 The Auctioneer is something of an outlier among Valencourt’s Paperbacks From Hell line, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was an undeniable smash hit at the time of release. Drawing near universal critical praise from outlets like Newsweek and The New York Times, selling in excess of a million copies and being advertised on television (a rarity for books, even at the time) it was even picked up for a film option that future printings teased on the cover (“Soon to be a major film”). It was a runaway success for first time novelist Joan Samson. Tragically, it proved to be her only novel, as she passed away mere months after the books release. The movie adaptation never materialised, the book went out of print, and The Auctioneer faded into relative obscurity. Another thing that separates The Auctioneer from other horror paperbacks of this era, is how subtly it tackles its subject, and how insidiously the horror creeps up on you. It isn’t just that it is a slow burn of a book (which it is), but it manages to find horror in the most ostensibly innocuous of exchanges. There is little to no action, not a drop of blood, yet it is an immensely affecting and painfully unsettling book that finds all too plausible horror in the seemingly mundane. Set in a small New England town in the early 1970s, The Auctioneer focuses largely on the Moore family. John Moore lives on his families farm, passed down from the previous generation, with his wife, young daughter and elderly mother. There life isn’t an easy one, but they are content, and fiercely proud of the home they have built. They care deeply about their small community, most of whom they have known their entire life, so think nothing of it when Perly Dunsmore, a new arrival in town, begins requesting donations in order to raise funds for improvements to the local police force. When the funds are raised and the police force is increased, deputising disreputable locals into newfound positions of power, the requests for donations continue, suggesting unspoken consequences for those who dare refuse, the proceeds now lining the pockets of Perly. As the Moores find their livelihoods being literally taken from them by the charming yet conniving outsider, they’ll find their community, their relationships and their very lives at risk in this harrowing tale of helplessness and greed. Things escalate so gradually in The Auctioneer that events have taken a subtly dark turn long before the reader realises it, the author deftly putting us in the same position as the book’s characters, whereby we don’t realise quite what we’re in for until it’s too late. What begins as a seemingly mutually beneficial arrangement whereby the towns’ residents are able to rid themselves of some unwanted belongings in exchange for some welcome cash, while also being able to support their community slowly but surely becomes something else entirely. The requests for items to sell at the auctions continue and, with the clutter gone, the families become less willing to part with their remaining properties. They realise too late that their previous generosity and community spirit has lined the pockets of a man who has no qualms using the proceeds from what they freely gave to squeeze even more from them. I wont spoil just how far things escalate, but rest assured it is a shocking revelation, and one you will not see coming. The Auctioneer boasts a fantastic cast of characters, whether that be the stoic but conflicted lead of John Moore, torn between defending the only life he knows and protecting his family, his wife and mother who act as the personifications of this inner conflict, or local farmer turned officer Mickey Cogswell, who goes through a very different, but no less interesting journey as a result of Perly Dunsmore’s arrival in town. It is Perly Dunsmore who, unsurprisingly, steals the show and proves himself to be a literary creation you wont soon forget. He is an incredibly charismatic and charming man, friendly and affable almost to the last page. His actions, however, belie the outwardly amiable persona, making him one of the most evil and reprehensible characters ever put to paper. The callous indifference he shows in his treatment of the townspeople is unnerving and what makes him so disturbing to read is that he takes no joy in any of the acts he commits, but nor does he regret a single one. He is motivated purely by what he can take and the ease with which he manipulates everyone around him, and the extent to which he is successful, is what makes him scary. Reading The Auctioneer, you can’t help but wonder what might have been, should Joan Samson been able to keep on writing, because it is an incredibly effective and wonderfully evocative book. There is clearly a lot of passion for the locale, which shines through when the focus is on John and his family, and which really pays dividends when the story gets going and the stakes get higher. The prose is tight and straightforward, like the story itself, and the book doesn’t build tension, so much as it is a constant, lingering presence throughout, never letting up. When you consider this was a debut novel, it makes how effective it is all the more impressive. Thirteen books into the Paperbacks From Hell line, which has featured killer creatures, vampires and monsters both human and otherwise, it is difficult to express why such a low key story about an unscrupulous auctioneer is the most unsettling book of the series to date, but it is the fact that it is so understated that makes it so horrifying. It’s an all too plausible look into what can happen when you let your guard down and how easy it is to gradually find yourself in an increasingly hopeless situation. The Auctioneer may not be your typical Paperback From Hell, but it may well be the best example of just how good these books could be. Join me next time when I’ll be sharing my thoughts on Gwen in Green by Hugh Zachary. If you’d like to read along with this series and want to pick up copies of the books, or learn more about Valancourts’ Paperbacks From Hell line, visit their site at www.valancourtbooks.com/paperbacksfromhell The Auctioneer |
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