This is the most disturbing book I’ve ever read.
Jon Athan’s The Groomer is not for everyone. The subject matter is… difficult, to say the least. The violence is graphic.
Very graphic.
Some trigger warnings for The Groomer:
Child abuse
Torture
Suicide
Graphic violence
Sexual abuse
Child predation
Pedophilia
Human trafficking
There’s probably more. Suffice it to say that pretty much anything that could trigger someone is in this book. I am basically unoffendable, and still had a hard time getting through this.
So why in the world did I read it?
That’s a great question. I’m not sure what the answer is. There’s quite a bit of chatter about it out there on the social media book sites and groups. I don’t pick and choose what I read based on social media response, but the talk about it did pique my curiosity. It was on my TBR (To Be Read) list for a long time and I finally had a bit of a reading lull and decided to dive in, mostly because I was looking for something different.
And this was different. WAY different.
I read it in two days. To be honest, I couldn’t put it down. In some ways that makes me feel like a freak, or a psycho. I didn’t enjoy this book–I don’t think anyone that’s not a psychopath could really enjoy it–but it was well-written, and a compelling story. Those are two things I look for in any book.
Sadly, it’s also a story that plays out all the time in real life. Like it or not, believe it or not, there are groomer’s out there in the real world. It was insightful, in a sick and twisted way, to read about some of the tactics they use to lure children.
Some of the online chatter about The Groomer talks about how every parent should read it, so they can get a sense of what can happen to their children. If I’d read this book when my kids were young, I probably wouldn’t have let them out of the house until they were twenty-five. Parents absolutely should educate themselves about what’s out there, and the potential dangers of the internet, online-gaming, and more. There are ways to do that without being smacked in the face (and kicked in the gut) with extreme violence, whether that violence portrays real life or not.
I read quite a bit, and quite a variety of books. It’s very rare that a book makes me think long after I turn the last page. Most of the time I finish a book and immediately start a new one, rarely even thinking about what I just read. It’s been almost two weeks since I finished The Groomer and it still … haunts me. Much of that is due to the disturbing subject matter, some of it’s related to the graphic content, but some of that haunting is because of Jon Athan’s writing. He’s a good writer, maybe an exceptional writer, and exceptional writers are a rare breed. Sure, I wonder what is wrong with the guy, and I probably won’t read another Jon Athan book. But I can’t deny that he crafted a page-turning story that sucked me in and made me think about for days after finishing.
It’s a very rare author that can do that.
If you have a steel-lined stomach, you may want to read this book. It’s probably unlike anything you’ve ever read. That may, or may not, appeal to you.
I’m glad I read it. And sorry I did.
If that makes any sense.
Hell, I’m still trying to make sense of this book, and probably will be for some time.
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I cannot stress this enough: this book is dark. It’s violent. It’s not an easy read. It’s beyond disturbing. Reviews for it are all over the map. I suggest perusing those reviews before you read it.
IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.
Read other reviews here:
Amazon reviews for The Groomer. (Available on Kindle Unlimited)
Goodreads reviews for The Groomer
Pondering Books Rating:
My review policy and rating descriptions.
