Biting Silence

Biting Silence is the debut book from queer author C. L. Methvin. It's an unapologetically queer psychosocial horror novella that infuses modernist and southern gothic elements into an experimental piece of fiction spanning the course of one evening. In lieu of chapters, the story is propelled by eight characters and their intersecting vignettes, how their relationships develop and falter alongside one another, and to what extremes their collective negligence can destroy people. Including consensual violent relationships, lies by omission, suicide attempts, and continual violence, Biting Silence is a piece that refuses to reward its characters for their apathy.

"I'm going to kill myself." And in a way he did, again and again. Each missed message and each skipped meal drove Aften ever closer to the act. When that very act fails, the last thing he expected was to be invited to a party, but truly…what else was there to do? Like Bret Easton Ellis’ rampant apathy and Dennis Cooper’s social cynicism colliding, Biting Silence explores the partygoers’ tenuous relationship as it worsens and worsens. Neither drinks nor sex nor questioning what’s real can hinder the insatiable negligence that inevitably tears them apart. Content warnings are provided early in the book.  

Author: C. L. Methvin