🧠 Book Review: The Remedy by Adam Haslett (Kindle Edition, Dark Corners Collection)
A chilling meditation on pain, desperation, and the seductive promise of a miracle cure—Adam Haslett’s short story delivers psychological horror with a clinical edge.
🧬 Overview
Published in September 2018 as part of Amazon Original Stories’ Dark Corners Collection, The Remedy is a 29-page psychological horror short by Adam Haslett, a Pulitzer Prize finalist known for his emotionally rich fiction. The story follows Derrick, a man whose chronic suffering has become his identity. After exhausting traditional treatments, he turns to an exclusive, secretive clinic in New York that offers a radical new therapy—one that promises not just relief, but transformation.
As Derrick undergoes the sessions, the results are astonishing. But the deeper he goes, the more the line blurs between healing and horror.
🧪 Key Themes & Highlights
- 🩺 The cost of relief: The story explores how far someone will go to escape pain, and whether the cure might be worse than the disease
- 🧠 Identity and suffering: Derrick’s pain defines him—so what happens when it’s stripped away?
- 🧘 Sensory immersion: The therapy is described as a “sensorial wonder,” evoking both awe and unease
- 🧨 Slow-burn dread: Haslett builds tension through subtle shifts, making the horror feel intimate and psychological
“It was as if my experience with Dr. — was the only real thing that had ever happened to me.” — The Remedy
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 2.96/5 from over 4,500 ratings
- 📖 Readers are divided—some praise the story’s eerie tone and thematic depth, while others find it too ambiguous or unsettling
- 🧾 The story’s ambiguity is intentional, leaving readers to interpret the nature of the “remedy” and its consequences
- 💬 “It’s a quiet horror, the kind that creeps in through the cracks of your mind. Not for everyone, but undeniably haunting.” — Here’s to Happy Endings review
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At under 30 pages, it’s a brief read—best approached as a psychological vignette
- 📚 Part of a collection: One of seven stories in the Dark Corners Collection, each exploring different facets of fear and suspense
- 🧾 Ambiguous tone: The story doesn’t offer clear answers, which may frustrate readers seeking resolution
🏁 Final Verdict
The Remedy is a subtle and unsettling psychological horror story that probes the boundaries of pain, identity, and trust. Adam Haslett’s restrained prose and eerie premise make this a compelling entry in the Dark Corners Collection, especially for readers who enjoy introspective dread and ambiguous endings.
