Lovecraft Country, by Matt Ruff, is one of those books that mix the supernatural horrors of the unknown with the real life horrors of racism in America. Set in America during the 1950s, the book centers on a core group of characters who experience their own horrors of being an African-American during that period. Segregation, mainstream racism, discrimination, and Jim Crow laws make the book difficult to read, but even more so to put down. The writing style itself also adds a certain flavor of horror and the unknown to it that is indicative of the horror writer himself, H.P. Lovecraft.

Each chapter focuses on a different character and is told through a lens of horror, both for the racism of the time and the sheer fear of what lay beyond our realm of knowledge. These stories portray racism in America, not only as an attitude in much of the country, but as a specter in its own rights. No matter where any of these characters go, nor how safe they think they are, the specter of racism always seems to know their locations, their fears, and how to appropriately take them down. To them, there can be no safety, no freedom, no peace and no rest; they are all victims to their imaginations, their fears, and Caleb Braithwhite.

Caleb, while a decent man on the outside, represents all the racism and fears that the central characters are afraid of. He possesses a terrifying power with the help of his “mark of Cain,” and his “immunity,” which is nothing short of white privilege. Although he seems like he gives the characters a choice in helping them, they have no choice in doing so since to refuse his offers would be nothing short of…mortifying. Caleb’s ultimate goal in the end is to ensure that he, and others like him, get all the power while the central characters receive nothing whatsoever.

Along the course of the book, Ruff’s style of writing is similar to Lovecraft’s in that no matter how frightening or horrifying these situations get, you can’t help but keep on reading; even if every other rational part of you tells you to stop. Each chapter is told in a story of its own, which connects in the end to bring about a somewhat relieving sense of closure. The topics in each chapter pose a kind of existential horror, which we may never experience in our lives, but is still scary to think that it still belongs in the realm of probability. From a black woman who becomes white with the help of a potion, a cursed doll set out to kill a little boy, a wormhole that takes a woman halfway across the universe, to a cultist religious ceremony that goes…unspeakably wrong, the characters, their experiences, and everything we have to learn from them all bring something new to the table. And while at some points it can get really stagnant, or really bloody, learning something doesn’t come without its consequences.

One thing is for sure about this book; it is definitely not for the squeamish, nor is it for those who are easily afraid. As mentioned before, there are some scenes of violence, but Ruff puts it into so much detail that one can’t help but take a few minutes to recuperate. Much like reading Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange for the first time, there are going to be some points where the book piles on way too much that you have to take a breather. Such as when a man is walking along a lakeside, is grabbed by the lake monster, Scylla, and is torn to shreds, Ruff spares no detail in describing how much of a violent endeavor it was, and when finished, just moves on as if nothing happened.

Overall, Lovecraft Country is one of those books that makes you think not only about what lay beyond the knowledge of this world, but also makes you think what lay in times previous, or yet to occur. Both the racism and the otherworldly factors are horrifying in their own respects, and all adds up to how insignificant we are in this universe. There may be creatures that can defy all description, but there are some aspects of ourselves that even we hesitate to discover, as our inner prejudices can be scarier than any ghost, haunted house, or Shoggoth.

(Okay maybe not as scary as a Shoggoth, but the point still stands)