I'm sad to say that this book didn't hit for me like it did for other reviewers.

Some things I did like: There were some good gore scenes and the story itself started out intriguing. I also really enjoyed the elevator scene. I actually had feelings of dread when he landed on a certain floor.

What I didn't like: The flowery writing. While I don't mind adding more descriptors, it was very over the top for me. At times I even got confused and had to reread pages to understand what was happening. This made me not want to continue to be honest, but since it was short, I pressed on.

I didn't really enjoy most of this, but it had an interesting concept.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for an early copy for me to review.

Coup de Grâce is a suspenseful read that has so much depth to it, and is the kind of book that will have you thinking “what just happened?” for days after finishing. Sofia Ajram’s descriptions, both of brutalist architecture and bodily fluids, were so detailed and impressive.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I've never hated a book before. I've read books that I've considered bad. I've read books I've given one star before. I've hated plot points in books, or characters, or writing styles. I have NEVER in my life had an experience like the one I had reading Coup de Grace.

This book is the most overwritten, gimmicky, self-indulgent garbage I have ever read.

I like "weird" books. I like books that are slightly experimental, and I like books that are considered overwritten by others. I enjoy Mona Awad, even though her style is stunningly dense and verbose. I loved reading Chelsea G. Summers, though her character in A Certain Hunger was quite wordy. I'm reading Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride right now, and man she writes a LOT! But this book? Good lord.

I have never seen a writing style that evokes such word salad. It didn't feel stylistic. It read like the author wrote her sentence, and then put every single word through a thesaurus. It was so overwritten that it was genuinely difficult for me to figure out what was happening sometimes. I understand that the confusion and the surrealism is the point, but there were many, many times where I had to wind back several pages to figure out what was happening. It just ruined a lot of the tension that was building.

For example, at one point, someone falls over a railing and onto the concreate below. It was described in such a way that I was certain that person was dead. It was described like they fell into the grand canyon, that's how deep this pit was. However, the next chapter started with that person having a fractured leg and no other mentioned injuries. I was baffled.

The main character, Vicker, is also just so completely unlikable. Vicker hopped onto the subway to take himself to the beach and drown. The "in-between" that he ends up in seems to be a place for people who were considering suicide to be trapped and suffer forever for their choice. It becomes extremely obvious (like serious the author just straight up spells it out) that this endless, impossible subway station is depression.

Vicker is clinically depressed. I think that in some ways the author does an interesting job expression how depression manifests, and how people who are treatment resistant can become very frustrated. In doing so, the author also categorically dismisses medication and therapy as a whole. I hate that, for obvious reasons.

Vicker meets another person while he's in the tunnels, a woman he calls Pashmina. Pashmina is here because she has practically incurable cancer, a 3% survival chance. She didn't want to wither away slowly and in pain, so she wanted to end things on her own terms. Because of her suicidal intention, she ends up in the hell dimension with Vicker and she has the most visceral, graphic death in the whole story. I'm wondering what the lesson is here? I'm wondering what the author could possibly be trying to say. Why is it better, more compassionate, to make this woman suffer through a painful cancer that is slowly killing her? What did she do to deserve being in the tunnels?

Additionally, Vicker compares his depression to Pashmina's cancer. As someone with depression, oh my GOD! What are you even talking about? I understand the comparison on a surface level. Yes, both can make you feel hopeless, and yes sometimes both are incurable. But, are you kidding me? Comparing depression to CANCER? One of the worst things that could ever happen to a person? The BIG C, CANCER? It's so self-indulgent.

I feel the same way about the depiction of self-harm in Coup de Grace. It's SO self-indulgent. If you have ever self harmed or ever had thoughts of self harming, seriously do not read this book for your own safety. There is an author's note at the beginning of the book that states the book is about suicide, but there are no trigger warnings for the amount and extent of self-harm in the book. It's extremely graphic. It's somewhat understandable within the context of the story and the metaphor, but the whole time I was just struck by how gleeful it felt. Like the author was pissed off and trying to shock and offend others. It was horrible.

This is a cosmic horror novel, and there are some conventions of that genre. We don't learn anything really about the tunnels. We don't learn what creatures are living there, or what they really do to people who get stuck. We don't learn about the people in the elevator, or the room full of beetles, or the flesh tunnel (yes, I said flesh tunnel). This is completely fine, and it's a real staple of cosmic horror. It's something too strange, too big, too impossible to understand, and so the protagonist doesn't understand it. In a way, I think the genre is perfect to explore feelings of depression and hopelessness. I will say that sometimes it felt like the author was throwing anything at the wall to see what stuck.

