Leland Pitts-Gonzalez ‘The Blood Poetry’ Review

Written by: Vitina Molgaard

“How does terror taste? It tastes like a 9-volt battery. The sting to the tongue is incongruous with godly joy, but not pleasure. Pleasure is a complicated toy with which the human brain grapples.”- The Blood Poetry

Let me introduce you to Epstein, a man lost in a dark dingy world. Sometimes he lives peacefully in a somewhat near-normal existence, but the majority of his time that’s definitely not where he resides. Epstein spends most of his life dwelling deep within his own perverted mind. It would be fair to state that even he knows how despicable most everything that surrounds around him truly is. Once a man of some stature as a professor, his imagination has left him in a overtly perverse place. How could one battling the love/hate relationship he has with his Mother and her nasty taste for certain disgustingly gruesome proclivities leave him to be anything less than a lost soul? Especially while maintaining a balancing act of trying to protect his beloved teenage daughter from finding out the truth about her families terrible lineage and even from himself.

Ultimately, Epstein – a strange man torn between his own personal demons, depression, guilt and an obsessive lust filled mind – is actually our protagonist. Another character to be dealt with within this tale is Mother, who is most definitely a disgusting “almost human” creature. Her needs and desires have polluted the very essence of whatever this family might once have been. Mother is most definitely our antagonist within this tale. Sylvia the young daughter is an innocent trapped by her family’s lascivious actions. Such a perfect victim for those with little or no conscience regarding other lives. I would be remiss not to mention Mr Applebaum, who while we spend little time with him, is the actual force that invokes the troubles that now inhabit this household. There are most certainly others who wander through this tale that need not be mentioned.Yet there is one remaining character that must be brought to light: we need to know about Jessica. A woman who loves and cares for others but ultimately will, as a result of her nature, bring about the final consequences that set the novel’s conclusion in motion.

This is a completely new type of read for me. Not the content so much as the style with which it has been written. Having been a poet and still enjoying the craft when I’m able to find something that catches my attention, I would say that this story is fundamentally just that: a poem. Albeit most certainly an unusually constructed poem. Leland Pitts-Gonzalez has put together quite a consistent narrative in this one, while traversing through the reality and imagination of his characters. Is this a gory horror novel? Yes. To a degree that cannot be ignored and yet it has a  psychological aspect that continually runs throughout its pages. Would I personally read this book again? No, I did not quite find myself engaged enough in the context. That being said I believe there’s something here that could lead to a good deal of others finding enjoyment in just about every word.

At the end of the day I want to state that the issue I have with this book is about myself and what I do or do not find personally enticing. It is a well crafted story and I do encourage others to read it. The man has a style well worth investing your time in…so take a peek. It is assuredly a different way of expressing oneself.

Order your copy of Blood Poetry right here.

Rating: 3/5