Review: A Cup of Tea at the Mouth of Hell

Blurb:

BRIEFLY, A WORD ABOUT ORDER

Order is the focal point around which existence revolves. Without order there is only chaos. And in the halls of Damnation (pronounced Dam-NAWT-ion, thank you kindly) the first sign of impending chaos is a cup of tea made without the water having first been well and properly boiled in a kettle.

Why is this relevant, o nameless narrator? you ask. Who cares about the preparatory order of tea in the fires of Hell?

Lucifer, dear reader. After all, how does one expect to properly greet the newcomers to Hell without having first had a hot cup of tea to bulwark the cold?

Behold The Morning Star, frantic on the annual Morning of Souls, the arrival of Damnation’s newest recruits.

Someone has misplaced the kettle.

Review:

I want to start by saying that it feels odd to be praising such an emotional, raw and vulnerable journey, but I must say, this was a fantastic and very real read. I originally started reading this because, I love Hell, I love anything in relation to Lucifer, I really didn’t know what this novelette was about, but boy, by the end I was a mess. This is not new for me, many authors and books have this effect on me, this was different. This is 62 pages that will live rent free in my life for a long while yet. 

“God, I had learned, was a two-foot tall kleptomaniac squirrel”

The characters are memorable and all have their own voice, it starts with Lucifer slowly deteriorating over a missing kettle. If you have ever experienced loss, it can be the briefest moment, or memory, or it can be something small yet oddly surprising; a christmas card, or a song, that jar you as you remember that person is gone. 

There are some odd and very amusing moments throughout this novelette, in fact I never thought I would laugh so much at the concept of a Phallic Forest, yet here we are. 

“Trauma was not a memory; it was a reaction to a memory”

As this story progressed however, it was not just a whimsical, odd little story. 

This was a journey of loss, grief, trauma, mental health and the life that brings with it. This was, Tarzian’s life laid bare for all of us. Tarzian sets out his heart, soul and mind and at times there are parts that are relatable. The mind overthinking, or the little voice of self doubt and being able to empathise with Tarzian in those moments. 

“Misery is ever-shifting; it subtly decays the mind, rewrites memories like a virus in a lullaby”.

Part 3 of this book is more similar to a journal, it is Luke exploring his grief so there is no real resolution to the story, we never find out who took the kettle, but the kettle is there eventually. This is certainly a book that reminds the reader, you never know what someone is dealing with, or going through, but if you were to take anything from this, be kind. 

“I’ve learned the shortest works are often the most profound”   

To bring things to a close. I recommend everyone should take an hour or two, to sit down and cherish this beautiful prose, this odd and at times silly story. But at the heart of it, a true exploration of the realms of grief and what it does to us.

I will be reading more of Tarzian this year. I know this is very different from his other works, but I look forward to seeing what else is under his sleeve.