Evil In Me by Brom

Punk rock will set you free

From the very beginning of Evil In Me, you feel like you’re in the presence of a master storyteller. There’s just something about the very assured way the prologue (detailing the burning of a New York synagogue by a man possessed by an evil ring) is told, that you know you’re in safe hands — and in for something good.

Evil In Me was my introduction to Brom (his full given name is Gerald Brom); evidently a multi-talented individual widely known for his work as an illustrator, artist, role-playing game creator, and novelist. I will certainly be checking out his other works in the future.

This story focuses on a troubled individual named Ruby. When we first meet her, she’s in the midst of completing her assigned community service as part of the conditions for atoning for her former sins.

Naturally, almost all the adults in her conservative Southern US community regard her as a ne’er-do-well — and they relish keeping her under their thumb, always stressing that it’s for her own good. This extends even to Ruby’s own mother, who instantly sides with Ruby’s manipulative step-father and pervert step-brother over her own daughter.

And so it should come as no surprise, then, that Ruby yearns to leave her crummy little town in the dust just as soon as she is able. She’s already stopped taking her court-mandated meds and yearns to flee to Atlanta to join the underground punk rock scene there.

At her core, Ruby is a good egg. The problem is she makes dumb decisions with reliable regularity, finds it impossible to keep her mouth shut, has an impressive knack for getting into trouble, and finds it nearly impossible to keep her mouth shut.

Case in point: while assisting her elderly neighbor Josh, she tries on an old ring that she finds among his possessions. Turns out, of course, that this is the evil ring responsible for the arson we witnessed in the book’s prologue a few decades prior.

Now Ruby is possessed by a demon named Beel — who is himself a servant of the malevolent deity Lord Shelbeth. All of which means Ruby is pretty much doomed.

Fortunately, Josh is well aware of the ring’s dark magic. He’d been keeping it safe all these years and knows they’re going to need special assistance to save Ruby. So, the two of them set off for Atlanta where Josh knows an expert in Judaic mysticism he thinks might be able to help them.

The solution? Ruby needs to get as many souls as possible to join her in a chat that will release her from the ring’s hold on her and free her soul from Lord Shelbeth. Well, a chant, or a rock song…

Evil In Me is an enjoyable read. Horror protagonists who are both troubled and regularly finding themselves in trouble are a dime a dozen, it seems, but I found the characterization of Ruby to be sufficiently different from most and actually quite endearing; not least because she keeps making dumb decisions at her own expense.

I was disappointed to learn that the demonic lore presented here is actually invented Judaic mythology; it would have been nice to lean more into true beliefs, but still refreshing to have a non-Christian faith take center stage in a holy battle of good and evil.

Similarly, I wish the book had gone harder into punk territory — both musically and philosophically. That said, the Evil In Me song featured in the audiobook version is rather good, and I do recommend listening to this book as opposed to reading it, not just for the song but also the impressive audio production throughout. (Counter point: I’ve since learned that the physical book version features several bespoke illustrations, so that might well be your preference instead.)

Overall, a good novel that balances a lot of things going on, but they all come together eventually.