little jarring。 But by no means does that make this an unenjoyable read。 Like much else of Sims' work， it has a deep core of rage at the way people are mistreated by The Powers That Be。 It screams out for us to treat each other with patience， kindness and respect in the face of an indifferent world。 Jonathan Sims knows what horror can do， wields his fear like a scalpel to cut to the heart of an issue and asks us what we do when we have blood on our hands。 。。。more
Yolanda Sfetsos
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This book caught my eye because the concept sounded intriguing， and the cover is so creepy。Diya recently lost her best friend/roommate and is having a hard time getting over the loss。 So when she gets a new job with a clean-up crew， she's not sure if it's a good idea to be surrounded by so much death。 Or if it's just what she needs to get over her grief。 The job introduces her to new people， keeps her mind focused and physically active。 But the unexpected visions are even harder to deal with tha This book caught my eye because the concept sounded intriguing， and the cover is so creepy。Diya recently lost her best friend/roommate and is having a hard time getting over the loss。 So when she gets a new job with a clean-up crew， she's not sure if it's a good idea to be surrounded by so much death。 Or if it's just what she needs to get over her grief。 The job introduces her to new people， keeps her mind focused and physically active。 But the unexpected visions are even harder to deal with than the forgotten they're cleaning after。。。Fantastic story， with the right amount of interesting characters， a real sense of disorientation， and a slow burn that crescendos in the most horrifying way。Right from the start， I knew this was going to be a book that would drag me in and not let go。 I was invested as soon as Diya starts her first day at a family cleaning business。 There's definitely something strange going on with the man running this gig。 As well as how and why Diya got this job in the first place， when she's clearly not qualified。As she becomes more familiar with the work and the effect it's having on her， things start unraveling in the creepiest of ways。 There are some really freaky scenes that got under my skin。 Some of that imagery is so damn creepy。 And I loved every minute of it！Family Business is an addictive psychological horror story that takes the reader on a seriously strange ride， and leads to a very satisfying， but gruesome， conclusion。 The sense of dread builds gradually， until there's no escaping the disturbing truth。Thank you Hachette Australia for sending me a copy。 。。。more
Alex Abrahams
，
slay
Noah
，
Mary slough is perfect and has done nothing wrong in her whole life
Bailey
，
This one had to spend some time in the freezer。
Neo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Certainly well written， with an interesting concept。 I think the reason this book didn’t stick out to me was that it felt a bit shallow， not sure why， though。 What did get me was the passage on page 295 where Frank is devoured。 Sims has a great way of writing dreamlike and inexplicable sights， like Mr。 Bill’s smile， which I’ve noticed in his other works。 I’m pretty conflicted on this book， and it might have to do with the pacing？ It felt slow and fast at the same time。 Anyway， it’s not a favorit Certainly well written， with an interesting concept。 I think the reason this book didn’t stick out to me was that it felt a bit shallow， not sure why， though。 What did get me was the passage on page 295 where Frank is devoured。 Sims has a great way of writing dreamlike and inexplicable sights， like Mr。 Bill’s smile， which I’ve noticed in his other works。 I’m pretty conflicted on this book， and it might have to do with the pacing？ It felt slow and fast at the same time。 Anyway， it’s not a favorite but definitely not bad。 。。。more
Alex Meese
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Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC！ Nobody writes horror like Jonny Sims。 Great characters， great dialogue， and great mind-bending terrors sprinkled throughout。 Even during the few times I could predict where this was going， I remained firmly on the edge of my seat thanks to the brilliant execution of each plot twist。 Many sleepless nights were had because of this book， in the best possible way。
iso！
，
this book was on its own just really really good and i loved it， but it goes up from 4。5 to 5 because of the cat being named winston
Heather
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Once again Jonathan Sims has taken something mundane & made it terrifying。 There's so many little things in this story that trigger fears we have in everyday life & holds a magnifying glass to it。 You want to look away but you can't。 Read this with the lights on & in a crowd。 Brilliant read！ Once again Jonathan Sims has taken something mundane & made it terrifying。 There's so many little things in this story that trigger fears we have in everyday life & holds a magnifying glass to it。 You want to look away but you can't。 Read this with the lights on & in a crowd。 Brilliant read！ 。。。more
Stuart
