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Ugly Puddle
Scott T. Goudsward
Crooked Mouth Press (October 2, 2024)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
Scott T. Goudsward’s Ugly Puddle is an outrageous novella with a most unusual villain—a puddle full of dirty water that never, ever empties or evaporates, but always contains the same amount of water.
Enter Jimmy, the quintessential victim. He’s a chubby, sweaty, bespectacled high-schooler who four jock bullies just live to beat up on.
And Jimmy’s had just about enough.
One afternoon, when the four bullies gang up on him and steal his new sneakers right off his feet, Jimmy, while sitting next to a big, filthy puddle, meets Rich, an adult who acquaints young Jimmy with the lore behind this puddle. When the kid finally believes the man, he wastes no time in putting it to use.
But there is always a cost involved in this sort of thing. Is the satisfaction of revenge worth it?
You would think that an 85-page novella would be rather thin on plot and character development, but you would be wrong. Ugly Puddle is so tightly written you could bounce a quarter off it. The characters are developed only as much as is necessary to the storyline. Mr. Goudsward gives his readers credit for the intelligence it takes to read between the lines. We begin by feeling sorry for Jimmy, but as the story goes on…well, you’ll see.
Just based on the fact that a puddle was chosen as the story’s villain makes me give this novella high marks—that, and the exemplary writing, of course!
5 out of 5 stars. Get yourself a copy!
