Have you ever read a book that revels in its uncertainty? The Weak Spot unfolds like the feeling of waking suddenly from a dream. The dream story still lays atop reality in an unsettling balance.
The narrator of this story is not only unnamed but also ungendered. Therefore, I’m using they/their pronouns throughout this review.
A young person finishes their pharmacy school education. Now they must apprentice under a licensed pharmacist to become licensed themselves. They choose a pharmacy in a small remote mountain town. The licensed pharmacist is named August Malone. The townspeople are both in awe and fear him. He torments and disparages his staff constantly. His apprentice quickly internalizes his criticisms and soon copies his unique therapeutic style with the pharmacy’s customers. Eventually, the apprentice begins to fear what may be occurring behind the town’s quiet facade.
The Weak Spot is a fable without a morale. It’s more about feelings than rational thoughts. It does a good job of getting the reader out of their own head and into someone else’s. But the ambiguity may put off some readers used to a more defined plot or characters. For me, it was an intriguing ramble into someone else’s thought processes. But I was equally happy to return to my own, much less complicated and hazy, head after the end. 3.5 stars!
Thanks to Soft Skull Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.