The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock is one of the most wild books that I have ever read. This book covers very heavy topics and definitely is not for the faint of heart. Trigger warnings for this novel include: animal killing, bloody scenes, grooming, homophobia, pedophilia, racism, religious extremism, suicide, necrophilia, rape, and gun use. It is a very intense book and if you do not think you can handle even one of these things, please skip this recommendation from me :).
But for those of you like me who venture into this scary territory keep reading.
The Devil All the Time follows a couple of different main characters in a couple of different storylines. This story takes place mainly in the small town of “Knockemstiff” and because of the small town setting, the characters that the novels follow all carefully intertwine with each other making it a very interesting dynamic when reading because it is a very unsettling thing to not know which characters to root for because they all seem to be pushed against each other.
Every aspect of this story is unsettling and uncomfortable which is how it mixes the genres of thriller and horror to create the perfect blend of horrificness making it like a train wreck, you just cannot stop reading.
Pollock’s writing, despite being so unsettling will keep you hooked all the way through. Pollock is definitely one of the strongest writers I have read from in a while. He does an amazing job at conveying the scenes he is describing and allowing the reader to visualize them, even in the times when you might not want to visualize it.
I feel like I should also mention that Netflix adapted this movie last year and has an amazing cast featuring Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgârd, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Harry Melling, and Eliza Scanlen. The adaptation is really good in my opinion and it is a very close adaptation so most of the lines in the film are taken directly from the novel. I of course would recommend reading the novel before reading the film, but you do you.
As always let me know if you have read this novel and your thoughts about it down below!