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We Need to Do Something
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM IFC MIDNIGHT, STARRING SIERRA MCCORMICK, VINESSA SHAW, AND PAT HEALY.
A family on the verge of self-destruction finds themselves isolated in their bathroom during a tornado warning.
Includes an introduction from Sean King O'Grady (director of the film adaptation) and a brand-new afterword from Max Booth III.
“Don't look now but Max Booth III is one of the best in horror, and he's only getting started.”
—Josh Malerman, author of BIRD BOX and MALORIE
“A confident and singular descent into domestic nihilism that’s as wildly fun as it is deeply disturbing.”
—Matt Barone, Tribeca Film Festival
“Works like a Pandora’s box of horror.”
—Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting
“Unhinged, chaotic, and abounding with occult chills.”
—Chad Collins, Dread Central
A family on the verge of self-destruction finds themselves isolated in their bathroom during a tornado warning.
Includes an introduction from Sean King O'Grady (director of the film adaptation) and a brand-new afterword from Max Booth III.
“Don't look now but Max Booth III is one of the best in horror, and he's only getting started.”
—Josh Malerman, author of BIRD BOX and MALORIE
“A confident and singular descent into domestic nihilism that’s as wildly fun as it is deeply disturbing.”
—Matt Barone, Tribeca Film Festival
“Works like a Pandora’s box of horror.”
—Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting
“Unhinged, chaotic, and abounding with occult chills.”
—Chad Collins, Dread Central
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2020
About the author
Max Booth III
117 books587 followersMax Booth III is a writer, publisher, editor, podcaster, and indie bookstore owner. They are the author of numerous works, including I Believe in Mister Bones, Abnormal Statistics, Maggots Screaming!, Touch the Night, and many others too spooky to name here. Their novella, We Need to Do Something, was adapted into a feature film from their own screenplay and distributed by IFC Midnight in 2021 after debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival. Their non-fiction has been published in outlets such as LitReactor, CrimeReads, the San Antonio Current, Film 14, and FANGORIA, and their short stories have been included in 50+ magazines and anthologies. They host three podcasts—GHOULISH, Decayed Tapes, and Dog Ears—and co-run Ghoulish Books, a publisher/bookstore hybrid, with their wife Lori Michelle Booth. Together, the two of them also co-founded the annual Ghoulish Book Festival. Additionally, Max serves as the head editor and publisher of Ghoulish Tales. Born and raised in Northwest Indiana, they now live in San Antonio, TX. Find their work at www.TalesFromTheBooth.com.
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June 14, 2022bleak shit.
i had a hard time suspending my disbelief that it was *impossible* to escape the bathroom after the tornado ended, especially considering the way everything wrapped up. that said, i do love horror that is based on elements of isolation and confinement, so i was willing to (mostly) put all that aside and just enjoy the absolute fucking chaos.
honestly, not bad for a novella, and i think the story has the potential to translate really well to screen for the upcoming movie.
3.5 stars
(cw: casual racism, mentions of self harm, attempted suicide, alcoholism, loss of a loved one, cannibalism, murder)
i had a hard time suspending my disbelief that it was *impossible* to escape the bathroom after the tornado ended, especially considering the way everything wrapped up. that said, i do love horror that is based on elements of isolation and confinement, so i was willing to (mostly) put all that aside and just enjoy the absolute fucking chaos.
honestly, not bad for a novella, and i think the story has the potential to translate really well to screen for the upcoming movie.
3.5 stars
(cw: casual racism, mentions of self harm, attempted suicide, alcoholism, loss of a loved one, cannibalism, murder)
September 26, 2021
Ahhhhh this was SO GOOD
Reading vlog: https://youtu.be/6NaOItAWp7Q
Reading vlog: https://youtu.be/6NaOItAWp7Q
May 2, 2020
I'm not sure I've ever discussed my background in acting or how reading scripts and screenplays have influenced my fiction preferences. But now is the time. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING takes place in a bathroom. No scene changes.
Think Neil Simon's third act of PLAZA SUITE but instead of just the daughter locked in the bathroom, the whole family is in there and instead of comedy gold & hilarious Jewish accents--you have thick family tension and foreboding darkness.
No. Scene. Changes.
