About this book
Vandover and the Brute by Frank Norris seizes the imagination with a stark portrait of a promising young man undone by appetite and inner darkness. Set against the turn-of-the-century American scene, Norris’s first novel — published posthumously — blends naturalistic social observation with elements of horror and uncanny transformation. The narrative follows Vandover, a student whose gambling addiction erodes his possessions, status, and sense of self while his peers prosper; as his compulsions deepen, he experiences a disturbing, almost bestial degeneration that blurs psychological realism and lycanthropic dread.
Written in the vigorous, observational style of literary naturalism, the book probes themes of habit, moral decay, and the pressures of modern urban life, offering both social critique and a haunting study of obsession. Its spare yet forceful prose renders internal collapse with visceral clarity, making the horror feel intimate and inevitable rather than supernatural spectacle.
Ideal for listeners who enjoy classic horror, psychological fiction, and American naturalist literature, this audiobook rewards those drawn to character-driven dread and historical depth — a chilling, thought-provoking tale of addiction and unravelling identity.
