"Dagon"

by Fred Chappell
originally published Harcourt, Brace 1968

Peter Leland is a young writer, and preacher, who has moved to rural North Carolina with his pretty wife Sheila, to work on a book about Puritanism and paganism in early America.  

Instead, he becomes obsessed with a neighbors fish-like, inbred daughter, Mina.  He ends up killing Sheila and taking off with Mina and her boyfriend/companion, Coke Rymer, an obnoxious redneck turd who gives him nothing but trouble.  As they travel along, Peter becomes more and more degraded and essentially becomes a passive slave to these two crumbs.  Finally he is dedicated (or is it sacrificed?) to their god Dagon, who may or may not be Lovecraft's Dagon....

Fortunately, I found some detailed synopses online for this short novel, which spared me having to re-read it.  You see, I read Dagon some 20+ years ago, and it's not a book I would care to subject myself to again.

Its not that it's a bad book.  Chappell is a fine writer.  Its simply that Dagon is one of the most unpleasant reading experiences I've ever had.  

There is a (very popular) school of thought that goes that stories of horrific human suffering, degradation and sadism are the pinnacle of what modern horror should be - works like Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door and the Saw film series.  Well, if you share that idea, you may love Dagon.  But that sort of thing ain't for me.  

I have to give the book a decent-enough rating for its professionalism and the obvious talent of the author.  But its content prevents me from giving it a high one.  As they say, YMMV.