Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy is actually the first novella I’ve read — both for this blog and I think ever. I’ve read short stories of course, and flash fiction pieces, but this is the first piece of work I’ve picked up that is actually called a novella (that I can remember). Initially drawn to this book after hearing the premise in an ashley’s little library video, this recently published work (October 2024) has all the elements that I would love in a book: thrills, the threat of murder, mystery, twists, ransom-note-style messages, and dreading feelings. I liked it, but I really want to talk about the climax specifically.
Book Review: Rest Stop By Nat Cassidy
To give you a better glimpse into what I mean as far as “this book as everything I’d love,” this is the premise:
“A young musician finds himself locked inside a gas station bathroom in the middle of the night by an unseen assailant, caught between the horrors on the other side of the door and the horrors rapidly skittering down the walls inside.“
Rest Stop. Nat Cassidy. https://shortwavepublishing.com/catalog/rest-stop-a-novella-by-nat-cassidy/
That sounds amazing. Especially for a fan of thrillers like me, this has all the promise of a spooky, gruesome, overall great story that is my first pick of my 2025 TBR list. There are many things I like about this story and how Cassidy writes it: our main character, Abe, is very memorable and fun to take this journey with; it has an overall ominous feeling that I love; it has all the thrills I usually love; and it’s a pretty quick little adventure that has a lot of personality and action. The author’s writing style I adore.
But still, this novella’s climax is not entirely what I expected. While reading, I wanted it to go one way but it went another way — that doesn’t make it bad, just not what I would’ve wanted personally as a reader. That isn’t necessarily a problem on the author’s part of the book’s part, it’s just solely based on me and my preferences. What you need to know about Rest Stop is that while it starts as straight horror/thriller — with blood and other gore, if you can’t tell from the cover art — and keeps some of those elements throughout the work, it is very much existential.
It is more existential horror when I was hoping for more thriller-straight horror; it’s more personal growth horror because you see how Abe is affected amongst the dangers and threats and the aftermath. I do enjoy the story and that personal growth, but some of the main religious and inter-generational traumatic themes seem a little heavy-handed in the climax of the book. I love the premise, I love the concept, and for the direction it went in I can really appreciate it.
My Hot Takes (Spoiler Warning)
- I recommend following my lead and reading this a second time after you go through it the first time. That’s the best way to see all the little hints Cassidy drops.
- Proceed with caution if you are not a fan of snakes or spiders and/or don’t want to feel like you’re in an episode of Fear Factor.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
