Rotten Roots
by Susanne Schmidt
Spooky Season is upon us, and I want to start it off by recommending a short story by my favourite horror author, Susanne Schmidt. Admittedly, I don’t read much horror, I don’t watch horror movies if I can avoid it, and I don’t consider myself a fan of horror, so I’m not sure being my favourite means all that much.
That said, if you want well written, interesting stories with a spooky vibe, Schmidt won’t disappoint.
Rotten Roots is a standalone story but it takes place in Fels, the same dull German town as the books in The Order of the Strawberry Circle, a young adult horror series. Unlike the YA books of that series, Rotten Roots is intended for mature audiences. To be clear, this does not mean it contains graphic descriptions of sexual acts, excessive violence, or German bureaucracy. In fact, there’s nothing of any of that. I’m always a bit hazy on what is or isn’t suitable for non-adults, but there’s something about Rotten Roots that makes it feel a lot more adult than Bad Grains or Whiteout.
In this short story, we follow Fel’s graveyard keeper, Sven, as he traverses the town in search of something. The faces of the dead in the trees whisper in worry, and it’s up to Sven to identify what has them spooked. There’s no point in reporting anything to The Order before he knows what’s actually going on, and together with his ghost dog Fi, Sven should be able to figure it out on his own. No need to disturb everyone else before he knows there’s an actual threat…
What I’ll whine about
It’s probably silly of me, but I wish there was a sequel, or that this one had been longer. As it’s told, the story is as long as it needs to be, but there’s so much potential within the story that I can’t help but wish for more.
What I’ll gush about
Vibe and mood. Having read the two books in the YA series, I’m familiar with the city of Fels and what it represents. A respectable, boring, sleepy little town where upsetting things don’t happen and where everyone is perfectly normal, thank you very much. It’s something I can identify with and relate to, and it’s brought to life with impressive clarity. There’s a realness and tangibility to the setting that I don’t often see elsewhere.
The protagonist. I don’t remember if it’s ever mentioned how old Sven is, but I get the impression that he’s at least middle-age – possibly older. It may sound boring, but reading about someone who acts like a responsible adult, as opposed to a brash and impulsive twenty-something with delusions of immortality, is refreshing. Sure, Sven wanders around town looking for a supernatural disturbance with only his ghost dog Fi as backup, but he doesn’t take any unnecessary risks while he does that. He doesn’t try to fix everything himself right away, and he doesn’t blame himself for every single thing that goes wrong. Like I said, refreshing. I should read more books like this.
Final Words
Rotten Roots is a great short story to kick off Spooky Season with. Get on it.