It takes a certain level of genius to pull off a story that takes place in a bathroom. It doesn't matter if it's a comedy or horror.
Naturally, a story has several scene changes. The environment itself is like a character- the protagonists interact with the environment, it generates atmosphere, sets the mood, provides motivations for movement in the characters (going up the stairs, tripping on a tree branch, the lighting from the summer sun or the chill of a winter moon)
So when Max Booth III limits himself and his characters to the confines of a basic bathroom, this is a resignation of almost everything a writer would lean on to drive the story.
Everything except the characters performing under laser point focus.
To be honest, it's uncomfortable for the reader. I felt a claustrophobic tension for damn near the entirety of this novella.
Imagine a rubberband held tight to its snapping point and a sharp edge applying the tiniest amount of pressure.
That's how I felt reading this story. Like I was turning the crank of a Jack-In-The-Box popup toy. Which maybe doesn't sound so bad, except what if I told you that once the Jack pops up, he's going to stab you in the feelings over and over again until everything goes really dark?
That's this book.
A low-level threat to your emotions as you watch a family wind up to a startling, disturbing finish.
Did I enjoy it? I mean, enjoyment is the wrong word. I can't say I took pleasure in experiencing everything Max put these characters through--I was especially invested in one of them and I knew like halfway through there would be some sacrifice.
Pain and suffering. So enjoyment is the wrong word.
I endured it. I respect it. And it further cemented in my mind that Max Booth III is one of the most talented horror writers working in the industry right now. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING testifies.
Think Neil Simon's third act of PLAZA SUITE but instead of just the daughter locked in the bathroom, the whole family is in there and instead of comedy gold & hilarious Jewish accents--you have thick family tension and foreboding darkness.
No. Scene. Changes.
It takes a certain level of genius to pull off a story that takes place in a bathroom. It doesn't matter if it's a comedy or horror.
Naturally, a story has several scene changes. The environment itself is like a character- the protagonists interact with the environment, it generates atmosphere, sets the mood, provides motivations for movement in the characters (going up the stairs, tripping on a tree branch, the lighting from the summer sun or the chill of a winter moon)
So when Max Booth III limits himself and his characters to the confines of a basic bathroom, this is a resignation of almost everything a writer would lean on to drive the story.
Everything except the characters performing under laser point focus.
To be honest, it's uncomfortable for the reader. I felt a claustrophobic tension for damn near the entirety of this novella.
Imagine a rubberband held tight to its snapping point and a sharp edge applying the tiniest amount of pressure.
That's how I felt reading this story. Like I was turning the crank of a Jack-In-The-Box popup toy. Which maybe doesn't sound so bad, except what if I told you that once the Jack pops up, he's going to stab you in the feelings over and over again until everything goes really dark?
That's this book.
A low-level threat to your emotions as you watch a family wind up to a startling, disturbing finish.
Did I enjoy it? I mean, enjoyment is the wrong word. I can't say I took pleasure in experiencing everything Max put these characters through--I was especially invested in one of them and I knew like halfway through there would be some sacrifice.
Pain and suffering. So enjoyment is the wrong word.
I endured it. I respect it. And it further cemented in my mind that Max Booth III is one of the most talented horror writers working in the industry right now. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING testifies.
January 31, 2022
Well, I’m disturbed and feel like shit now. 5 stars!!!
May 3, 2024
This book has been on my want list for a long time; I had no idea what it was about because I had never read the blurb, but the cover piqued my interest.
After receiving the copy, I discovered that there is also a film. Here are my opinions after reading/watching both of them in one day.
Disappointed. Disappointment plain and simple. It got off to a great start. Max's writing was excellent, and I was eager to find out what would happen next. However, 80 percent of the way through the book, nothing happens save for occasional butt and fart jokes. The gore was basic, and I've read better, so that didn't entice me, and the characters felt like a bunch of jerks (which they were supposed to be). The ending was okay, but it left us hanging, which is also okay because I like that kind of ending.
Overall disappointment.
All this time I was imagining the bathroom to be a small one but when I watched the movie it was really big.
After receiving the copy, I discovered that there is also a film. Here are my opinions after reading/watching both of them in one day.