For example, the aforementioned elevator. After walking for days or weeks or years, Vicker comes across an elevator, and the author explains to us what the Elevator Game is. She explains all the steps and what's supposed to happen at each step, and then Vicker plays the Elevator Game. It's difficult to say "nothing happens" because nothing at all happens in the entire book. There's a layer of metaphor here, and a peek into Vicker's past, but I wouldn't say that it's a creepy or memorable part of the book. There's also a "fake-out" THE END here? Though I don't know if it's a fake out or one of the many ending in this book.

Oh? Did I not mention that there are MANY endings to this book? You cannot imagine my rage when I'm pushing and shoving my way through this dense nightmare of a novel and then it suddenly turns into a choose your own adventure story. I hate that gimmick, first of all, but secondly the author hates you for not choosing the RIGHT path in the choose your own adventure. Seriously, every single storyline except the correct one sees Vicker mocking the reader directly. Oh? You want Vicker to escape the tunnel? He berates you for thinking that's even possible. Oh? You want Vicker to end it all and be in peace? He berates you for "wanting people to be miserable". Oh? You want Vicker to choose? He berates you for putting this on his shoulders. He's such a terrible, nasty, irritating character.

You get to pick your ending. Kind of. There's only one ending that the author actually wanted you to pick, and it's the "a significant other will fix my depression" route. Yes, a person in your life you loves you makes it easier for you to love yourself. I'm just really irritated that the solution to getting out of the tunnels, getting out of your metaphorical depression, is a MAN.

I will say, the gore and horror in this book is pretty good at times. I was engaged when our characters discovered a horrifying part of the tunnel made from the flesh of everyone who had given up. I wanted to read more. Again, Pashmina's death was completely horrifying. Some of the most intense gore I've read outside of the extreme horror genre. There's just so little of it in favor of going on and on about how horrible Vicker is feeling.

I hated this book. I hated it with a fiery passion. I understand the metaphor. I understand the conventions of the genre. I understand that not every book has to have a good main character or a positive moral. But when your book has no plot, bad writing, an annoying character, AND a bad moral there is NOTHING left to enjoy.

Coup de Grace is out today! Don't buy it. Don't waste your money.

A man, who has decided to kill himself, gets onto a subway car and when gets off of the car, he becomes trapped in a looping, never-ending subway platform.

At least I think thats what Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram is about. Almost from the start, this book was way too dreamlike and confusing. The descriptions made no sense to me and the main character was uninteresting. I will admit right up front that I couldn’t finish this book. I had no idea what was going on and found the book too frustrating.

I received this book early and find myself wanting to apologize to the publisher and author. This book was clearly not for me. I’m not saying its a bad book at all, but it just didn’t interest me. The dreamlike quality of Coup de Grâce lost me and I couldn’t finish the book no matter how hard I tried. I do think there is an audience for this book and feel like its well written and something that people who love dreamy horror novels will enjoy.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one but would like to thank the publisher for giving me a chance to check out the book. I feel honored to get to read books early and it always bothers me when I can’t finish them. This has been the third book I’ve had to write an attempted review for. The problem with book reviewing is that you never know which books you’ll like or not. Will I be able to even finish this book? Sometimes, you just can’t.

Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram is out today. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an early copy.

Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram is a dark, chilling book that I couldn't put down and will stick with me for a long time. It deals with depression and suicide, and Ajram handles these heavy topics very well. Coup de Grâce is not a book for the faint of heart, but with its labyrinthine setting and gripping horror, it is not one you will soon forget. I highly recommend this book to fans of House of Leaves.

This was such a dark, eerie and experimental book with gorgeous writing, perfectly finished off with Vicken’s acerbic narration. The title fits in perfectly as well. Ajram just lost me with the structural choice for the final parts of the book.

So this wasn't for me, but there is definitely a specific person that this book will appeal to.

First, for me, there was a lot that went wrong. It was way too gory for my taste and it actually made me feel a bit ill at points. I also despised the writing. It was like reading a book written by someone who wants to prove they keep a dictionary on their side table. I will say that the small section where chronic illness was talked about, was beautiful and made me cry. It explained perfectly how it feels to be betrayed by your own body. I wish the writing in this section was how the entire book was written.

