Summers in Arkansas are the pits (pun intended). It’s “hotter than a whore in church” and there’s not much to do except stay inside, drink your mom’s beer and watch horror movies on Shudder. I guess you could get a job at Walmart if you were ambitious. But who wants to do that?   

Looking for some teenage kicks, a carload of drunk, stoned and rowdy kids decide to spend an afternoon at a nearby rock quarry. It’s been abandoned for years, but the open-pit mine still provides ample opportunities for diversion and mischief. 

The gang includes Pete the punk rocker and his girlfriend Hailey, best buddies Stacy and Kenneth and a couple of random girls named Ana and Megan. Little did they know that this was going to be their last adventure together. 

Forty-five minutes later, after hiking through the woods and passing an abandoned school bus (symbolism noted), the kids finally reach their destination. There’s nothing sexy about the dilapidated quarry, but there’s romance in the air nonetheless. Stacy and Megan, in particular, find a secluded spot and engage in some kissing and frottage. 

Unfortunately for the lovebirds, We Shouldn’t Have Let It Out is a short book and their petting session doesn’t last long. It was time for author Jonathan Tripp to introduce his monster from the black pit. 

At first there’s nothing remarkable about the creature. Based on the book’s cover and the author’s early descriptive language, it resembles a simple Susuwatari—one of the dust mites from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. Even though these things generally hang out in dark empty houses, they’re not very scary. 

That changes pretty quickly. The creature from the quarry is clearly malevolent and seems to have a pinch of mind control power. Also: it’s hungry. “Feed meeee!” it hisses impatiently.

One by one, the monster drags its victims down into the pit. Pete and his girlfriend are the first to go, but all of the characters eventually get their own tragic (and somewhat humorous) ending. “A perfect day has gone completely to shit,” grumbles Stacy when he realizes he’s not getting out of the quarry alive. 

There’s lots of gore and humor here (thank you very much), but unfortunately the author isn’t much of a stylist. Awkward syntax, inconsistent grammar and shifting points of view undermine the narrative. Ultimately, We Shouldn’t Have Let It Out exists as an immature effort from an emerging talent.

Checking out his author page on Amazon, I can see that Jonathan Tripp is putting out books at a rapid clip. That means he’s spending a lot of time pounding on his keyboard. After awhile he’ll figure out craft and style. Here’s a bit of advice for the young author: Keep typing until you start writing. And good luck! 

[ We Shouldn’t Have Let It Out / By Jonathan Tripp / First Printing: April 2023 / ISBN: 9798388816474 ]