Pour One for the Devil: A Halloween Read

Published on 14 October 2024 at 14:09

Pour One for the Devil is a Gothic novella written by Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. A student of the Gullah language and a lecturer on indigenous American history, Dr. Van Vierlans is invited to speak to an historical society on the nature of certain shell circles located on an island off the coast of South Carolina. His host, Miss Lizzie would be at home in the antebellum South, the descendant of wealthy plantation owners. She even expects the three Black, Gullah women she employs as cooks and housekeepers to dress and act in a manner reminiscent of abject servitude. The Gullah women, though they humor her by dressing the part, have commanding presences and speak with confidence. It's an odd environment for Van Vierlans to navigate as a stranger, made worse by the Devil who visits him in his dreams and makes bids for his soul. As he gets deeper into his stay in Miss Lizzie's plantation house, he gets sucked into the house's secrets and caught between these four, strange women and the Devil who wants his soul.

The thing that I think makes this books so special is the way the author blends indigeneity, Gullah language, and the sins of the antebellum South with Gothic horror. Van Alst, Jr.'s own identity as a member of the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians clearly informs the protagonist's experiences as he navigates White academia and fights to rekindle the old ways within himself. His rapport with the Gullah women he encounters mimics the solidarity and allyship between Black and Indigenous communities (though not all is as it seems), and Miss Lizzie's microaggressions are both poingant and pointed. In under one hundred pages, Van Alst, Jr. is able to tell a creepy tale of horror and intrigue while simultaneously commenting on the longlasting effects of colonization and slavery in North America on modern Americans from the struggles of Black and Indigenous peoples to the mischaracterizations that White Americans inadvertently acquire about various communities of color.

Image Description: A long road leads through a hazy fog. A dark forest lines the road. The photo is black and white.

Credit: Michael Mouritz / Unsplash via Webador

The diverse representation in this books is complex and meaningful, and the horror elements are eerie and frightening. The plot is, at times, complicated and confusing with the intention of saving the big (and horrifying reveal) for the end. I'll admit that it left me wanting more in both good and bad ways. The danger of the Devil and the haunting threat of Miss Lizzie and the phantoms that inhabit her plantation felt disconnected and disjointed and each could have used just a tad more explanation. But the wave of terrifying plot twists in the final pages make up for it by ending with a bang. There's no real resolution, but resolution isn't needed. Instead, it ends in horror - just as advertized.

This book just came out this year. It's available for purchase through the publisher, Lanternfish Press, as well as Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Word Bookstores, or Prairie Edge & Sioux Trading Post. It's also available on OverDrive, so it's worth checking if you can get it through your local library network. WorldCat is a helpful resource if you are trying to identify the nearest library that carries a book you're interested in reading.

*Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book from a friend. However, I was not an ARC reader for this book.

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