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What an outrage to be cast out of consciousness and interred to rot in darkness or cremated to seven pounds of inorganic dust. An injustice she will make any sacrifice to avoid.

A chance meeting and a disturbing connection between two strangers at an airport in Osaka, Japan, lead a man down a strange, dark path where a mysterious, ageless woman waits � a path with frightening revelations at its end…and there are implications for all of humanity.

This is going to sound strange, but Old Soul is exactly the kind of horror novel I sometimes crave: one that embraces nihilism, offering up utter devastation and desolation without a speck of light or hope to be seen; one that demonstrates the visceral nature and range of horror and how deeply and widely it can affect the reader’s emotions. Old Soul is not traditionally scary, but it is one of those gut-punch sorts books � the kind you finish and then have to sit with for a while, or that makes you want to curl up in a ball as you work through your thoughts about it. Susan Barker’s writing is atmospheric and literary, combining impeccably detailed writing and textured character work with elements of body horror and existential horror. The woman at the center of the story is such a compelling and frightening character � clearly a villain but one that, throughout the course of the book, you come to understand and almost sympathize with.

Barker raises some thought-provoking questions about the meaning of life (quality vs. quantity) and art as a form of immortality, as she explores themes surrounding addiction, sacrifice, mental health issues, friendship, parenthood, and symbiotic/parasitic relationships of all kinds. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this one before, and the concept was so brilliantly executed that Barker had me hanging on every word, even through parts in the middle that became somewhat repetitive. This was my first book by Susan Barker, and I can’t wait to dig into her backlist. Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the early reading opportunity.