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Is this a perfect horror novel？ I think， for me at least， it might be！First of all， I love the concept and the structure。 Diya， our MC， loses her office job due to an outburst after her best friend/roommate dies suddenly， which is just the machination to get her employed by Slough and Sons， the trauma cleanup company she called after said best friend died， to take care of the necessary cleaning。 When we meet her， she is just starting， going to her first site to clean up after someone has died。 I Is this a perfect horror novel？ I think， for me at least， it might be！First of all， I love the concept and the structure。 Diya， our MC， loses her office job due to an outburst after her best friend/roommate dies suddenly， which is just the machination to get her employed by Slough and Sons， the trauma cleanup company she called after said best friend died， to take care of the necessary cleaning。 When we meet her， she is just starting， going to her first site to clean up after someone has died。 It’s a simple trick， but it works; by introducing Diya to this world through her first job， Sims also introduces us to the world and how it operates。 Soon enough， Diya begins to realize that not only is her memory of the people she is cleaning after fading， but it seems they themselves are fading from the world。 In her own grief， she is understandably freaked; and just who is this nondescript smiling man who she keeps seeing around？ Sims does a tremendous job here by digging into the terrifying loneliness of grief and the nihilistic fear of being forgotten， and balances that vulnerability with the growing unsettling occurrences of the smiling man。 This part of the book， the middle third or so where we are really digging into this spookiness and fear but without any reveal， this got me uncomfortable and made me lose more sleep than any book in memory。 Visceral is not the right word， because it’s not really physical， but the escalation of these events， and Diya’s despair over them， affected me primally。And the reveal itself is both ambiguous and satisfying。 There’s the right amount of gore to be gross but not （for me， in this medium） off-putting。 The action of the climax circles into the themes of the story， as well as picks up on plot pieces left like breadcrumbs earlier， in a way that， I will say again， is so very satisfying。 There’s a social commentary and critique of capitalism that is less on-the-nose than Sims’ debut novel， Thirteen Storeys， but is still very present。 And there’s casual queer representation！I am a big fan of Jonny Sims’ writing。 He balances genuine， otherworldly scares， with very real-life fear， with ridiculous millennial humour， with a genuine heart。 I am already looking forward to what he comes up with next。 。。。more
Matasatan
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Bored now！
Paul
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The sadness that inhabits the main protagonist， Diya， feels palpable。 The death of her best friend means she has lost one of the few constants in her life。 She has been adrift in her own existence and it’s only the prospect of financial stability that finds her tidying up after the dead。The majority of Slough & Sons’ clients are those who existed on the periphery of society。 Frank Slough， the family patriarch puts it simply; heartbreaking suicides， troubled addicts or lonely shut-ins with no fam The sadness that inhabits the main protagonist， Diya， feels palpable。 The death of her best friend means she has lost one of the few constants in her life。 She has been adrift in her own existence and it’s only the prospect of financial stability that finds her tidying up after the dead。The majority of Slough & Sons’ clients are those who existed on the periphery of society。 Frank Slough， the family patriarch puts it simply; heartbreaking suicides， troubled addicts or lonely shut-ins with no family to care for are all entitled to the same respect as those of us who are loved。 It’s an admirable sentiment， and Frank appears to be a stand-up guy， but perhaps there is something just a little bit off about him。Frank’s daughters， the Sons having been from generations long passed， couldn’t be more different from their father。 Xen is brash and outgoing， while Mary is a thoughtful spirit。 Diya feels like she has met some kindred souls。 Maybe cleaning up after the dead won’t be so bad after all。 Almost as soon as that realisation occurs， that’s the moment the nightmarish visions begin。One of the things I loved about 13 Storeys， and again in Family Business， is the characterisation。 The author takes time to flesh out his creations。 The arguments that sometimes explode between Frank and his children have a raw， visceral edge。 There is real venom in one moment and then sulky indifference the next。 Exactly the sort of thing that is often seen in a real family。The supernatural elements in the story start off really slowly and build with each passing chapter。 Initially， Diya believes her visions are due to her fragile mental state。 There is that niggling persistent doubt， perhaps it is all in her mind。 As events start to pick up pace it becomes evident， however， that there is something far more insidious going on。The other area where this novel excels is the depth of thought that has gone into what could be quite triggering subject matter。 Death is front and centre in Family Business。 