Review: Everything is Temporary by Jon Cohn

Everything is Temporary

by Jon Cohn

Release Date: November 2, 2023

2023 Deadbolts Books

Ebook Edition; 252 Pages

ISBN: 9798988061939

ASIN: B0CM9KRW8D

Audiobook: B0CNDHHPGR

Genre: Fiction / Horror

Source: Review copy from author

3.5 / 5 Stars

Summary

After a tragedy strikes the Barnes family, Sarah's husband Tom begins acting strangely. It starts with wild mood-shifts and accusations at their thirteen-year old daughter, but quickly escalates to the attempted murder of an off-season mall Santa. From what Sarah can tell, Tom's only motive seems to lie behind a mysterious hatred for Christmas that burns year round. What's worse, Tom's only defense lies in a long-forgotten book he wrote detailing a traumatic event in his childhood that seems too far-fetched to be believed. His entire case revolves around the notion of talking Christmas trees, a living army of toys, and worst of all, a monster masquerading as Mrs. Claus.

My Thoughts

Everything is Temporary is a book within a book story, featuring Tom relieving a traumatic event from his childhood after seeing someone at the mall, and Tom as a child dealing with a traumatic event that almost had him and his friends killed. I'm not typically a fan of the book within a book scenarios, but this one worked for me and the author used the concept quite skillfully.  

The overall story was quite fun, and I loved the fact it revolved around Christmas. Creepy Christmas horror can be fun, and while I didn't find this one scary or creepy, I did find it engaging.  Sometimes though, you need something lighter and this fit the bill. The alternating POVs worked, and I liked seeing the multiple perspectives of Tom's erratic behaviour and the impact it had on his family. To be honest, I would think my husband was losing his mind if I was every in that same situation.  When your husband starts talking about talking Christmas trees and evil Hummels, well...how do you respond to that? I did like the themes that were discussed in this book: trauma, loss, grief, bullying, redemption, and friendship. 

 

The characters were all interesting, but honestly, I don't think I connected with them all that much.  I just felt like they needed to be fleshed out a bit more so we could fully understand their motives and why they chose to do some of the things they did.  They were relatable however, and I definitely enjoyed the on-going references to Home Alone and Home Alone 2. I did feel like the kids acted a bit older than their 12 years and were quite quick to set up a home to kill like in the movie, something that took me out of the story a couple of times as it jarred with what was happening, but like children, there was no comprehension of the consequences until something happened.   I had to remind myself of their ages a few times.  

 

Verdict

Everything is Temporary was a fun Christmas horror that was light and fast. I like how the author takes these things we associate with the holidays and turns them into little, or big, monsters that can be frightening, using something we treasure to kill.  I did think the characters and the story could have been fleshed out a bit more, but overall, if you are looking for something light, quick, and fun, then I recommend this book for you.