Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield is a book that swept the reading horror community, and for good reason. It’s a surprisingly gritty, intense experience that slickly includes sharp generational commentary. Let me tell you more about my experience with the town of Kettle Springs and its sinister mascot: Frendo the Clown.
What is it About?
Written by Adam Cesare and published in 2020, Clown in a Cornfield is a slasher novel. In it, Quinn Maybrook just wants to make it until graduation. She might not, however, make it to morning.
Quinn and her father moved to tiny, boring Kettle Springs to find a fresh start. But, ever since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down, Kettle Springs has cracked in half. On one side are the adults – who are desperate to make Kettle Springs great again. On the other side are the kids who just want to have fun, make prank videos, and get out of Kettle Springs as quickly as they can.
Kettle Springs is caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It’s a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until Frendo, the Baypen mascot, a creepy clown in a pork-pie hat, goes homicidal and decides that the only way for Kettle Springs to grow back is to cull the rotten crop of kids who live there now.
What Worked?
In less capable hands, it’s easy for the teen characters to fall into stereotypes. Lucky for this reader, Mr. Cesare’s hands are more than capable. His characters feel authentic and outgrow the archetypes they’re initially introduced in. He does so in such a way that’s pleasing to the eyes as it’s detailed writing without the purple prose. I love Quinn. I love Cole. I love Rust. I even love Janet! I wanted them to get through the ordeals that they go through.
I’m not much for labels so I was surprised to find that Clown in a Cornfield is categorized as Young Adult. Make no mistake, this is a slasher book and after the necessary buildup, it makes this very well-known. Kills come fast and merciless, subverting some of my expectations of who lives and who dies. Mind you, this happens early on, giving the reader a sense that all bets are off and anyone can die. I was caught in a dilemma where the story was so intriguing, I wanted to see what happened next but the intensity was on such a high level that my fingers got numb and I had to take breaks.
Character development and violence aside, another element worth praise is the social commentary that the author makes. It fits so well with the story and is such a key element to the story. Some horror fans are upset when social commentary precedes a good horror yarn but my horror-loving, bleeding heart was happy that the commentary and the scares work hand in hand. The way that the book takes a basic slasher premise and spins it into something unique is a testament to the author’s knowledge in making us afraid, as the great Clive Barker also observes on his complimentary blurb.
What Did Not Work?
Honestly, I can’t think of any negatives for this one. I dug most of the elements of this book. However, if you’re the type of horror reader that suffers from clown fatigue, thanks to the likes of Stephen King’s It, or the hijinks of Art the Clown from the movie Terrifier, you may want to sit this one out until you’re in the right mood. Folks of a certain persuasion, who don’t want even a hint of satire or social commentary in their horror reads, may also be turned off.
Where Can I Find It?
Clown in a Cornfield has been out on Amazon. I recommend the sexy hardcover that’s all sorts of red.
Overall Thoughts
The story of Clown in a Cornfield moves at a white-knuckle pace. It’s ripe with social commentary about clashing generations, never once feeling forced. All themes are organic to the plot as the charming and likeable cast. While it is marketed as a young adult horror book, the novel has blood and guts to spare for the insatiable slasher fan such as myself.
More Book Reviews
Bringing you a list of the most terrifying books we’ve read this past year. Hold onto your hats, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. List: Becoming the Boogeyman –… The featured art is by Chris Cote Ill-advised records have been providing music as “Beats to Lie Awake and Succumb to Crippling Anxiety to” for some time. From their signature,… Zombies, vampires, mechanical men, mad scientists, monsters, killer apes, living statues, ghosts, demons – all the iconic figures of bizarre cinema can be found in Japan’s early film output, filtered… Adam Nevill’s Last Days came highly recommended by fellow horror aficionados, so it was an obvious choice for my first horror review. Nevill’s other works are, perhaps, more well-known, but… Your boy loves his tried and true horror books. However, there comes a time when you encounter something that familiar yet told in an unconventional and creative way. In that… If you haven’t pre-ordered a copy, you’d better make sure to save a spot on your shelf for Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar. One of the most highly anticipated…
Top 10 Reads for the Spooky Season 2023
The Dark Door – A Horror Zine with Thrills, Chills and… Spooky Tunes?
Carnal Curses, Disfigured Dreams: Japanese Horror & Bizarre Cinema 1898-1949 (2019) Book Review – A Trove of Lost and Forgotten Japanese Horror
Last Days (2012) Book Review – Bedsnakes & Broomsticks
THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS Book Review: A Unique Revenge Story
Chasing the Boogeyman Book Review – A Hometown Horror
Dustin is a horror fan and sometimes short story writer who hails from the Philippines. He likes a lot of the horror genre but usually goes for slashers and arthouse/slowburn stuff. Currently, he’s trying to make up for lost time in the horror literature world by digesting as many horror books as he can.