Curiosity Got The Best of Me, And I Do Not Mind

A review of 100% Match by Patrick C. Harrison III

3/5 stars

CONTAINS VAGUE SPOILERS

I had originally seen this book on TikTok listed under a top 10 books that will leave you disturbed post. With great curiosity, I purchased this book as I had been out of credits. Since my time listening to this book, I still have very mixed feelings.

The pros of the book include the absolutely fascinating marketing I had seen for this book, the plot, the twists, the gore.

A book that can evoke feelings such as happiness and excitement are common, throw a few cute cliches in a novel and that will most likely do it for many people. Where the true test lies is which author can make you squirm? Who can make you NEED to hit pause or put down the book for a moment to collect your thoughts? Patrick C. Harrison III can. The nonchalance of the book as well as the absolutely brilliant writing style of almost a diary makes the book feel all the more human and that makes it even more unsettling. While not a horror novel, 100% Match is a book that still successfully evokes a sense of dread in the reader, to do this, real talent is needed.

The plot itself is very casual, very day to day diary feel as mentioned previously. It is this exact kind of plot, with the subtle hint drops and confessions made with no regard for any worry which makes this book amazing. With the nonchalance in the plot and the casual pace, the twists become a mix of jarring as well as hidden. There were moments where I had to ask myself if I had in fact just heard what I think I did.

The gore in this book is not just blood. The body mutilation, animal cruelty, child cruelty and abuse in the book is disturbing and frankly just gross, however, I must give credit where credit is due, it is well written. No extra details for the extremely sensitive topics such as the animals and children, but just enough to get a point across.

The con I had with this book is the fact that it is just fucked up.

I had originally given the book 2 stars, but as I write this review, I understand that the way I was left disgusted and staring at a wall is proof of the success of the author. While I was in school for writing, it was drilled into me that the success of an author comes from how they can convey feelings and emotions to the reader.

Patrick C. Harrison III did an absolutely amazing job at making the reader (me, in this case) feel disgusted and disturbed and he should be recognized for that.

The violence in this book is messy, it's brutal and shocking, however, nothing is drawn out or added for the sake of adding words. Each word is deliberately picked and serves a purpose to propel the plot. The read is easy in terms of world building and plot as this is written as an everyday life for an 'average man.'