Feeders

Serafini (Graffiti Tombs) attempts to skewer social media in this underbaked satirical horror novel. Kylie Bennington, 19, has always felt like second best. She’s neglected by her parents and, more importantly, struggling to gain Instagram followers compared to her best friend, Erin, who’s already a successful influencer. When a video of the bloody murder of a local woman leaks online, Kylie’s interest piques, and her investigation leads her to dark web social media platform MonoLife. MonoLife is no simple app; the feed is a mix of typically banal content and gruesome acts of violence, with users required to log in twice a day and never speak of the app to nonusers. Finally, Kylie has found her online niche. She launches a successful account on the app, committing more and more grotesqueries and watching her follower count rise in response. But as her IRL relationships deteriorate and her body undergoes bizarre changes, Kylie begins to realize the price of fame. The gore is copious and creative, but the cultural commentary falls flat. Serafini’s Gen-Z characters stud their speech with outdated references and don’t have enough depth to bring anything new to his familiar critiques of internet culture. Readers in it just for the macabre delights of Kylie’s slashing spree may be satisfied, but those hoping for something deeper should look elsewhere. (May)