Autumn vs Never Be Lonely Again

Autumn Leaves Explores the Possible Causes of Cannibalism as She Takes on Never Be Lonely Again by Carietta Dorsch

TITLE: Never Be Lonely Again

AUTHORS: Carietta Dorsch

GENRE: Splatterpunk

PAGES: 98

 PRICE: Paperback $21.74

In her novella “Never Be Lonely Again”, Carietta Dorsch creates a female main character, heavily influenced by the cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, to show how feelings of desperate loneliness and depression can create ‘monsters’ out of damaged people who have not experienced unconditional love from the people in their lives. I feel that so many of us can relate to these feelings, the main character representing the isolation and depression which so many of us suffer from today.

This is not an accurate portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer’s famous case, nor was it meant to be. This is a work of inspiration, not a biography. There are a lot of differences between the main character and Dahmer, gender being the obvious one, but their feelings of extreme loneliness tie them together.

Reading this, I was reminded also of Armin Meiwes, the infamous German cannibal who killed, slaughtered, cooked, and ate his lover, Berndt Brandes. In interviews done after his imprisonment, Meiwes explained that he wanted to consume another man because of feelings of loss and abandonment he experienced after the death of his younger brother when they were children. Those feelings left a void in his soul which he tried to fill by consuming Brandes, having both a brother and lover who could never leave him. What made this case exceptional, besides the brutality of Brandes’s death, is that Brandes was a willing ‘meal’. He had a sexual desire to be eaten by another man.

I found it difficult to dislike the main character. We know she is a ‘monster’ and so does she. Her pleasure comes not from the violent deaths of her victims, but from what their deaths mean: lovers who can never leave. For the main character, consuming their flesh made them a permanent part of her, a chosen family of sorts.

Loneliness and depression can be a lethal combination, though most people who suffer from these conditions will not go to these extremes to combat their isolation. However, the main character, like Dahmer and Meiwes, suffers from mental illness and emotional neglect, skewing her judgement. This is how human ‘monsters’ are created. These people were not born bad. They were made that way by combinations of factors, leaving them feeling that cannibalism is the only way to “Never Be Lonely Again”.

If you liked “Never Be Lonely Again”, check out “Succulent Prey” by Wrath James White.

Autumn Leaves is a Canadian author and poet. Her poem “Siren’s Song” was published when she was 15. Autumn is in love with the dark and has an affinity for all things horrific and disturbing. Autumn is also an avid horror reader and book reviewer. Her favorite author is Jack Ketchum. She lives with her children and army of fur babies on a small island off the coast of Maine.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.