The people who will love this are people who love quirky horror books, especially with the "choose your own adventure" aspect at the end. Fans of "House of Leaves" will salivate over this book or if you are looking for an existential crisis. Otherwise, there are way better books that have a similar vibe.

Stricken with depression and anxiety his entire life, Vicken has decided that today's the day. He's going to end it. But when he wakes up in a subway station that seemingly never ends, a horrifying new reality gets in his way. How did he end up here and where is here exactly? While I did not enjoy it really, I think it is an interesting read.
Let's start off with something I did like. I thought the way Vicken's depression is written was relatable and well done. You can nearly understand why it is that he wants to end his life. His snarky attitude rings true for someone who's given up on life. I also think the horror is well done, it's body horror and tense. The liminality of the space only adds to that, with the neverending gray-ness and voidness of the space feeling like an apt metaphor for depression. However, Vicken is almost too snarky for my taste. It's trying to be comedic but it didn't really work for me. The suddenly choose your own adventure style of the ending was also out of left field and didn't really fit with the rest of the story. The primary issue I had though was the writing style. It was a bit too flowery and purple prose style for me. Which is fine if you like that, but I've learned that I do not.
Overall I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone but maybe if they wanted a book to dissect on depression. It just simply wasn't for me in the end.

“No Exit” meets “House of Leaves”

Vicken boards a train, determined to commit suicide. Depressed and suicidal, he is determined to end his life. After having a sexual encounter with another male passenger, he arrives at the end of the train route. But after disembarking the train, he cannot find a way off the platform. Stuck in an endless maze, Vicken slowly loses his mind and grip on reality. Where is he? Will he ever escape? Is he alive or dead?

Sofia Ajram is a fantastic new voice in the horror genre. Her mind-bending debut novella explores the slow destruction of personhood through a grotesque, claustrophobic, and uncomfortable psychological nightmare. Vicken’s fever dream makes the reader feel uneasy as he slowly succumbs to necrosis through bleak, monstrous imagery and hallucinatory terror. It deals with body horror, suicidal ideation, and invokes a constant existential dread. Through Vicken’s sarcastic narration, we are given a choice as a reader to interpret the ending in many different ways.

One final thought: The title Coupe de Grace translates to “a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.” Therefore, this narrative must represent Vicken’s final moments. The dark and depressing plot might be triggering, so please read the warnings carefully.

Trigger warnings: suicidal ideation, cutting, suicide, depression, claustrophobia

4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the ARC of Coup de Grace in exchange for an honest review.

Great book!! I am looking forward to purchasing this book for several of my friends and family members. I know they would appreciate it as much as I did

I was looking forward to this book. Great hype; great cover; great blurbs. I really wanted to enjoy this book because the concept sounded great. Unfortunately, it was a struggle. I never felt fully engaged, the writing itself felt mediocre and the plot wasn't gripping me. It had a wonderful concept: a surreal, lyrical exploration of a man's depression and psychology as he's stuck in this neverending irreal maze of a subway station (this sounds like it could be akin to Piranesi), but the idle wanderings of the main character constantly looking at a grey space was numbing. I wish the book would have gone deeper even if the author wanted to maintain a brief or slight execution. I was hoping to review this for the autumn issue of the magazine, but I'm not keen on publishing negative reviews for debut authors so I'll pass on this one.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Where to even begin? This story explores aspects of the human mind that you'd otherwise prefer to shy away from. It is at times bone chilling & also immersive. A scary place where your mind becomes your biggest adversary. Moments of humor sprinkled throughout were a nice respite. I truly enjoyed it. Please heed the trigger warnings because this is a book that explores some extremely heavy topics.

“A space made for travelers, void of such motion, and I cannot dispose of its perverse emptiness.”

Coup De Grâce follows our main character Vicken, who takes the metro to Montreal to end his own life. Instead of his planned stop, he gets off the subway to discover he is trapped in an endless, looping station. This liminal space welcomes him with open arms and terrifies him with its improbability, and as he tries to escape, Vicken soon realizes he may not be alone.

I love liminal space horror. The backrooms as a concept really unnerve me, and Coup De Grâce accomplishes the horrifying ambience of a liminal space in which escape seems impossible.

