From the very first paragraph of Blanky, you know it’s going to be a dark and difficult ride. Steve and his wife, Lexi, woke to find that their infant daughter, Robin, died in the night. We meet Steve as he tries to cope with the loss. He is overwhelmed with grief and must learn to deal with being alone in the house after Lexi moved out, as she was unable to face him or living there anymore.
One night things change. His daughter’s blanket strangely appears in her old room. Things seem to suddenly be looking up for Steve before the author crushes us again. And he really does crush us. Steve goes in search of answers about the source of his life’s ruin, the blanky.
This book is dread filled and the scares have a genuine cinematic feel to them. Steve’s life takes on a nightmare quality where you can’t quite trust your eyes to tell you what is real and what is not. There is great creepy and shocking visual imagery throughout.
The experiences and losses that Steve goes through are hard to match. It’s powerful and frightening stuff. We’re left with questions and things to contemplate about the story. If you enjoy paranormal horror, then this is a must. Fans of The Conjuring, Annabelle, and other similar titles will eat this up. Blanky is a solid page turner. It’s a short novella, and I’d love to read more about the universe that Burke has created in this story.
Reviewed by Andrew Tadman @thebooksofblood
