True Crime Studies: Columbine by Dave Cullen
Incredibly vivid, heavily detailed, brilliantly written and fast-paced, Columbine is one of the best true crime books I’ve ever read. Written like a thriller, Dave Cullen, one of the first reporters on the scene that day, covers everything to possibly know about the Columbine massacre that took place on the morning of April 20, 1999, carried out by high school students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The book covers three major events: the evolution of the attack stretching out two years, the attack itself, and the aftermath that spans over the next decade.
There is honestly way too much to dissect for a simple analysis or review. To cover all of it I’d need to write a full-length essay. In short, it’s a true crime masterpiece that hits you hard in the chest. A large portion is dedicated to the survivors of the attack. Not just those in the school but the families of the thirteen. Cullen takes you along their recovery stories, particularly Patrick Ireland’s and Valeen “Val” Schnurr’s who pop in and out of the narrative as if to lend readers their resilience when things get too heavy.
The description of the attack itself is harrowing. Cullen’s words chase you down like that junkyard owner in Stand by Me, hitting you over the head with a rock in his dirty hand. Before I picked up the book I already knew a lot about the attack, that the bulk of it ended after about 17 minutes, that Eric and Dylan ended their own lives and that there were 13 victims, and yet I was biting my nails the whole time. Subject matter aside, it’s clear that Cullen is a phenomenally talented writer. He puts you in the moment. You’re there at Columbine not only living the event but watching it unfold.
You can hear the police sirens, the blaring fire alarm honking for hours, and feel the quaking rattle of the gunshots. It’s graphic and violent, every survivor shares a bit of the story so that readers get a full picture of that day, including the image of Eric smiling as he shoots through a glass door at a teacher and the slow, agonizing death of Dave Sanders.
Debunking the myths of Columbine
It’s easy to tell that Columbine started from Dave Cullen’s desire to set the record straight. Facts about the massacre have never been 100% accurate, starting from contradicting personal statements to the first blundered press conference. Rumors have taken on a life of their own, becoming facts in the eyes of the public.
The biggest myth about the attack was that had to do with the toxic atmosphere at Columbine High. If you browse the internet you’ll find many Tumblr and Reddit posts featuring “evidence” of the harassment Eric and Dylan supposedly faced at their school. Cullen addresses these claims by saying that they were largely made by those who didn’t know the boys and were projecting hateful comments onto their characters post-mortem. Friends of Eric and Dylan have repeatedly refuted these claims, that they never knew either one to suffer at the hands of bullies.
The myth comes from our desire to give reason to such an event. Anything that would neatly wrap up the blame in a box and shape it into something acceptable. There was no obvious motive so people created one they could understand but even after all these years, the world is still bewildered. It’s just as Eric predicted:
“The majority of the audience won’t even understand my motives either. All you f***ers should die! DIE!”Passage taken from Eric Harris’s journal, The Book of God
The motive of the psychopath
Warning. I am a major nerd for psychopathology so this section is a lot of rambling.
The psychology of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold is what inspired me to pick up this book. Anyone interested in the same should definitely give it a try. There is an amazing chapter in Columbine that works at explaining not only Eric but the reason why he and Dylan were a pair because, as most true crime enthusiasts know, most killers work alone.
Page 239, “Chapter 40: Psychopath.” Easily my favorite chapter of the whole book. It explains the reason why people such as Eric grow attached to people such as Dylan and why both committed the crime.
Psychopaths crave constant stimuli. They can’t feel or experience emotion the same way as everyone else yet they crave it. They’re aware of that spark they’re missing and often seek it out elsewhere. Usually, they find it in rushes of adrenaline or in the presence of explosive individuals, and Dylan Klebold was Eric’s explosive individual. Prone to impulsive fits of rage, Dylan ran hot and cold all at once. He was packed to the brink with raw emotion which made him incredibly stimulating to someone like Eric- a textbook psychopath who struggled to feel even a flicker of anything.
“The psychopath is in control, of course, but the hotheaded sidekick can sustain his excitement leading up to the big kill. ‘It takes heat and cold to make a tornado, ‘ Dr. Fuselier is fond of saying. Eric craved heat, but he couldn’t sustain it. Dylan was a volcano. You could never tell when he might erupt. Day after day, for more than a year, Dylan juiced Eric with erratic jolts of excitement. They played the killing out again and again: the cries, the screams, the smell of burning flesh… Eric savored the anticipation.”Columbine pg. 244
A psychopath is not the Michael Myers type of killer most of us associate with the word. Their actions are used to meet specific goals. In Eric’s case, it was fame or rather, recognition. Columbine was a performance and the public was the audience. The objective was to leave a mark on the world. Just a single glimpse at Eric’s journal “The Book of God” shows how hungry he was for recognition. Not companionship or even success, but acknowledgment of his superiority. The kid really thought himself a god.
