Working retail just got a whole lot scarier.
This horror story is a really fun read for fans of the genre and adult reluctant readers. The physical book looks like a catalog from a fictional furniture store called Orsk. To complete the illusion, the book contains a map of the store, an order form, and lots of faux-cutesy marketing language like: “Have questions? Just Orsk!”
Amy Porter is just one of the many employees working a dead-end retail job at “the all-American furniture superstore in Scandinavian drag, offering well-designed lifestyles at below-Ikea prices.” The store is relatively new, but there are already problems: every morning the opening crew finds malfunctioning electronics, ruined displays, and “messes” smeared on the furniture. When Amy’s annoying boss, Basil, asks her to stay in the store with him overnight to get to the bottom of the disturbances, Amy has no choice but to agree. Soon they discover that this new store has a long history that’s coming back to haunt them.
Horrorstör is formulaic as far as horror goes, but its humor and creative style definitely make it worth reading. The setting lends itself well to satirizing the work-them-till-they-drop employment policy in use by many American retail supercenters. But it’s easy to ignore the satire if you just want a fun-but-scary ride.
Books in the Park 