The language adds to the eerie atmosphere of the novella; even though I’ve never seen (and hopefully never will see!) a place like the one our protagonist is trapped in, I can see it so clearly in my mind. The sheer contradiction of a liminal space - alien and familiar, nostalgic and off-putting -and what makes it so eerie, is perfectly captured here.

This could be a very triggering book for some readers: Vicken is trapped not just in an infinite subway station but his depressive and existential thoughts. Tread carefully, this novella packs a punch but boy does it deliver on the ending. This is perfectly paced, haunting novella, is going to stick with me for a while.

Sofia Arjam's debut novella, Coup de Grâce, is a chilling, immersive journey that plunges you into a world where your mind is your greatest enemy, and reality dissolves into a labyrinth of horror. The premise of the story is a dark one - it follows a man who, on the verge of ending his life, steps off the subway into an eerie station; only to find himself utterly alone, trapped in an endless maze of desolate halls and rooms that seem to mock the laws of reality.

What makes this tale particularly striking is its masterful blend of visceral horror and existential dread. The author's sparse yet poetic prose creates a relentless atmosphere of claustrophobia and unease, pulling you deeper into Vick's unravelling psyche. I felt consistently uncomfortable while reading this book, and I loved every second of it. Each page drips with grotesque, nightmarish imagery, but it’s the psychological descent that truly sticks with you.

Yet, beneath the surface horror lies a deeper narrative about life, choices, and the human condition. It forces the reader to reflect on how life can oscillate between moments of beauty and despair. And in an unexpected twist, the novella makes you complicit in shaping Vicken's fate to finish the story. Through its "choose your own adventure" format, the story doesn't just examine personal agency - it also asks you to confront your own motivations. Will you condemn Vicken to further torment, or offer him a sliver of hope? Why do you choose what you do?

What I enjoy so thoroughly about Coup de Grâce is that it doesn’t merely tell a story - it poses questions that linger long after the final page has been turned. With its haunting atmosphere, sharp commentary on capitalism, and profound exploration of human choice, this is a story that demands to be read and reread. It leaves you questioning not just Vicken’s fate, but the nature of the choices we all make in the face of an indifferent, sometimes cruel world. I highly recommend this novella for those who enjoy their horror thoughtful, deeply unsettling, and endlessly thought-provoking. Of course, I also recommend Coup de Grâce for any and all Canadian readers who enjoy CanLit and well-written texts set in a famous Canadian setting.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Coup de Grâce by Sofia Arjam in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

The biggest thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC!

A dark, empty hallway. A vacant elevator. The places made for humans, by humans, that ring hollow. Sofia Ajram utilizes these liminal spaces, these places that scream wrongness for reasons that escape common vocabulary, to explore one of the bleakest facets of the human condition in their startling yet stunning debut novella, Coup de Grâce. A man, Vicken, has made the choice to wade into the waters of the Saint Lawrence River, to put a stopper on the pain he’s endured for so long. However, one seemingly mundane subway ride results in an unexpected stop, one that delivers an unfathomable reality for Vicken.

To be blunt, this is a difficult review to write but for all the best reasons imaginable. Coup de Grâce is a story that elicits undeniable emotions in their rawest forms, artistically exploring the topics we bury. It doesn’t feel as though it is a coincidence that the settling of Vick’s plight is an underground, manufactured, desolate space of concrete. And before I wander too far off on my ramblings of stunning symbolism, it is imperative to note how painfully gorgeous Ajram’s prose reads, how poignant, evocative, and moving. This is a deep character study, not just for Vicken, but an examination of ourselves if we’re a willing audience.

The use of liminal space feels like one of the most memorable, vivid uses of setting to convey unavoidable sensations of dread, overwhelming bleakness, and clear claustrophobia. Ajram’s description of this strange place brings to mind to expectations of a life constructed meticulously, only for the reality of an existence to feel so empty with so many hard edges. It’s the perfect manifestation of depression, a place with no end, no reprieve, no grace. At every corner Vicken turns, there’s another room, another hallway, another door, but absolutely no exit. It’s a devastating atmosphere here in this place that’s truly haunting, something that rings true for those who have felt as though there is no light at the end of that long tunnel.