Disappointed. Disappointment plain and simple. It got off to a great start. Max's writing was excellent, and I was eager to find out what would happen next. However, 80 percent of the way through the book, nothing happens save for occasional butt and fart jokes. The gore was basic, and I've read better, so that didn't entice me, and the characters felt like a bunch of jerks (which they were supposed to be). The ending was okay, but it left us hanging, which is also okay because I like that kind of ending.
Overall disappointment.
All this time I was imagining the bathroom to be a small one but when I watched the movie it was really big.
September 8, 2021
wow, this book has me fucked up
June 10, 2020
When I was kid, I went through Hurricane Marilyn in the Virgin Islands and when it got really bad in the night, I hunkered down with my parents, grandparents, and sister in my grandparents’ guest bathroom as the hurricane raged outside. It was one of the scariest times in my life. This truly unsettling novella brought back many of those memories, as it takes place completely in a bathroom after a Texas family finds refuge there when a major storm comes through their town.
The story starts off tame enough, with a little tension between the family and discomfort with the conditions. But soon, things get more surreal and more terrifying. As the time in the bathroom crawls on, Booth’s writing provides a palpable unease where I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. I don’t want to get into too many details as it’s best to go in blind so that the events in here have maximum impact, but I read most of this with a real sense of dread as I began to feel the claustrophobia, smell the odors, and, once things started to go truly bonkers, I began to read all of it with bulging eyes.
Did any of this really happen in the story? Some of it might have. Some of it might not. Based on how horrifying this was, I would hope it was all just a bad nightmare for the main character. But deep down, I feel like I know the truth.
The story starts off tame enough, with a little tension between the family and discomfort with the conditions. But soon, things get more surreal and more terrifying. As the time in the bathroom crawls on, Booth’s writing provides a palpable unease where I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. I don’t want to get into too many details as it’s best to go in blind so that the events in here have maximum impact, but I read most of this with a real sense of dread as I began to feel the claustrophobia, smell the odors, and, once things started to go truly bonkers, I began to read all of it with bulging eyes.
Did any of this really happen in the story? Some of it might have. Some of it might not. Based on how horrifying this was, I would hope it was all just a bad nightmare for the main character. But deep down, I feel like I know the truth.
it’s going to be okay it’s going to be okay it’s going to be okay it’s going to be okay it’s going to be okay it’s going to be okay
July 18, 2021
Great premise but jumps the rails quickly. Realistic parts make little sense (just take the hinges off the bathroom door already). Hallucinatory/supernatural parts become tiresome. Needs a copyedit. Unsatisfactory non-ending.
April 9, 2022
I devoured this book in one sitting! It's a dark and twisted tale of a family getting trapped in their bathroom after a storm. The scene quickly devolves into madness, much to our reading enjoyment.
January 11, 2022
reading vlog: https://youtu.be/AXpfik6Q72g
This book is gross. And I LOVED IT!!!
It mixes a natural disaster with witchy/demonic vibes, with human psychopathy.
Stick a dysfunctional family in a small bathroom for a week and see how sane they come out the other end.
This is a page turner. I felt on edge the whole time. I needed to know how it would end and I thought the ending was perfection.
This book is gross. And I LOVED IT!!!
It mixes a natural disaster with witchy/demonic vibes, with human psychopathy.
Stick a dysfunctional family in a small bathroom for a week and see how sane they come out the other end.
This is a page turner. I felt on edge the whole time. I needed to know how it would end and I thought the ending was perfection.
January 6, 2022
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was fantastic and did an amazing job. I thought it was creepy, atmospheric, and claustrophobic. It was short and sweet. I really enjoyed it.
A dysfunctional family gets trapped in their bathroom during a tornado. The drama that endues is crazy.
A dysfunctional family gets trapped in their bathroom during a tornado. The drama that endues is crazy.
January 16, 2022
1. The only thing good about this book was that it was short,, so I didn’t have to put up with it for very long!
2. I really don’t understand how this book gets the hype it does?
3. No character development and I didn’t care for a single one of them at all.
4. I’m definitely not seeing the movie now, that’s for sure
2. I really don’t understand how this book gets the hype it does?
3. No character development and I didn’t care for a single one of them at all.
4. I’m definitely not seeing the movie now, that’s for sure
May 17, 2024
Hmm. I'm not sure how I felt about this book. It was suffocating and claustrophobic in a good way but the characters were unlikeable and shallow.
