Slaughterhouse (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters/People edit see section history

• Kris Kartofski: Kris is in his thirties and divorced. Outgoing, likeable and straightforward, he adores his little boy, Jake. Kris describes himself as living a simple, contented life on the coast but, a year after his marriage ended, he thinks he’s ready to meet someone new. Kris takes a risk by agreeing to visit Janis on a third date at her family’s desolate ranch near Fort Worth.
• Janis: A quiet woman who’s interested in finding a man. Reasonable on the first two dates, she suddenly seems sombre when Kris meets her at the ranch. Through Dawn, he discovers Janis told him a few white lies about herself but, when he gets a moment alone with her, she assures him she’s just nervous about the visit and encourages him to give her another chance.
• Dawn: Janis’ aunt. A sturdy, confident woman who enjoys cooking traditional foods and has a passion for old artefacts – she’s quick to show Kris her grandfather’s prized collection of firearms languishing in the eating room cabinet. Dawn seems friendly and jovial at first but, yet again, there’s something not quite right about her. For one thing, she appears to have total control over the other person in the ranch – morose, silent Reina.
• Reina: Janis’ stepmother. From the moment Kris arrives, sombre Reina is ringing her hands and barely speaking. Always on the sidelines, she nervously watches over the conversations between Dawn, Kris and Janis. When she’s present, she causes an atmosphere that begins to deeply unnerve their laid-back visitor. Reina is clearly hiding something about the Bisher-Worths just like Dawn and Janis are – but, is the silent member of the strange family unit going to be silent much longer?

Quotes edit see section history

• “I’m a quiet man; I like a simple conversation. I’m wearing a t-shirt Caitlin bought me two years ago that reads ‘Sunny Disposition.’”

  Kris Kartofski

• “After I pour a second glass of water and sit back down, Dawn asks me more about the process of signing up to a dating agency, ‘purely out of interest’. It’s not the ideal topic of conversation for me – and Janis still isn’t involved in our chat – but at least it’s something we can all relate to. Even so, the next hour stalls by. For some reason I force myself to ignore the growing urge to visit the toilet but it’s there, nagging at me. Dawn talks at length about the weather they’re getting; the cost of repairs to the ranch roof; Reina’s biopsy; the wasp’s nest in the hole under her bedroom window and her childhood memories of visiting Dry Hollow when her grandfather, stockman Bill Bisher-Worth, owned several ranches in the area. ‘Fort Worth was the ranching industry,’ she says. ‘Called it Cowtown during the boom, then all the money ran out – ’ My bladder is beginning to hurt but I try and last out until the end of her description of the depression of 1873. Eventually, just as she says, ‘I blame the railroad people,’ I get up. I can’t take the pressure anymore.”

• “Dawn verges on chatty suddenly. I can’t help thinking her sudden urge to talk to me is more to do with the lack of contact she probably has with other folks all this way up in ranch country than any desire to find out about me personally, but I don’t complain. At least she’s trying. The pace picks up and I smile and nod as she talks. She likes talking about the rifles. She lists their specifications like a pro. ‘Thirty inch barrel, original sights, topwood, barrel bands, bayonet lug. Behind the Remington he’s got his old Connecticut Valley Stalker, point-two-seven-zero. That’s a beauty. Mint condition. Feels good when you hold it.’ ‘Don’t you ever get nervous havin’ so many weapons in the ranch?’ I say and I look at Dawn, then Reina. Reina is watching Dawn carefully. Dawn smiles and says, ‘You a campaigner, Kris?’”

• “Dawn smiles at me like I’m a natural, like I understand. She shrugs, glances at Reina’s empty seat and whispers, ‘Softens the blow, Kris. It just softens the blow. That’s all.’”

• “The four of us reconvene at the long dining bench in the suppressed light. Someone has thrown around fifty photographs across the grimy surface right in front of Janis. Immediately, I guess it’s Dawn’s idea, because Janis doesn’t look too pleased and Reina doesn’t look too interested. Dawn is grinning; her eyes are flashing. I don’t like the way bits of food stuck to the bench top get trapped between the edges of the photographs as she sifts through them, but Reina soon distracts me. ‘Janis been huntin’ for a man over a decade,’ she announces curtly, palms flat on the table to keep her fingers still. ‘You’re next up. That feel good?’”

• “I’m a dreadful optimist.”

  Kris Kartofski

• “The storm batters the roof. Unfazed, Dawn says a rambling prayer about appreciating all the food God gives us every day of our lives and Janis hands me a heavy carving knife for the pig. ‘You’re man of the house now,’ she says softly. I stand up, take the knife from her and nod: the ritual is about to begin.”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Dry Hollow, Fort Worth

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Hunkum-bunkum: Nonsense
• Fib: An unimportant lie
• Nagging: Annoying, irritating, persistent fault-finding
• Stockman: Person who looks after livestock
• Duffel bag: A cylindrical canvas bag tied at the top with drawstrings
• Toad choker: Texan slang for heavy rain
• Longhorn: One of a breed of cattle with long horns
• Leopard catahoula: A breed of dog

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Dating: The act of engaging in courtship. A couple will meet at a mutually-agreeable location with the specific intention of finding out more about each other’s interests and also to assess one another’s suitability and compatibility as a potential sexual partner.
• Deception: Propagating lies or half-truths to distract, camouflage or conceal reality. Leads to feelings of mistrust, betrayal, violation and fear, especially amongst loved ones.
• Mental Illness: A psychological pattern reflected in a person’s behaviour which is not characterised as normal development. Often dramatically affects how a person thinks, feels, responds or perceives others.
• Dysfunctional Family: A family characterised by conflict, sometimes resulting from the untreated mental illness of one member of the unit.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Amaya Ellman (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

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Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Psychological & Suspense
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Slaughterhouse Thriller (Official Website)
• Ellman Books: Author Blog

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history