Horror Annotation (Elsewhere by Dean Koontz)

GENERAL DETAILS

• Title: Elsewhere
• Author: Dean Koontz
• Published: October 6th, 2020
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 365 pages
• Series or Stand-alone: Stand-alone
• Genre: Horror/thriller
• Geographical Setting: Suavidad Beach, which is a fictionalized version of Laguna Beach, CA
• Time Period: Present day 

BOOK SUMMARY

Jeffy and Amity have a pleasant life and home in Suavidad Beach. But one day, a local vagrant, Ed, instructs Jeffy to take care of a mysterious box - "the key to everything," as Ed calls it. Initially, Jeffy takes the box to appease Ed, thinking that this eccentric old man must be on the verge of dementia, but a fleet of special agents show up to Jeffy's house the next day. As Jeffy and Amity begin to realize that this box may actually be the key to something, they accidentally activate it. Other worlds and realities become possible, and as the father-daughter team traverse the multiverse, their world becomes increasingly dangerous. 

CONNECTIONS TO THE HORROR GENRE

• Elsewhere was written by Dean Koontz, who is one of the most famous living authors in the horror genre alongside Stephen King
• While this book has a strong science fiction overlay, such as an exploration of parallel worlds, there are still elements of the horror genre (a potential big evil, for example) that are organically woven into the plot
• This book has a strong foreboding sense, even from the beginning of the book, which fans of the horror genre will appreciate
• The villain in this book has overtly sociopathic and sinister tendencies that readers will note throughout this character's cruel and persistent inner dialogue
• SPOILER ALERT: Many of the worlds that Jeffy and Amity explore are darker than our own, which further fuels the story's horror overlay

KEYWORDS AND THEMES

• Fast-paced
• Horror
• Science fiction
• Parallel universes
• Unsettling
• Thriller
• Father-daughter relationships
• Suspense

READ-ALIKES (FICTION)

A note: All of these book include an exploration of parallel worlds combined with suspense and family relationships - all major themes of Elsewhere.

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray (2014)

All the Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai (2017)

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (2016)

READ-ALIKES (NON-FICTION)

A note: The following books are all focused upon the science behind and the feasibility of parallel worlds, which may be of interest to readers who enjoyed this particular aspect of Elsewhere, especially since parallel universes played such a significant role in this book. Additionally, each of these books is by a well-known scientist who specializes in this concept.

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene (2011)

Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku (2004)

Parallel Universes: The Search for Other Worlds by Fred Alan Wolf (1989)