Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is my first read of a Jonathan Huls novel, and I must say that his writing is visceral in it's ability to affect the reader. I experienced a series of emotional and physical reactions to this story. Revulsion, distress, horror, understanding, empathy, excitement, and joy were all part of my experiences in reading this wild and insane ride to inner Hell. This is true psychological horror at it's best! Yes there is plenty of gore, depravity, and explicitness for all of us that care to read that stuff, but the true pleasure of this story is seeing what makes a mind break and develop into what it will ultimately become. This story shows you that on multiple levels. What shapes a human life? What causes us to do what we do? What causes us to go insane. Does insanity sweep into your life, or does it happen gradually? To delve any further into the plot would give away all the surprises. This is a mind trip on many levels.There was a point during this read that I became so revolted, I had to decide whether or not to continue on with the book. The imagery stayed with me for days after I read a particular passage, and still does so hours after I completed the read. I'm glad that I laughed and called myself a "P*ssy", and continued on with the story.This story is like an onion. I wouldn't call the plot shifts a twist, but more of an unfolding, and peeling away the layers leads to understanding the main characters, Paxton and Damien, whether you want to or not. I questioned certain issues as I read, including a particular description of their ultimate goal, but the author proved correct when I finally broke through to the juicy truth about what they were doing.The characters are well fleshed out, and the Mr. Huls does so in a succinct style that does not bog down the pace at all. I also love when a writer is particularly bleak, i.e. there are no happy endings (well maybe...).Initially, Paxton and Damien seem like any pair of Dbag frat boys that we all crossed paths with in college. You might even relate to their crude and depraved hi-jinx. I did! Oddly enough, their trip and the search for the "urban legend"? Been there done that! Hopefully, however, even if you are a little twisted, you'll still be horrified by their "Goofy" lives' ambition and even more so about the manner in which they conceived their goals.A good first impression. I will read more from Mr. Huls.

After reading Jonathan Huls previous novel, The Nth Day (see my review of 2/10/2016), I didn’t think he could write anything darker than that. Well, I’m wrong, because his second novel is pitch-black! Next stop...Hell. If you are a bit squeamish, don’t read this novel. Nothing pleasant happens to any of the characters in this grisly novel. Ayahuasca is a mind altering drug used by the Peruvian natives along the Amazon River for many purposes. In a way, the drug plays both a small part and big part in this novel. When the novel begins, the reader is unaware of what the two recent college graduates are up to. They tell their parents (who are unconcerned alcoholic party goers) that they are going to Mexico to celebrate graduating college. That seems normal enough, but is that the real reason for the trip? And why do they keep talking about G-88? What does that mean? Do they have a evil pretentious plan or is this trip a normal graduating blow-out? Okay, enough questions, let me tell you a little bit of the story without revealing the explosive conclusion (pages 142-244).Paxton and Damien are life long friends. Paxton just got his private pilot’s license and they are going to fly to Mexico (the author doesn’t tell the reader how the boys acquired the Cessna Turbo Skylane). The trip will take two months and culminate in Iquitos, Peru. We learn that the boys have always been evil...Damien the most malicious. Paxton has been recording all their vicious adventures in his personal journal since childhood (were they evil as kids?...yep). While in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, they have wild drunken sexual escapades. They hear about a secret nightclub that has sexual acts on stage including a performance that uses a donkey. They find the club, but things go sour and they have to shoot their way out of the club. They fly out of Mexico into Peru immediately. Paxton falls in love with a local girl named, Cecita. After a night of binge drinking, Paxton, Damien, Cecita and her girlfriend go into a remote jungle area where the boys are introduced to the drug, Ayahuasca, by a local shaman. The drug is supposed to purify their spirits, but instead makes them hallucinate and vomit. Such a pleasant novel.I’m reluctant to tell you anything more about the story. Instead, I was going to define what G-88 means, but then I would have to issue a “spoiler alert”, which I don’t want to do. The crux of the novel is G-88 and what it brings to the table. Is this the darkest novel I’ve ever read? Well, I read Cormac McCarthy’s Outer Dark (see my review of 3/01/2013), which I considered to be the blackest novel that I ever read. But I have to admit that Jonathan Huls has surpassed the great Cormac McCarthy with this tragic and somber novel. Do you see why this novel is so grim? What happens in Peru is mind-boggling. Those last 103 pages are explosive. I only reviewed the first 118 pages to whet your whistle. I recommend this novel to readers that aren’t faint at heart. Since I thought Jonathan Huls first novel was very savvy and structured better than this novel, I must rate Ayahuasca a notch below The Nth Day.