Sims uses a delicate touch， weaving insightful， reflective moments throughout the narrative。"We do not disappear after death。 Small pieces of our being can remain， persisting in those places that were once so meaningful to us。"*I love writing like this。 Subtly wrapped up in a horror novel， there is an exploration of the human condition。 Death is something we are taught to shy away from， and not talk about。 Maybe it wouldn’t be quite so scary if we talked about it a little more。 Every action and reaction we create in our lives send ripples out into the world。 We all leave our mark， every one of us。 What if there was something that fed on that？ Something that erased us from memory。 I’ve heard it said that nobody really dies as long as someone remembers them。 Family Business explores what happens when we are forgotten。For years now， I’ve found that the horror stories that stay with me longest are those that feature ordinary people trapped in extraordinary circumstances。 Diya， Xen， Mary and Frank are trying to live their respective lives， just the same as the rest of us。 They find themselves part of an increasingly disturbing situation with no obvious means of escape。 Who is the mysterious Mr Bill， and why is he so keen to keep Slough and Sons in business？*That gem is from page one， and I’ll admit it does form the basis for some gallows humour but it is insightful nonetheless。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
When Diya begins working for a clean up team that removes any evidence of death after her best friends death she believes that the only problem that she will face is the sights and smells of death; however， as she works for Slough & Sons longer she starts to experience strange dream like visions of the people that have died。 Is she seeing their last moments or is this grief related？ As the experiences become more vivid she must find out or risk being harmed。This was a really gripping read; I fol When Diya begins working for a clean up team that removes any evidence of death after her best friends death she believes that the only problem that she will face is the sights and smells of death; however， as she works for Slough & Sons longer she starts to experience strange dream like visions of the people that have died。 Is she seeing their last moments or is this grief related？ As the experiences become more vivid she must find out or risk being harmed。This was a really gripping read; I followed Diya's story unfold and was gripped by the nature of the Slough & Sons business; the supernatural element was intriguing and I read the book in one sitting。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Nade
，
It's not exactly the scariest thing written by Jonathan Sims， but as someone who isn't super into horror to begin with， this actually makes it more up my alley。 I like supernatural themes and mysteries， but I don't like being spooked， and this story fits the first category。 It just gets a little gruesome at times。 Even though this story is indeed a single story， there's this episodic nature to how the plot is revealed that I really enjoy。 The characters are lovely， and despite the fact that we n It's not exactly the scariest thing written by Jonathan Sims， but as someone who isn't super into horror to begin with， this actually makes it more up my alley。 I like supernatural themes and mysteries， but I don't like being spooked， and this story fits the first category。 It just gets a little gruesome at times。 Even though this story is indeed a single story， there's this episodic nature to how the plot is revealed that I really enjoy。 The characters are lovely， and despite the fact that we never truly get to meet Angie， Diya's connection to her is highly convincing and a great driving force in the story。 It's a type of relationship that I rarely encounter in fiction， and that I'm really excited to find in this book。 Angie and Diya just truly read as family。 In general， there's a nuance to all the character relationships here that speaks to me。 I haven't read a novel in way too long， and despite this not being a book in my comfortzone at all， this was a really nice first venture back into reading。 :） 。。。more
Paige
，
Thank you， Gollancz， for sending me a review copy of Family Business！ Family Business is the first book I've read by Jonathan Sims， and it definitely won't be my last。 I went in not sure what to expect and at no point did I realise just how creepy， and insane， the plot would become。 The creep-factor is cranked up so expertly that you don't notice what's going on until our main character， Diya， is right in the middle of everything。 Coming in at just over 300 pages this is the perfect book to bing Thank you， Gollancz， for sending me a review copy of Family Business！ Family Business is the first book I've read by Jonathan Sims， and it definitely won't be my last。 I went in not sure what to expect and at no point did I realise just how creepy， and insane， the plot would become。 The creep-factor is cranked up so expertly that you don't notice what's going on until our main character， Diya， is right in the middle of everything。 Coming in at just over 300 pages this is the perfect book to binge over a weekend， and I highly recommend carving out time to get completely lost in the story。 