Indentured, by David-Jack Fletcher
The Book
Synopsis:
The son.
Mike and his dad have never been close. Not when Mike was growing up, and not now, especially when his Dad is getting old and always asking for money. This time it’s for his teeth. He needs a whole new set. Sick and tired of playing piggybank to his father, Mike takes a shortcut—he buys a pair of used dentures and hopes they’ll fit.
The father.
Phil adores his son, but he’s getting old, cranky, and feels like a burden. When Mike gifts him desperately-needed dentures, he takes it as a sign their relationship is on the mend. When he puts them in, though, he discovers the dentures have a mind of their own.
The teeth.
Finding himself unable to control the urge to devour human flesh, long-buried secrets from Phil’s past threaten to destroy whatever future he has left. With nowhere left to turn and nobody else to trust, Phil turns to the one person he hopes can help his son.
Can this father and son discover the secret of the cursed teeth before anyone gets eaten alive? And will Phil be able to stop himself from eating Mike’s partner, who is smelling more and more delicious…
Indentured is a queer cannibal tale of familial bonds and cursed dentures.
My Review
Indentured is a queer cannibal horror novel, written by David-Jack Fletcher, and published by Truborn Press. A deliciously gory story that examines the erasure of LGTBQI+ people in the past, the extension of trauma cycles and the limits we can breach to help those that we love, all from the perspective of father and son haunted by the secrets of the past.
Mike was never close to his dad Phil; however, he still kept paying for his things now that he's old and sick. Now Phil needs a new set of teeth, but Mike feels too tired of paying for all, deciding to take a shortcut: buying a mysterious set of dentures, hoping they will fit. What he didn't expect is that the dentures to have a mind of their own, bringing back long time buried secrets from Phil's past, including his appetite for human flesh; without nobody else he can trust, Phil hopes Mike can help him, starting a fast-paced race to discover the secret behind the dentures, and in the process, rediscovering Phil's past to Mike, a turbulent and dark time that he did all the possible to run from.
It is fascinating how such a traumatic moment, like Phil's rediscovering his cannibal past, acts as the catalyzer that puts together Phil and Mike, a broken relationship, especially as Mike didn't trust Phil to accept him being queer; however, what we can see in Phil is a man that portrays as hating the queer community as his own version of mimicking with the environment, as advised by the antagonist of the story. While they dive deeper into Phil's past and the origin of the black dentures, we can see how the trust between father and son starts to be regained, even when we can see Phil succumbing to his purest animal instincts.
Fletcher's writing is quite visceral, but maintains a good pacing in the narrative structure, alternating flashbacks and different POVs to paint a complete picture of what's happening; but what especially shines is how well themes such as queerness acceptance in the older generations and the crave for power are integrated into the narration.
Indentured is a bold novel, perfect if you are looking for horror that is not afraid to break a few lines to deliver a relevant theme; totally a recommend if you are a lover of the genre.
The Author/s
David-Jack Fletcher
David-Jack Fletcher is an Australian author, specialising in LGBTQI+ horror fiction. He dabbles in comedy-horror and dark fiction, but his true love is body horror.
His debut novella, The haunting of Harry Peck, is a 2022 Amazon international best-seller across several lists including Gay Fiction, Horror, and Two-Hour Literature.
He has also appeared in several anthologies across the US, Canada, and the UK. David-Jack's latest novel is due for release in 2023, and he is currently working on the next one: Indentured, which focuses on a pair of bloodthirsty cursed dentures.
He is also a qualified editor, operating a small online business, Chainsaw Editing, where he specialises in copyediting and developmental editing for horror/thriller, dark fiction, mystery/suspense, and the occasional historical romance.
When not writing and editing, David-Jack can be found on the couch with a book, cuddling his dogs and his husband.