How Bad Things Can Get is another brilliant horror novel from Darcy Coates, mixing slasher thrills with cult horror to create a shocking story that is impossible to put down. The story unfolds masterfully, each reveal a tiny piece of an intricate puzzle that bursts into absolute chaos as you near the shocking conclusion. I was hooked from the start and continually amazed at how well Coates can build suspense. It’s a story told in little moments with multiple protagonists, all of who bring something different to the story. I found myself constantly shouting “what!” which for me is the ultimate sign of a horror novel I’ll be thinking about for weeks to come. 

Spoilers after this point – beware!

The Best Bits

A Few of My Favorite Things

Multiple Narrators Makes a Solid Slasher

This was an incredibly effective way to tell the story. The main protagonist, Ruth, is a cult survivor whose past is very clouded over at the start. It’s unclear how she could be connected to everything in the story and that keeps you second guessing everything that happens. Is it all due to her? Is that a red herring? All is not revealed until things truly fall apart. Logan supports the story as an investigative journalist podcaster who hangs about the outskirts of the festival, looking for something to go wrong and finding plenty of those moments. Most unexpected is Petra, assistant to the bumbling mogul who thought it would be a great idea to throw a festival on a remote island where people run drunk through the jungle to win his money. Together, the three of them show all sides of the story. Throw in the short scenes as people start getting picked off, and it’s the perfect slasher. 

The Underlying Mystery of the Island

The island lore was a very effective red herring at the start. I was convinced there was some cannibal cult hiding on the island, coming out at night to terrorize the festival goers. It’s undoubtedly a spooky island history, but having finished the book, I’m now questioning how much of it was actually true. Was there actually a cannibal cult on the island? Did a bunch of people really die as they tried to make it into a resort? Much like the misinformation around the cult and eventually around the events of the book, all of it could just be made up to write a good story. In the moment, I was so convinced this was going to be a haunted island story, and I was very wrong. Props to the author for creating such a compelling rabbit hole.

Is it a Game or is it Real?

This was the question constantly being asked by the festival goers and the reader, and it made up most of the suspense early on in the book. You’re never sure what’s really going on until the truth comes to light, and those hazy moments are surrounded by the very real games being played by the festival goers. It’s the perfect way to create a slasher setting where nobody runs away because they think everything is staged, or they’re excited to get something for their podcast or channel. Everything is fair game, making the reveals all the more terrifying.