It all starts out somewhat normal as Diya gets a new job at a family firm that cleans up after the recently deceased。 After that Sims just piles on the weirdness， but like Diya you're caught unawares by how strange things have become until it's too late。 I can't put into words just how cleverly written Family Business is。 It completely blew me away。 With just a small cast of characters you quickly become acquainted with everyone and the isolation of working in a family business really helps to set the scene。 You know there's something up， but you can never quite put your finger on what。 I don't want to give away any of the plot， as I really think this book is best read with no idea of what's going to happen。 Grab a copy and spend a weekend wrapped up in Family Business。 You'll end up completely wrapped up in this chilling tale。 。。。more
Luisa Lopes
，
I’m a complete sucker for Jonny’s writing， so this is 100% a biased review。I’ve listened to The Magnus Archives and I’ve read Thirteen Storeys， so I’m a bit used to Jonny writing stories that feel like many different unrelated stories at first until some of the characters and spaces start to overlap， forming a bigger picture。 Family Business is not that。Family Business feels like a longer format， indeed， following Diya’s story from beginning to end。 It feels like a very gradual build up of creep I’m a complete sucker for Jonny’s writing， so this is 100% a biased review。I’ve listened to The Magnus Archives and I’ve read Thirteen Storeys， so I’m a bit used to Jonny writing stories that feel like many different unrelated stories at first until some of the characters and spaces start to overlap， forming a bigger picture。 Family Business is not that。Family Business feels like a longer format， indeed， following Diya’s story from beginning to end。 It feels like a very gradual build up of creepy stuff happening， too。 You get some glimpses quite early， but the overall depth of how screwed Diya is comes together along the way， some glimpses and pieces of the puzzle falling together as the story progresses。Jonny has a strong inclination to tackle themes about agency and choice， and this book is no different， so the ending was quite satisfying。 Maybe even too tidy， but this isn’t a negative for me。 It sure is nice to see some of the choices being made pay off in positive ways， but with it still being a bit bittersweet。Overall， a very enjoyable read。 。。。more
galpalkirk
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Jonny， you’ve done it again！ You’ve written another anthology disguised as a novel！ This one even has a main character but we can work around that by making her have visions of the deaths of other people！As a huge fan of The Magnus Archives and Jonny’s brand of horror I was unfortunately let down by this book。 Aside from the fact that it’s another anthology that desperately tries to fit the format of a novel （which we already saw with his debut novel Thirteen Storeys） I just didn’t like the paci Jonny， you’ve done it again！ You’ve written another anthology disguised as a novel！ This one even has a main character but we can work around that by making her have visions of the deaths of other people！As a huge fan of The Magnus Archives and Jonny’s brand of horror I was unfortunately let down by this book。 Aside from the fact that it’s another anthology that desperately tries to fit the format of a novel （which we already saw with his debut novel Thirteen Storeys） I just didn’t like the pacing， prose or plot。It’s a shame because I thought the premise was intruiging and could’ve made for interesting horror。 The plot follows Diya who， after experiencing the loss of her roommate and best friend， starts a job at a firm that cleans up after the dead。 So far so good。 It’s not really a plot I’ve seen before so it could be interesting。Some parts of the firm’s business DID feel interesting。 Thinking about what happens to the human body and the things around it as it decomposes in death is unsettling so reading about what needs to be done to the furniture and items that are soaked in human remains did leave an impression。 That’s one of the things I can say in favor of this novel。Other than that I felt like I was beaten over the head with a hammer at every plot point like *boink* did you see what I did there？ *boink* did you see that？ *boink* in case you didn’t see that I’m gonna make my main character comment on it so that you won’t miss it *boink*。 （It’s going boink because I’m imagining a ridiculous inflatable toy rather than an actual hammer， I don’t want my head to be literally bashed in by the plot）。The fact that the plot is so unsubtle becomes even more sad because I know Jonny can write with subtlety from having listened to The Magnus Archives but so far I’ve seen none of that translated into either of his novels。I enjoyed Thirteen Storeys well enough and thought the individual stories were mostly interesting even if the overarching plot and ending also lacked subtlety。 At least the short stories themselves had vivid imagery and the type of horror elements that made The Magnus Archives such a popular podcast。 The people in the piping of the building and the stain that refuses to be cleaned are two examples of that。This book has none of that。 