Title: They All Love Jack
Author: Nick Sweet
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Mental health
Dates read: 15th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Indeed, I am sure a psychiatrist would argue that all of the business I underwent with Sally – and that Sally underwent with me and my parents – must have something to do with my lust for killing whores…
Everyone loves Jack. Or at least, that’s what he thinks as he shares his adventures and journey. Steadily becoming more and more unhinged as time goes on.
This short story is a little overwhelmingly scary – it’s all written from the point of view of Jack. And it starts out kind of normal. You’re not entirely sure if this is actually jack, or someone who is trying to get into his headspace… but then it becomes steadily more and more unhinged. And scary. And intense. And just downright crazy. Like I said, steadily more and more unhinged.
I did really enjoy the psychopathic wordplay throughout. It reminded me a little of the Jack letters, made his psychopathy all the scarier and was just thoroughly enjoyable. If not, as I said, a little terrifying. There is something that’s unsettling about reading a story from a first person point of view as they slowly descend into madness…
There are a lot of theories as to why people commit murders – the motives behind Jack the Ripper. This one firmly sits in the camp of previous sexual abuse… by the mother. And on that charming note, I’ll leave you at that. Because, quite honestly, ew.
Earth and Skye 
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