Book Review: EYE CONTACT

by | Jun 22, 2026 | Author News, Book Reviews, Reviews, The Horror Review News | 0 comments

Eye Contact
Selene dePackh
JournalStone Publishing (January 30, 2026)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy

Selene dePackh is a master of emotion on the page. It is no surprise that she uses her own neurodivergent experiences to sculpt these seven tragic characters haunting the historic Taconic Behavioral Health Complex and the underworld beneath it. Through tying these tales together, the stories of the people that work and live at the health complex, we are told a horrible tale of abuse, neglect, and grief. All of the characters are broken in their own way and trapped in a cycle of abuse by the staff they work with or that are supposed to be caring for them. This is not a happy place with loving caregivers. This is a place where monsters live.

My heart cried out for Moe, the poor autistic girl with vitiligo, Miles, Artemidia and the rest of the children. They just wanted to be understood and loved, but the staff, Agnes, Kelli, and the head doctor who ran the institution, looked at them as subhuman. Only Brian, a worker with PTSD, and Morn and Cindy who live in town saw them as people and not trash to toss out by the side of the road. Together, Morn and Cindy set out to help Brian and the others find peace with the turmoil they’ve dealt with in their lives, if there is any to be salvaged after so much death on the grounds. The ghosts haunt everyone in the novel.

This novel is an exemplary tour de force of what mental institutions have unleashed on innocents throughout the ages and how hard it is for people who are neurodivergent to communicate and live amongst people considered “normal.” Here are a few books about autism that you may read, if you are curious about learning more about the neurodivergent: Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm, A Parent’s Guide to High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (Second Edition): How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive by Sally Ozonoff, Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood by Kate Swenson, and The Ultimate Guide to Thriving with Adult Autism: Proven Techniques to Enhance Executive Function, Manage Sensory Overload & Build Authentic Connections + Practical Daily Exercises by Elliot Reese.

About Nora B. Peevy

Nora B. Peevy is a cat trapped in a human’s body. Please send help or tuna. She toils away for JournalStone and Trepidatio Publishing as a submissions reader, is a co-editor for Alien Sun Press, the newest reviewer for Hellnotes, and has been published by Eighth Tower Press, Weird Fiction Quarterly, and other places. Usually, you can find her on Facebook asking for help escaping from her human body or to get tuna. Tuna is nice. Cats like tuna.

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