The thing about the dog and the licking scared me shitless but that's about it. Truly being trapped in a bathroom with people you don't like is a bad thing but how everything turned out at the end didn't have an impact on me. With such premise, there could've been a lot of possibilities to make this more interesting.
Anyway, it's just a short book. Another good thing.
The thing about the dog and the licking scared me shitless but that's about it. Truly being trapped in a bathroom with people you don't like is a bad thing but how everything turned out at the end didn't have an impact on me. With such premise, there could've been a lot of possibilities to make this more interesting.
Anyway, it's just a short book. Another good thing.
October 3, 2021
4.5 stars
i don't have words for this level of mind fuckery that the author has served us with. all i can say is that max booth III completely understood the assignment and he gets an a+ from me!
i don't have words for this level of mind fuckery that the author has served us with. all i can say is that max booth III completely understood the assignment and he gets an a+ from me!
May 6, 2020
Woah.
This is a 150 pages novella happening in a bathroom, like literally around the toilet bowl and it's featuring four characters. We Need to Do Something is lean, intense, creative and downright terrifying. Based on a true story, the bathroom also acts as a metaphorical purgatory for the characters who each have to cleanse their sins. It works both as a survival and a psychedelic horror story.
We Need to Do Something is a breathless, unexpected terror, like a low-key Netflix film you've just stumbled upon by sheer luck in the dead of night. Not the kind of book Max Booth usually writes, but he might be even better at this more tragedian style than he is at the wisecracking/humor-laced horror he got us used to.
This is a 150 pages novella happening in a bathroom, like literally around the toilet bowl and it's featuring four characters. We Need to Do Something is lean, intense, creative and downright terrifying. Based on a true story, the bathroom also acts as a metaphorical purgatory for the characters who each have to cleanse their sins. It works both as a survival and a psychedelic horror story.
We Need to Do Something is a breathless, unexpected terror, like a low-key Netflix film you've just stumbled upon by sheer luck in the dead of night. Not the kind of book Max Booth usually writes, but he might be even better at this more tragedian style than he is at the wisecracking/humor-laced horror he got us used to.
August 11, 2022
TW: Abuse, alcoholism, toxic parent relationship, gaslighting, language, bullying, family drama, prejudiced views, cutting, animal death, cheating, death of child
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:A family on the verge of self-destruction finds themselves isolated in their bathroom during a tornado warning.
Release Date: May 8th, 2022
Genre: Horror
Pages: 188
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The idea behind the book
2. The writing was okay
What I Didn't Like:
1. Hated everyone
2. The ending
3. The confusing parts that went nowhere
Overall Thoughts:I was interested in reading this book because one time I got stuck in a bathroom during a storm. I went to a bread store to apply for a job when there was a tornado coming. The associates there made me go into the bathroom with them and fill out my application. We were in the bathroom for like an hour. It was so awkward. It was such a tiny bathroom made only for one person. And the funny thing is I didn't even get the job.
Right off the bat let's talk about how much of a piece of crap the dad is. He constantly tells his son to stop freaking out but then when the weather report comes in he purposely tells his son something he knows is going to upset him. He said yells at him to stop freaking out like he's getting a kick out of the kid having a reaction. Such a gaslighter. And just the way he talks to his family is gross. I just want to giant monster to eat him.
This might be a record. I don't know if I've ever hated every single character in a book like I do this family.
I hate in books/movies they act like you can't call 911 if you have no service. Is so stupid 911 runs on a different service then cellular towers so you're going to get through. You might get a busy signal but they advise you to keep on trying.
Did we really need a run down of bathroom items? Who doesn't have these items in their own bathroom?
This dad makes Jack Torrence look like father of the year. Ah.
Ad placement for Hulu since this book was turned into a movie on Hulu.
Tell me a guy wrote this book without telling me a guy wrote this book: 22 uses of fart & 24 uses of butt.
The dad says "Imagine the fucking irony of escaping only to get mowed down by some fucking maniac with a gun".
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
How are they able to see in the dark in the bathroom with no window and no lights? They comment that they think the snake has left but it's night time so how can they see?
Her battery is STILL alive... It's been weeks!
