There was a lot I liked about this; the very concept of these characters with unusual problems coming together in group therapy sounds right up my alley, but the execution was not all I wanted it to be. It seemed more like a detailed outline than a full-fledged story, but I enjoyed what was there. I just wanted more.

A group of strangers convene at The Elms for their first group therapy session.  Unlike most people however, this group are all survivors of traumatic supernatural activity.  Harrison was a monster hunter in his youth, Stan is a victim of a cannibalistic family, Martin can see otherworldly creatures that came out of his augmented reality game, Barbara has messages carved on her bones from the Scrimshander, Greta is the last member of a cult that went up in flames.  Dr. Jan Sayer believes them all.  The group makes headway with their issues, but not before their monsters catch up with them. 

A complex and fast-paced horror novella about confronting your demons both internal and external.  Each of the characters has been through something horrific, gruesome and unique, something they think no one else would understand.  I was very interested in all of the characters and what they went through.  I was engaged by how they all dealt with their past trauma differently as well as how they were dealing with what was in front of them at the moment.  The connections between the characters was unexpected, especially since they all were dealing with different monsters. Greta's character seemed to take front and center as her monster caused the most trouble and led to the danger that forced the group to work together.    I feel like there is more to the story for these characters, but they were left in a place that is good for now. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

The novella is the perfect length for a story that can usually be read in a day. There is so much going on in this novella that still could be explored. Every fan of cosmic horror should read We Are All Completely Fine. Highly recommended.

Daryl Gregory’s “We Are All Completely Fine” was almost a complete unknown to me. I was not familiar with the author at all and had no idea what to expect from the story. I liked the set-up of a support group for survivors of heinous crimes, however, so decided to give this short novel a try.

When Jan Sayer decided to form her support group for survivors of violent crimes, the group quickly took on a life of its own through its strange members. There was the woman, Barbara, who had scrimshaw messages etched into her very bones. Greta was the only survivor of a fire and bore the scars of the fire for all to see. Stan was held captive, and partially eaten, by a family of cannibals. Harrison was a teen hero who saved his part of town from an unknown disaster. And then there was Martin who refused to remove his gaming glasses for some unknown reason. He may have worn the glasses to cover up a terrible secret. He was not the only member of the group who had something to hide.

When the group first forms, the members are hesitant to share their experiences with the others. It takes a little while for the trust to form. That is not surprising given the horror that they have all experienced in their lives. As they become more comfortable with each other, the stories slowly begin to come to the surface. The group therapy may be the path to redemption for the group’s members but it is also a way in which the sins of the past can gain access to the present. By unearthing these long buried secrets and emotions, they are sure to finally find peace. . .or damnation.

“We Are All Completely Fine” has an interesting set-up that could have taken the story in any number of ways. Gregory does a good job of creating a diverse and interesting cast of characters and putting them in a setting that almost guarantees and explosion of one kind or another. He throws them together, mixes, and then lets the story brew on a slow simmer as it unfolds through the individual tales of the characters. The histories seem to intertwine even though they are all separate so that each becomes an individual in their own rights through the similarities and the differences that they share with the others. This creates a kind of bizarre character study as the reader watches each character become fleshed out over the course of the story in a way that is very difficult to achieve in a novella/short novel. Gregory shines through his character development and this keeps the story interesting throughout its short length.

What held the story back from becoming more than just interesting is the fact that there is no unified story. The book reads as a gathering of various stories that have similarities and run parallel to each other but never come together in a single thread. Instead, it remains an intermingling of anecdotes that kept my interest but never grabbed a hold of my imagination to make this a must read. Gregory has a deft hand with characterization and this is something that would lead me to seek out books from him in the future but there is a lack of storytelling in this case. I look forward to reading more from him in the future but I finished this book with a feeling that there was a missed opportunity to create something much deeper than is found here. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy strange characters and getting to know the back history of characters who have survived heinous crimes but would tamper down the enthusiasm level due to the lack of a strong story.
I would like to thank Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for this review copy. “We Are All Completely Fine” is available now.