An interesting, weird, emotional, abstract experience. It was thought-provoking, focused on grief and death, but in a way that will make you look at your surroundings with curiosity...and maybe make you reach out your fingers for connection. Also, I will never look at mushrooms the same way ever again. Don't Google skin carrots.

Thank you to @netgalley @stelliformpress and @r.a.busby for this advance reader copy!

This was such an interesting novella that packed so much into less than a hundred pages.

We follow MC Paul who is part of a crew who cleans up hoarder homes.
Written in a beautiful prose type writing that battles and examines grief through the metaphor of hoarding (i.e. scared to let something go because we feel that means its gone).

I also loved the science behind mushrooms and the integration of the structure of root systems and mushrooms as a metaphor for matter or energy never leaves, it is just changed.
This made me want to learn more about the science behind mushrooms to be honest.

You Will Speak For The Dead
By R.A. Busby

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to review!

WOW !!! I loved this book. It was not what I was expecting but became to mean so much more.

YOU WILL SPEAK FOR THE DEAD is about a man who's job was to clean out hoarder's houses. We've all seen it on TV, those disgusting houses filled with tons of junk and garbage. What makes someone become a hoarder? What mental affliction has caused someone to clutter a residence with trash to the point of condemnation?

Told in a first person with a supernatural flair. The protagonist begins the demanding job of clean out as he keeps the reader thinking about what possible tragedy may have occurred cause this person to become a hoarder in the first place. I am definitely not doing this justice. It is a really amazing book. READ IT. Seriously.

Original and thought provoking. I highly recommend it .

5 Stars!

I loved this story! This story is about the things we can't let go of, the things we keep and hang on to and mushrooms. I don't want to say anymore but if you're a fan of mycology like me, you will know what's going on pretty early in the story. I still enjoyed it very much. It's sad, and sure a little scary. The writing is wonderful, the setting could be anywhere (one of the multiple storage units my dad and his girlfriend have, full of stuff they don't need), the characters felt real. You do need to stretch your ability to believe a little but just go with it, it's worth it.

“It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but only retire a little from sight and afterward return again.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Explore the world of hoarding cleanup & mushrooms with our narrator Paul. He is a bit of a lost soul, alone in the world so to speak. The latest house he cleans begins to change in, drawing him into a network of connection unlike any other.

“Cancer, coronaries, Covid, or cholesterol may claim your family and friends, but throughout this turmoil the pile remains, year after year, decade after decade, a stable point in a swiftly turning world. Nothing is ever lost. The pile preserves everything intact.”

I loved the author’s prose; examining loss, clutter, and body horror in such poetic ways. I felt the other characters were a bit static, I would’ve loved to know more about them. Also why they didn’t seem to be affected by the same influences/biological factors as Paul.

“Most wept and wept, clinging to discarded water bottles, unpaid electric bills, plastic FroYo spoons, a dead dog’s collar, HBO Guides, flannel shirts, clay pots. Little china cups. Trash, maybe, but sometimes trash is all you have to cling to. All you have left to love.”

While I did overall find this book fairly sad and depressing, the ending brought peace to the narrator and closure to the reader. I definitely appreciated that.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Stelliform Press for a copy.

Well, that was the weirdest and most unsettling story I have read in a long time. It was also sweet. I could read this short story because I got it as an ARC off of Net Galley.

I love it. The ideas in the book were both horrifying and totally creeped me at several spots.

What a fun novella! Well…if you can call what happens to the main character fun. I love horror as told through grief, but won’t get into it any deeper than that to avoid spoilers. The care and empathy used to talk about hoarding? An attempt to understand, rather than judge? Wow, wow wow! Anyone who has known someone that has an issue with hoarding will know what I’m getting at.

The casual writing style made You Will Speak For The Dead a quick read, I just wish it had been a little bit longer! Give me more!

i received an e-ARC in return for an honest review :)

i loved reading this. i gagged a few times, was enthralled, intrigued. the background info we have of paul never being completely explored really worked for this book and i loved all the choices that were made throughout. however, the ending was a bit lackluster but the rest of the book did make up for it :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this novella!

I quite liked this story. I thought Paul was a great character and was too relatable at times. This book is billed as horror. While there is a lot of creepy imagery, I found the justifications for hoarding to be the most horrifying. I would feel a twinge in my gut whenever Paul would personify an object or justify hoarding. It's such a slippery slope and I feel like this story does a great job of showing that.

This was a disturbing story that I could not put down. I did enjoy it, but there was a little disconnect when I read it.

Have you ever found a book or a story that you just immediately connect to as if it was destined to find you at the exact perfect time as if by magic?

For me, You Will Speak For the Dead, was one of those very rare instances of that magic bringing a story to me. I was immediately drawn into this story and writing style- the narrative hooked from page one and I just couldn't stop reading- not that I wanted to.