Final Thoughts:Cool so the book just ends with an ambiguous ending. Sometimes an ambiguous ending works and sometimes it's so stupid and cheap. In this case it's cheap. Seriously that's what you're going to give us as an ending. I would have given this book a higher rating but I just can't believe that the author left us with this ridiculous open-ended ending. I'm mad. There is zero zero closure to this book. You don't know if it's a monster. You don't know if people are getting shot because of something happened. You don't know if everything they thought of while they were in the room was real. You know nothing. I could have never read this book and been perfectly fine because leaving me with that ending did nothing for the book. Ah. I am annoyed.
Recommend For:
• Ambiguous endings
• Family drama
• Edge of your seat stress
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:A family on the verge of self-destruction finds themselves isolated in their bathroom during a tornado warning.
Release Date: May 8th, 2022
Genre: Horror
Pages: 188
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The idea behind the book
2. The writing was okay
What I Didn't Like:
1. Hated everyone
2. The ending
3. The confusing parts that went nowhere
Overall Thoughts:I was interested in reading this book because one time I got stuck in a bathroom during a storm. I went to a bread store to apply for a job when there was a tornado coming. The associates there made me go into the bathroom with them and fill out my application. We were in the bathroom for like an hour. It was so awkward. It was such a tiny bathroom made only for one person. And the funny thing is I didn't even get the job.
Right off the bat let's talk about how much of a piece of crap the dad is. He constantly tells his son to stop freaking out but then when the weather report comes in he purposely tells his son something he knows is going to upset him. He said yells at him to stop freaking out like he's getting a kick out of the kid having a reaction. Such a gaslighter. And just the way he talks to his family is gross. I just want to giant monster to eat him.
This might be a record. I don't know if I've ever hated every single character in a book like I do this family.
I hate in books/movies they act like you can't call 911 if you have no service. Is so stupid 911 runs on a different service then cellular towers so you're going to get through. You might get a busy signal but they advise you to keep on trying.
Did we really need a run down of bathroom items? Who doesn't have these items in their own bathroom?
This dad makes Jack Torrence look like father of the year. Ah.
Ad placement for Hulu since this book was turned into a movie on Hulu.
Tell me a guy wrote this book without telling me a guy wrote this book: 22 uses of fart & 24 uses of butt.
The dad says "Imagine the fucking irony of escaping only to get mowed down by some fucking maniac with a gun".
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
How are they able to see in the dark in the bathroom with no window and no lights? They comment that they think the snake has left but it's night time so how can they see?
Her battery is STILL alive... It's been weeks!
Final Thoughts:Cool so the book just ends with an ambiguous ending. Sometimes an ambiguous ending works and sometimes it's so stupid and cheap. In this case it's cheap. Seriously that's what you're going to give us as an ending. I would have given this book a higher rating but I just can't believe that the author left us with this ridiculous open-ended ending. I'm mad. There is zero zero closure to this book. You don't know if it's a monster. You don't know if people are getting shot because of something happened. You don't know if everything they thought of while they were in the room was real. You know nothing. I could have never read this book and been perfectly fine because leaving me with that ending did nothing for the book. Ah. I am annoyed.
Recommend For:
• Ambiguous endings
• Family drama
• Edge of your seat stress
IG | Blog
October 9, 2021
5 stars
A bleak single-location horror novella that fully utilized its limited scope for grandeur, my favorite type of horror stories often involve degradation of the human psyche, and We Need to Do Something is immediately up my street from page one, by introducing a dysfunctional family that is already hanging on by a thread, even before they are being terrorized by their increasingly desperate situation. We Need to Do Something strikes the perfect balance of ambiguity vs. clarity; the immediate outcome of the family members is clear, but the happening in the world beyond their confined space is completely open to interpretation. Depending on how one interpret the more surreal elements (which are all disturbing in the best way possible), this can be a straightforward survival story gone wrong, or something more outlandish and sinister.
Perfectly paced and no holding back on ugliness of all kinds, We Need to Do Something is not a 'fun' horror, it's emotionally draining, stressful, and hopeless, but at the same time so perfectly captured. Definitely read the author's afterword at the end — 2020 was a hard year for a lot of people, and I can see writing this novella during that time must've been a cathartic exercise.
