No refunds.
No exchanges.
No exit.
In Juniper, Arizona, a retail chain called The Store plants its flag, selling just about everything residents could possibly need and want. Not only is it all so convenient, but the prices are also amazing. Residents are ecstatic about The Store’s deals, including job opportunities.
Of course, not everyone is thrilled about The Store. Bill Davis, a technical writer for a software firm, feels that there is something off ever since the construction of The Store. Even when The Store finally opens, everything seems too good to be true. Why did a chain retailer have to open up in a small town, he wonders? It wouldn’t be good for long-time, small businesses. Sure enough, The Store’s success gradually shuts down mom-and-pop stores, with the owners mysteriously disappearing. To make matters worse, Bill’s two teenage daughters get jobs at The Store, where customers suddenly become nothing but loyal to the retail giant. Behind closed doors, employees are forced into rituals and rules by the orders of their sadistic manager.
When Bill starts sensing evil in his town, including the fact that his daughters are no longer themselves since working for The Store, he knows it’s time that he and other concerned citizens take a stand. When he tries to find a way to get his daughters away from The Store, he is left with having to make a choice where there is no going back.
Whoa, is what I have to say about this book. While the story shows society’s obsession with consumerism, it revolves more around big corporations and the amount of money and power they desire, and that they’ll stomp on anyone who gets in the way. This book was downright disturbing and creepy. I need more books by this author. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!
About the author: Bentley Little is the author of numerous novels, short stories, articles, essays, and reviews. After earning a BA in communications and an MA in English, Little sold his soul and abandoned all artistic integrity, working for eight years as a bureaucrat for a midsized city in Orange County, California. His first novel, The Revelation, won the 1990 Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award for best first novel.
Just a Thought 