This is a shorter story, but it's got so much going on (in a good way) I was surprised with how complex this one was it touches on connection and grief- but not in a particularly heavy drain way that grief horror books can feel. There's also a fair bit of body horror which was gory and weird which I absolutely loved. The phrase "skin carrots" comes to mind. Both of these elements are balanced out by plenty of humor.

This book made me uncomfortable, it made me gasp, and laugh out loud, it made me make the funniest faces and I absolutely loved every moment of it.

If you like horror mixed with humor, Sporror, eco horror or mushrooms this book might be for you.

What a beautiful short novella, you can definitely read it in one sitting and takes something from it with you for much longer.

Paul is a quiet and rather lonely man, struggling with the grief over losing his mother and his last relationship. He owns a small business, cleaning out hoarder houses. His current job takes him to the limits though, as the house of an elderly woman is full of fungi and memories, which all take root in Paul.

I appreciate the stories handling of grief and how to deal with memories and things of the past, you can't just let go. It's sensitive and empathic. On the other hand, it also has quite a bit of body horror, which is intriguing and a bit nasty.
For all things tackled in this story, I wish it would've been a bit longer and spent a bit more time with Paul and the lady.
4.25 stars - I will definitely read more from this author

4.5⭐️ This was such a strange, disturbing, nasty and absolutely addictive read! The writing was spectacular, hooked me from page 1 and never let go. I devoured it in less than an hour and would happily have continued reading more. This is a very bizarre story with disgusting body horror, but I also laughed out loud multiple times. Highly recommend!

Busby is a new author for me, but immediately became a favorite. I've already started a collection of her other works on my TBR list.

This was a unique story, and so disturbing. It could have been a great story, but it needs to be fleshed out a lot more. There is clearly severe talent here, but a much better editor us needed to guide it.

This book, wow, I have never felt my stomach churn as much while reading most Eco Horrors or graphic stories. Disturbing yet I couldn’t put it down! The details were so intense it was hair-raising. The story was short, but it left an impact.

Paul's life turns messy after his mother's death and never picks up. He got into the Hoarder House cleaning business because of his mother, and that was the only sense of purpose left in his otherwise bland life. Everything changes when he gets a gig to clean out an elderly biologist's house. The house, or something in it, was alive, and it was affecting Paul. Whatever it is, it wants to connect with Paul and speak to him. Paul needs to make a decision, and his life depends on it.

Uff, I still get goosebumps thinking of this story, but the ending will leave you with contentment. The journey till the end, though? Dread carefully!

This was a wild ride. I went in somewhat blind. It was short and gross and so incredibly unique. There's a fun combo of psychological horror and body horror (my fave) so if you're into that definitely pick this up. At times I was like what the heck am I even reading and what is this about - but the journey was so fun. I loved the interludes of.... we will call them voices. Added to the creep factor. Plus the hoarding house concept is an automatic ick. I kind of knew where it was going but the ride to get there was nuts. I took an extra long and scrubby shower after this. I definitely need to check out more by this author. It's been a while since a horror really hooked me and this one did for sure.

I finished this in one sitting! I think it will be a while before I approach a mushroom without thinking of this story.
Paul Simard cleans hoarding houses for a living but in this story it will become clear why the biologist's house is his last one.
I love books that mix proza with nature, so this book spoke to me on that level. But the human element about grief, hoarding and loneliness were aso really well done. The way this book mixes all those elements was really unique but also creepy.

Thank you RA Busby for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting and compelling storyline. Loved the characters and all the unique twists. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

This was so interesting-spore horror is something I haven’t read before. The story ended up being a bit creepy but also incredibly touching and thought-provoking, reminding me of the interconnectedness of all things. Definitely worth the read. I love the format of this—it was told in true storytelling form.

Thank you Netgalley, R A Busby and Stelliform Press for the eArc of You will Speak For the Dead.

Paul Simard's life after the loss of his Mother and his long term boyfriend is a mess. The only thing that's keeping him going is the small business he set up cleaning hoarder houses. Having received a request to clear a house out because the lady is going into a home catches Pauls eyes and he agrees. Paul and his colleagues get to work, finding the house, floor to ceiling in books, the floor spongy and a strange dust covering everything. Pauls world starts evolving into something else. Something weird, scary and wonderful at the same time.

Fav Quote "It started with that hedgehog cup "

You will Speak for the Dead is a beautifully written horror, sci fi about love, loss, grief and letting go. I really related to the whole book from beginning to end, especially as Pauls story starts to unfold and how it's interwoven with the house and the lady. that was living there. The body horror is well balanced and described really well and found myself wincing a few times. The pacing of the book is medium/fast and has a great balance between the plot direction, characters and the house.

Definitely for fans of T Kingfishers, How to Move the Dead/What's Feasts at Night

4.25 stars for StoryGraph. 4 stars for Netgalley, Amazon and Goodreads.