A bleak single-location horror novella that fully utilized its limited scope for grandeur, my favorite type of horror stories often involve degradation of the human psyche, and We Need to Do Something is immediately up my street from page one, by introducing a dysfunctional family that is already hanging on by a thread, even before they are being terrorized by their increasingly desperate situation. We Need to Do Something strikes the perfect balance of ambiguity vs. clarity; the immediate outcome of the family members is clear, but the happening in the world beyond their confined space is completely open to interpretation. Depending on how one interpret the more surreal elements (which are all disturbing in the best way possible), this can be a straightforward survival story gone wrong, or something more outlandish and sinister.
Perfectly paced and no holding back on ugliness of all kinds, We Need to Do Something is not a 'fun' horror, it's emotionally draining, stressful, and hopeless, but at the same time so perfectly captured. Definitely read the author's afterword at the end — 2020 was a hard year for a lot of people, and I can see writing this novella during that time must've been a cathartic exercise.
May 4, 2021
Well that sure was something - what starts out as a claustrophobic tale of survival horror as one family bands together in their bathroom to wait out a tornado ends in a fever dream of terror! The description of this book is as simple and vague: " A family on the verge of self-destruction finds themselves isolated in their bathroom during a tornado warning." That's it. That's all the reader gets. And that's basically all I am going to leave you with because I want your senses to react like mine did. I want you to feel as stressed, confused, disgusted, and heartbroken as I did. ENJOY! It's going to be okay...
June 9, 2023
I'm so sad I didn't love this.
The first 60% really worked for me. The setting of a family trapped in a bathroom. The family being in the edge of disaster and none of them getting along. Was leaving me anxiety ridden and I LOVED it. However I realized I was really intrigued about what was going on. And I was looking forward to knowing those answers. But as we get closer to the end I realized no answers were coming.
Now this book is a wild and weird ride. And if you like that please read it. I just need a little more of a logical explanation then just what we are given.
More thoughts in my vlog https://youtu.be/-F1-JI-7Wxg
The first 60% really worked for me. The setting of a family trapped in a bathroom. The family being in the edge of disaster and none of them getting along. Was leaving me anxiety ridden and I LOVED it. However I realized I was really intrigued about what was going on. And I was looking forward to knowing those answers. But as we get closer to the end I realized no answers were coming.
Now this book is a wild and weird ride. And if you like that please read it. I just need a little more of a logical explanation then just what we are given.
More thoughts in my vlog https://youtu.be/-F1-JI-7Wxg
August 14, 2020
4.5 stars
A claustrophobic tale of realism, surrealism, and the struggle for sanity. All of which don't creep too far into fiction, if at all. A fine example of what can be done with minimalism and having a keen eye for knowing the desperation we all have within us--a desperation for freedom, love, escapism, and nourishment.
A claustrophobic tale of realism, surrealism, and the struggle for sanity. All of which don't creep too far into fiction, if at all. A fine example of what can be done with minimalism and having a keen eye for knowing the desperation we all have within us--a desperation for freedom, love, escapism, and nourishment.
February 10, 2022
This book made me so angry.
The entire family was unbearable. They could not make smart decisions to save their lives, and it shows. Here are some jumbled up points that really stick out to me:
1. Y’all were scared bc a rattlesnake came in and didn’t watch it?
2. Follow up: you didn’t check behind the toilet (literally everywhere in that bathroom) when it disappeared?
3. It just seemed so unrealistic that it would be ‘impossible’ to get out of the bathroom.
4. Follow up: what kind of bathroom do y’all have that the door opens OUTWARDS?
5. The amount of pee and fart comments from the little brother annoyed me to no end, and made me extremely grateful for my empty womb.
6. Sister found a ritual that said it would destroy everything and still did it? And was surprised that it actually did destroy everything?
7. GIRL STFU. Not everything is about you! Maybe be quiet once in a while, especially when there is machine gun fire outside.
The only part that was genuinely interesting was the “dog” outside of the bathroom door and the resulting tongue thing. But even that, the whole “Hunter of tongues” thing was a little obnoxious.
This whole book was just obnoxious, and the anger that I felt towards every single one of these characters was damn near unbridled.