The hard truth of it is, Eric and Dylan walked into Columbine that day with no targets in mind despite their different objectives. Eric wanted mass extermination and fame and Dylan wanted suicide.
Final verdict
The attack didn’t happen out of the blue. There is a gradual buildup as well as some concerning red flags. As it turns out, there were MANY chances to stop Columbine. At least a year before the attack, multiple complaints were filed against Eric for threatening behavior and the reported detonating of crude bombs in isolation areas. Even more shocking is how Dylan attempted to warn several people! He hinted at the attack on several occasions, warned Eric’s neighbor (a boy who Eric sent repeated death threats to) about Eric’s desire to kill, and wrote a short story for class that appeared to be a foretelling of the attack just months earlier. It was as if he was begging someone to stop them. But of course, no one did.
We’ll probably never have the full story about what happened at Columbine. There are only two people who know the truth and they both took their own lives. They robbed the world of ever knowing the truth and so now, we do our best to fill in the blanks. As I said, there is a lot covered in Columbine. It does its very best at giving you the full picture or rather the picture that Dave Cullen has discovered for himself. Even if you don’t agree with his account, Columbine is still an incredible read.
(5 / 5)
Released in September of this year, Lucy Undying is the latest release by horror author Kiersten White. This is the same author who brought us Hide and Mister Magic, which were both wonderful books. And I’m pleased to say that Lucy Undying has kept up that trend.
The story
Lucy Undying is the story of Lucy Westenra, a character from the original epic novel, Dracula. Lucy is an early victim of Dracula, a tragic young woman who is turned into a creature of the night and eventually beheaded by her fiance.
But what if she wasn’t?
Abandoned by Dracula and unable to return home, Lucy travels the world searching for someone to spend her eternal life with.
Meanwhile, in the present time, a young woman named Iris is in England to sell properties that belonged to her mother. Said mother was the leader of an MLM cult. This cult is trying to control Iris even now. Her only wish is to sell off some antiques for money, then disappear where the cult can never find her again. Then, she meets Elle, and what she wants from this trip changes.
Of course, it’s soon clear that this trip would never be straightforward. Especially when she finds the journal of Lucy Westenra in a safe of the abandoned house.
The story
Lucy Undying was hard to put down because it constantly left the reader asking questions. Who is Elle? Why is Iris involved in the story of Lucy? Why is her crazy mother’s crazy cult out to get her? Will Lucy ever find someone to love? And why has she chosen to pour out her whole story to a random therapist? Any book that has me asking so many questions will succeed in getting me to turn every page.
The mystery of the novel is particularly impressive because it’s told from three points o view, in three timelines and three different styles of storytelling. I am impressed that these three timelines were able to progress without tripping over each other.
I’m also impressed by the constant style switching. When we’re with Iris, the story is told in first person. Lucy talking to the therapist is telling the story in a narrative. And then we have Lucy when she’s still a human, in her personal diary. As a writer myself, this was a fun experience.
Even aside from the format switching, this was a well-written story. The dialog and word choices were beautiful and flowing. I found myself highlighting passages because they were just so touching, poetic, or otherwise perfect. If you’re a word nerd like me, you’ll find yourself swept away by the beauty.
Finally, Lucy Undying was an obvious love letter to the original Dracula. It mimicked the style, storytelling, and themes perfectly. The only real difference is that the characters were more lively and interesting. It was sexy, dark, and gothic. It was very much the dramatic retelling we needed in modern times.
All in all, Lucy Undying was a fantastic read. If you’re a fan of vampires, gothic lesbian love stories, or just great stories, check it out now.
(5 / 5)
Book Reviews
We Kept Her in the Cellar: a Lovecraftian Cinderella retelling.
“She’s one of those things that festers in the dark.”
Retellings of classic fairytales have become commonplace. Take a popular story, twist it to fit into a specific genre, or tell it from a different character’s perspective. Published in September 2024, W. R. Gorman’s debut novel, We Kept Her in the Cellar is no different. Here we encounter the story of Cinderella, but this is definitely not the kind and mistreated princess we’ve come to know. No, Gorman’s Cinderella is a barely human, Lovecraftian creation, complete with tentacles and a penchant for the macabre.
The Plot.
We Kept Her in the Cellar is a dark retelling of Cinderella, narrated by the envious stepsister, Eunice. The story begins with Eunice, her mother, and her younger sister, Hortense, living a comfortable life on a decaying estate. Financial troubles force her mother to marry the wealthy Mr. Fitzwilliam, who brings with him his mysterious and disturbing daughter, Cinderella.
