The writing also reflects his frame of mind, presented in an almost stream of consciousness flood of memories, thoughts and observations. Throughout this entire tale, you can never really trust what you’re seeing or hearing through Sawyer’s eyes because as you’ve probably guessed, he’s as unreliable as they come. In my very limited experience with the author, I can already tell he loves his ambiguous stories, blurring the lines between reality and the supernatural. Still, while it should have been impossible, Sawyer can’t help but feel with a sick certainty in his gut that Manny is somehow responsible. Everyone is calling it a random freak accident, just a sad case of wrong place, wrong time. Not long after that, a semi-truck swerves off the highway and smashes into Shanna’s house, killing everyone inside. Instead, the would-be pranksters all sit stunned at the back of the theater watching as, at the end of the show, Manny stiffly gets up and walks away. However, much to Sawyer’s consternation and horror, that moment never arrives. Step 3: place Manny into a center seat up in front, so that when Shanna comes by later to check ticket stubs, she would get the shock of her life. Step two: reassemble him and dress him up in some old clothes. Step one: smuggle the mannequin into the theater in pieces.

Recent shenanigans by the group had resulted in one of them, Shanna, working at the local cinema as punishment, inspiring the rest of them-Sawyer, Tim, JR, and Danielle-to play a trick on her, with Manny as the star of the show. The plan was simple-or should have been, anyway. Manny has since been stowed in Sawyer’s garage, almost forgotten, but now the friends are in their last year of high school, and they’ve decided to bring their plastic pal out for one final stunt. Nicknamed Manny, the mannequin had been an endless source of amusement, but then the kids grew up. Some years before, the gang had been playing in the woods when they happened to come across a discarded plastic mannequin, the kind you typically find in any department store. Our protagonist Sawyer, a teenage boy with too much time on his hands, is part of a group of friends who decided to have a little fun with one of their own. Night of the Mannequins was my second book by Stephen Graham Jones, and compared to The Only Good Indians, I would say it was most definitely more my cup of tea! Or at least it was, until the ending. Publisher: Tantor Audio (February 23, 2021)

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own. I received a review copy from the publisher. Audiobook Review: Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

The night of the mannequins