The entire family was unbearable. They could not make smart decisions to save their lives, and it shows. Here are some jumbled up points that really stick out to me:
1. Y’all were scared bc a rattlesnake came in and didn’t watch it?
2. Follow up: you didn’t check behind the toilet (literally everywhere in that bathroom) when it disappeared?
3. It just seemed so unrealistic that it would be ‘impossible’ to get out of the bathroom.
4. Follow up: what kind of bathroom do y’all have that the door opens OUTWARDS?
5. The amount of pee and fart comments from the little brother annoyed me to no end, and made me extremely grateful for my empty womb.
6. Sister found a ritual that said it would destroy everything and still did it? And was surprised that it actually did destroy everything?
7. GIRL STFU. Not everything is about you! Maybe be quiet once in a while, especially when there is machine gun fire outside.
The only part that was genuinely interesting was the “dog” outside of the bathroom door and the resulting tongue thing. But even that, the whole “Hunter of tongues” thing was a little obnoxious.
This whole book was just obnoxious, and the anger that I felt towards every single one of these characters was damn near unbridled.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2023
(4.5)
I never could've expected the ride this book was going to take me on. It was filled to the brim with surprises and had me picking my jaw up off the floor several times throughout it.
I never could've expected the ride this book was going to take me on. It was filled to the brim with surprises and had me picking my jaw up off the floor several times throughout it.
July 29, 2023
It was strangly entertaining, I read it in one sitting.
June 13, 2021
Holy cow!! What did I just read? If you like horror and want a fairly quick read, this is it.
June 21, 2023
This made me feel so claustrophobic as if I was stuck in the bathroom with this family but it was also super gloomy
September 23, 2020
We Need to Do Something just might be Max Booth III's bleakest work yet - no small feat considering the amount of darkness Touch the Night lived in. More than once, I found myself muttering, "Jesus, Max!" to my Kindle at the lengths Booth would go to in order to make these characters suffer for our entertainment.
For having such a simple premise, We Need to Do Something is wickedly compelling. A powerful tornado is about to touch down, and a family of four takes shelter in their bathroom. Despite the emergency alerts blowing up their cell phones, they expect the storm to blow over quickly, just as past storms have, and to be able to chalk this night up to a lot of excitement over nothing. Instead of relenting, the storm grows worse and topples the tree in their backyard, sending it crashing through their house's roof, pinning the bathroom door shut and trapping the family inside. Over the course of the next few days, as they hope for rescue, life and family unravel.
One could be forgiven for wondering just how much mileage Booth could possibly get out of a 'trapped in the bathroom' premise, but he somehow manages to find a startling number of ways to surprise over the course of this novella's proceedings. Of course, Booth is no stranger to these single-setting, locked room premises. His Carnivorous Lunar Activities spent the bulk of its nearly-300 pages with two characters whiling the night away in a basement. We Need to Do Something, however, finds its family of four stuck together in far more claustrophobic environment, with the horrors coming from both within this volatile family environment, as well as from outside the bathroom, as dangers mount beyond their purview to ratchet up the tension.
And when it comes tension, there's no shortage of that here. The family patriarch is a foul-mouthed drunk prone to fits of rage toward his wife and children, and Mel's younger brother Bobby doesn't exactly help things with his immaturity and obsession with butts and farts. Eldest daughter Mel has her own share of secrets, too, and Booth slowly and measuredly explores what exactly she was up to before the storm, even as she succumbs to hallucinations brought on by dehydration and starvation.
While much of the horror stems from within this fractured family, Booth manages to sneak in some environmental horrors along the way, as well a few small but quease-inducing moments of body horror. While the family can't escape (there's not even a window in this bathroom), the bathroom door can open a scant few inches, opening a door of possibilities for the outside world to interact with them. Let's just say their cries for help don't always go unnoticed, and leave it at that...
We Need to Do Something is one hell of a gripping read, and I was damn near glued to my Kindle wondering just what in the hell Booth was going to do to these poor souls next, and how -- or even if -- this family would make it through this hellacious ordeal. It's the kind of story that imagines the nightmare of having your life ripped apart by a tornado and somehow manages to make it even worse. No small feat, that. No small feat, either, that We Need to Do Something showcases Booth's talents as a horror writer at the top of his game, twisting a lo-fi concept into startlingly vicious hi-fi horror.