There are so few elements of horror in this novel that I would actually be inclined to agree with another review I saw that described it as more of a supernatural story than a horror one。 There were no specific images that will end up seared into my mind。 Instead the characters mainly just died in entirely normal ways。 Except it’s this one supernatural entity’s fault。 And who is this supernatural entity？ Well， there’s nothing remarkable about him aside from the fact that he is always smiling and also feasts on the forgotten dead。 Two facts that were vividly clear from the start of the novel。A man who stands in the background with a smile can be a terrifying image but again it just lacked subtlety。 Almost from the same moment we heard about the guy we also had the main character realize who he was in the plot。 There was no intrigue at all from that point。 Thank you for clearing away the mystery so quickly。I did think the photos of him in the phone of the dead guy as he comes closer and closer to his house was a nice touch。 However as an IT professional who has daily struggled with people forgetting their passcodes and their emails and their passwords and anything that would help us getting into their phones， the fact that the phone was conveniently unlocked without a passcode or anything felt like the most unbelievable thing in this entire novel。 This is where I need to suspend my disbelief。 Not for any of the supernatural stuff。That last point is not an actual criticism because that’s just a personal slight to me specifically but what I will actually criticize about it is that Jonny does brings attention to it by making the character comment on how she thought it’d be locked by a passcode but lucky her！ It wasn’t！ So he did realize it was horribly convenient that the phone was able to open at once and yet decided to do that anyway。 And once again we have immediately cleared away any mystery of what the main character would find on that phone。This is from a man who normally can build a gradually revealing plot over the course of 40 episodes per season in a podcast so I don’t really know what’s going on here。 I think the novel format just doesn’t suit him as much as the podcast format。 He also clearly wants to keep doing short stories as he builds his novels around the short stories rather than on the main characters。 The things I know about Diya are that she’s into women and Clea DuVall in But I’m A Cheerleader， and is isolating herself in grief。 That could be said about half of my tumblr mutuals。 Another example of this is the side character who is a gay woman that’s in love with Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars。 Listen。 I am a lesbian who loves But I’m A Cheerleader and who thinks Daisy Ridley is hot and has called Rey my girlfriend but that shouldn’t be all I know about these women。 It feels like it was more important to show they’re gay than to show who they are as people。 And there are other ways to make a gay woman。 I’ll get into the one bit that DID resonate with me on an emotional level as a lesbian below。The one thing that did feel real about Diya is the relationship she had with her deceased roommate/best friend。 And that’s partially because her best friend Angie reminded me of a friend I’ve had so I could picture perfectly what kind of person she was and what kind of relationship they had。 She felt real to me despite being dead before the book started。 So I do gotta give him some points for creating a character that haunts the narrative and for understanding the complexity of female friendship between gay women who have known each other since they were kids and understood each other on some level others did not despite other people not really understanding how the two of them fit together and considering one to be a bad influence including the parents never really liking that friend and also the two of them never having dated but nonetheless being each other’s Person™️。 Woah， oddly specific。 Anyway， yeah I recognize that。 That chapter alone gives the book one of the stars in my ranking。 Moving on。The two chapters I liked most were the flashbacks to the best friend and the son of the firm respectively。 It’s in those where he shines。 I would buy a short story collection from Jonny any day of the week。 In comparison the parts that are actually taking place in real time in the novel feel so contrived。 Following Diya along in her days was incredibly boring to be honest and I struggled to continue this book at many points but I still wanted to finish it just hoping something interesting would come along。 Nothing about it surprised me or really caught my interest though and I can’t say that it was worth it to continue。 So sorry， Jonny。 This just ain’t it。 。。。more
Dee
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⭐️ 4 ⭐️Review to follow
Hannah
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I read a lot of horror over spooky season。 Unfortunately that means that much of the plot lentils of this book have been absorbed into the October Soup of my brain。 Tasty soup tho。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Family Business
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Family Business&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Family Business&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0