Coup de Grâce is not a conventional story, and it should not be. There’s no clear plot of moving from point “A” to “B” to “C,” which is the stark reality of battling an unrelenting darkness. Ajram utilizes fourth-wall breaks, reader-chosen passages, and other rare forms of prose to make this story as much about us as it is about Vicken. And while I just finished describing how harrowing this all sounds, there’s an odd glimmer of hope to all of this. Because I’m sitting here, writing this review to share with others, with other humans who have read this story, who will read this story, will talk about this story. And isn’t there a little light in that, a small shade of community to maybe not feel so utterly alone?

Profound, bleak, and most importantly, honest, Coup de Grâce is a devastating exploration of the things that have remained unspoken and unexplored in such a way, until now. Despite the bleakness of Vicken’s situation, Sofia Ajram’s decision to share this story shines a light on the topics that have withered away thanks to shame, guilt, and the human tendency to repress. It’s an unrelenting novella that accurately conveys just how unforgiving depression is. Ajram has crafted something special with Coup de Grâce, a piece of art that demands feeling, demands humanity when there is none to be found.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in October. This is NOT a light read and has very heavy themes. This book is a fictional thriller horror about mental illness and the depiction of it still manages to feel accurate. Jesus that end.

This was probably one of my favorite reads of the year. I liked the way that Ajram depicted depression in architectural form, while also playing with the human fear of liminal spaces. The "choose-your-own adventure" style ending was really unique fit quite nicely within the context of the story. I knew what the endings were going to be, but getting to that point was part of the intrigue.

A big thank you to NetGalley for helping me get my hands on this ARC, Coup de Grace.

I'm an avid reader, perhaps best described as a book dragon. I horde what I think is the best and look for the gold among the piles of rubble. I found a ruby. Sofia Aijram did something I had yet to discover. Took self grief and added intellectual humor, wonderfully unfolding doses of body horror and psychological horror done so perfectly that brings the overall experience to a new level. Further than that you will need to discover on your own and I can only hope it was a wonderful surprise to you as well.

Come along with Vicken, as he plans to end his life by way of drowning. He has a brief pleasant encounter, then begins a journey he had no plans for....ever.
The station will do things to Vicken that will make you laugh, cringe, maybe even a little stomach flip, and possibly cry. There are swings emotions that help attach you to the main character if the first person perspective hadn't been successful (which it totally was for me). By the 50% mark, you should really be feeling the highs and lows, but if you aren't and you've reached the 79th, something insane happens. I'm not sure if I should share or just strongly encourage you to just dive in! At this point you will feel the main character's reactions pretty strongly, I don't know how you couldn't. If it wasn't obvious by now, I thought the characters and story execution was phenomenal! I had an amazing time reading this and very much look forward to future publications.
Coup de Grace in the best French translation means fatal blow.

Now for my usual sharing of passages that piqued my interest:

We're constantly deceived by the largeness of life on movie screens, in literature. -11%

It gradually dawns on me that I've been denied a destination, caught in a transitional environment, a space between beginning and an end. -17%

Makes me think she's got signs of rot and necrosis somewhere under her clothing where I can't see, down in her roots. -20%

Can't we think about this a minute before we go urban spelunking in the God-size glory hole? -26%

Years as an EMT have exposed me to plenty of mental shock, but nothing like this. -29%

I feel like a horse in a slaughterhouse; all I want to do is run or scream or cry. -33%

We are small in this place; silence its judgement and indifference our condemnation. -34%

A sickness in the mind is just as poisonous, can devour the body the same as a cancer. -38%

I won't share anything past here so you can get the full effect.

Coup de Grâce had a promising start, but I felt like it never really went anywhere. Sure, the protagonist was moving around the station and doing various things, but none of his actions ever felt like they had any point to them. The sudden usage of an Internet urban legend as a plot point also broke my immersion. And before I knew it, the book was over. The ending was executed in an interesting way, but (without going into any specifics) the change was quite jarring, and I'm not sure if it really contributed anything.

The author succeeded in constructing a very compelling liminal space, but unfortunately, they fail to actually give it any reason for its existence or why any of the events inside it happen. Many questions were raised throughout the book, but there were never any answers. Nothing was ever explained. Why does the station exist? Who knows. Why does <insert some event here> happen? No clue. I get that the reader shouldn't be spoon-fed answers, but I would've liked to have even the tiniest scraps of lore.

Perhaps this book was just not for me?