Upon Cinderella’s arrival, a strange incident occurs, leaving Hortense injured. As the truth about Cinderella’s monstrous nature and the dangerous rules necessary for survival are revealed, Eunice finds herself trapped in a horrifying nightmare.
Skip forward seven years and we encounter Eunice, who has spent much of the past years providing care for Cinderella and acting as a buffer between her sisters. Enter the Prince and upcoming the ball, add to this Cinderella’s escape the night of the party and we have a hell of a grisly mess.
Highlights.
Cinderella as an eldritch being is a great concept and one that makes sense when you consider the original fairytale’s main character’s ability to speak to mice, her sleeping in the cellar, the perceived cruelty of her stepmother and sisters, and the necessity of being home before midnight. Gorman has convincingly flipped these well-known plot points, twisting them to suit her story.
Drawbacks.
We Kept Her in the Cellar is Gorman’s debut novel and unfortunately the author’s inexperience is obvious. The writing is mediocre at best. The writing is often repetitive, with the same ideas expressed in multiple, similar sentences. Additionally, the excessive repetition of words within close proximity is difficult to ignore. This can add a stylistic, rhythmic quality to prose if executed by a strong writer, here though it becomes distracting. The dialogue, too, suffers from a lack of focus. It is often meandering into unnecessary tangents that fail to enhance the narrative or character development.
Despite enjoying the unfolding of the plot, the relationship between the Prince and Eunice is underdeveloped and feels forced. Reading the letters that are passed between the two offers some very cringy exchanges that are far from sounding realistic.
The Final Take.
While We Kept Her in the Cellar presents an intriguing premise and likable characters, the execution falls short. The writing style is unfortunately difficult to navigate, making it challenging to fully engage with the story. Had I not been reviewing the book, I doubt I would have persevered to the end.
(2 / 5)
Thanksgiving is coming up this week if you live in America. And many of us are going to be in contact with younger relatives. And some of you might be on a mission to be the cool/bad influence relative that introduces them to the horror genre. If so, I have just the graphic novel for you.
Published in September of 2023, Hide is based on the novel of the same name by Kiersten White. It was adapted into a graphic novel by Scott Peterson, and illustrated by Veronica and Andy Fish. It tells the story of fourteen people who believe they are in a reality show, playing Hide and Seek in an abandoned theme park. It should surprise absolutely no one to find out that the creators of the show have something much darker in mind.
The story
Our main character is Mack. She’s had about the worst rough start to life one could imagine and is currently living in a homeless shelter. There, she’s given the opportunity to participate in a game show, playing hide-and-seek.
I like to think that if the shelter manager had known of Mack’s horrific past, she wouldn’t have ever made that suggestion.
Mack signs up and soon finds herself in an abandoned amusement park with thirteen strangers. The rules are simple. Hide during the day, and be the last person found. Of course, this is nothing but a lie. There will be no winners, only victims.
What works
The first thing we have to talk about is how Hide the graphic novel compares to Hide, the original book. Of course, there wasn’t going to be enough room for every single part of the story. There were some cuts. But it doesn’t feel like anything essential was cut here. The characters remain the same. The storyline is still there, sans any structural issues. Often, this is a difficult thing to do. Some stories don’t translate from one medium to another. But Peterson did a wonderful job.
Of course, we can’t talk about a graphic novel without talking about the art. And the art in this book is fantastic. The colors are rich and vibrant. Everything looks exactly like one might picture it when reading the novel.
Except for the monster, which I have to admit I pictured more like a Rat Creature from Bone.
My favorite part was the journal entries. I loved the cryptic sigils that are scribbled over the page without explanation. I loved the different handwriting. I loved the clippings of newspapers and pictures. The whole thing was just wonderfully, eerily, immersive.
Finally, I want to point out that Hide is a great graphic novel even if you’ve never read the book, and never intend to. This is not a companion for the book. It tells the story all on its own. And yes, reading a graphic novel is just as valid as reading any other novel. This is just a good story, with good artwork. No other reading is necessary.
What didn’t work
There was only one thing I didn’t love about Hide. And that was the ending.
It’s usually the ending.
In the novel, the ending is ambiguous but satisfying. This ending was, without ruining it, a little more ambiguous. There are questions I really wanted answers for that I didn’t get. There is at least one character that I’d like to know about. Are they okay? I don’t know. And this ending doesn’t even really give us a hint. All we can do is hope.
If you are going to be picking this up for a younger person, be aware that there is some rough language. There are also a few graphic scenes of violence, so if that’s the sort of thing that will get you banned from further holiday events, be aware. But if you have a tween or teen who needs to be encouraged to delve into the creepy side, Hide is a great way to do it. Of course, there’s no shame in just reading it yourself.
(4.5 / 5)
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