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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Supernatural violence; the murders the protagonist experiences through psychic connection; horror atmosphere
Language
Some
Moderate language
Sexual Content
Some
Moderate; adult content in the backstory
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Very strong; the inheritance of evil; what a son owes and what he must refuse; the Lovecraftian reality-bending that Straub makes his own; the horror of a double identity
What this book is about
Peter Straub's supernatural thriller follows Ned Dunstan, who has always had vivid, terrifying dreams on his birthday — dreams of violence that turn out to be real. Returning home for his dying mother, Ned begins to uncover the identity of his father and what he inherited. Straub's Mr. X is his most complex and most Lovecraftian novel, full of alternate realities and the horror of knowing where you came from.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Supernatural violence and horror
Adult content in the backstory
Reader Verification
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