For having such a simple premise, We Need to Do Something is wickedly compelling. A powerful tornado is about to touch down, and a family of four takes shelter in their bathroom. Despite the emergency alerts blowing up their cell phones, they expect the storm to blow over quickly, just as past storms have, and to be able to chalk this night up to a lot of excitement over nothing. Instead of relenting, the storm grows worse and topples the tree in their backyard, sending it crashing through their house's roof, pinning the bathroom door shut and trapping the family inside. Over the course of the next few days, as they hope for rescue, life and family unravel.
One could be forgiven for wondering just how much mileage Booth could possibly get out of a 'trapped in the bathroom' premise, but he somehow manages to find a startling number of ways to surprise over the course of this novella's proceedings. Of course, Booth is no stranger to these single-setting, locked room premises. His Carnivorous Lunar Activities spent the bulk of its nearly-300 pages with two characters whiling the night away in a basement. We Need to Do Something, however, finds its family of four stuck together in far more claustrophobic environment, with the horrors coming from both within this volatile family environment, as well as from outside the bathroom, as dangers mount beyond their purview to ratchet up the tension.
And when it comes tension, there's no shortage of that here. The family patriarch is a foul-mouthed drunk prone to fits of rage toward his wife and children, and Mel's younger brother Bobby doesn't exactly help things with his immaturity and obsession with butts and farts. Eldest daughter Mel has her own share of secrets, too, and Booth slowly and measuredly explores what exactly she was up to before the storm, even as she succumbs to hallucinations brought on by dehydration and starvation.
While much of the horror stems from within this fractured family, Booth manages to sneak in some environmental horrors along the way, as well a few small but quease-inducing moments of body horror. While the family can't escape (there's not even a window in this bathroom), the bathroom door can open a scant few inches, opening a door of possibilities for the outside world to interact with them. Let's just say their cries for help don't always go unnoticed, and leave it at that...
We Need to Do Something is one hell of a gripping read, and I was damn near glued to my Kindle wondering just what in the hell Booth was going to do to these poor souls next, and how -- or even if -- this family would make it through this hellacious ordeal. It's the kind of story that imagines the nightmare of having your life ripped apart by a tornado and somehow manages to make it even worse. No small feat, that. No small feat, either, that We Need to Do Something showcases Booth's talents as a horror writer at the top of his game, twisting a lo-fi concept into startlingly vicious hi-fi horror.
August 28, 2020
Enjoyed this dark and very original novella by Max Booth. The unique plot - 4 family members trapped in a bathroom during a storm - leads to some dark personal moments that are simultaneously wildly disturbing and extremely entertaining.
There are a few moments in this one that will make you wince in a blast of shock horror, and one moment in particular got a literal, skin-crawling "YAAAHH!" out of me while reading it.
This one goes places you don't think it will, and brings a mountain of pain in a quick, novella-length piece. Horror fans rejoice!
Highly recommend.
There are a few moments in this one that will make you wince in a blast of shock horror, and one moment in particular got a literal, skin-crawling "YAAAHH!" out of me while reading it.
This one goes places you don't think it will, and brings a mountain of pain in a quick, novella-length piece. Horror fans rejoice!
Highly recommend.
February 17, 2022
2.5 stars. hmm. the first half was good ("enjoyable" is probably not the right word considering what happened, it was just too stressful), but a few aspects of the second half/ending let me down. i was annoyed at the main character and the plotline about amy. however, there were genuinely scary moments in this and one scene (and the audiobook narrator's voice) in particular will haunt me forever. i honestly can't tell if the writing was good or if the narration just made it sound decent (in retrospect: it's probably the latter). at least the length of the book was appropriate.
August 7, 2022
3.5 stars
This family was SO annoying. I recognize that the author intended this, but wow these are unlikeable people. Admittedly this was hard to get into because I wanted to punch everyone. Also there is a LOT of talk about pooping and peeing. Yet, despite my criticisms, I ended up getting quite immersed and found the ending quite strong. I'd recommend this one if you enjoy horror about terrible people.
This family was SO annoying. I recognize that the author intended this, but wow these are unlikeable people. Admittedly this was hard to get into because I wanted to punch everyone. Also there is a LOT of talk about pooping and peeing. Yet, despite my criticisms, I ended up getting quite immersed and found the ending quite strong. I'd recommend this one if you enjoy horror about terrible people.
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