What’s That Coming Over the Hill by Raido Teagan

Raido Teagan unfurls a dark, emotionally raw story of personal struggle, brutal suffering, resilience, depression, unrequited love and mental collapse in What’s That Coming Over the Hill.

Part fictional memoir, part surreal nightmare, with perspective jumps and a flexible take on reality, this novel demands a strong heart from readers. Navigating the tortured recollections of the protagonist, from a childhood of isolation and abuse to the painful mysteries of sex and the opposite sex, and the uncontrollable urge for violence, this is a chilling tale of a young man on the brink. Revenge, savior complexes, twisted relationships, and self-deception blend in this gritty, unfiltered exploration of a broken mind.

At times manic, and at others keenly brilliant, the narrator is decidedly untrustworthy. Seeing the world through the protagonist’s bitter and delusional eyes makes for a wild ride, and the occasional interjections from other more stable characters reminds readers of just how mad the main storyteller is.

On a technical note, the prose is often repetitive, and when every anecdote feels tinged by violence, anger, trauma, or melancholy, the book can take on a strangely monotone feel, despite the intensity of what is being recounted. The stream-of-consciousness style is consistent and immersive, but there are still many small errors and awkwardly worded phrases. This could reflect the narrator’s disordered thinking, but it feels more disorganized than a stylistic decision.

As a whole, What’s That Coming Over the Hill is a disturbing first-person dive into psychological torment, a tangential journey into a twisted mind, and a gripping read you might not be able to put down.