The Bell Chime

Read this book in a matter of days, but it had a great story. Without spoiling it, it takes you down and intriguing story dealing with mental health. Definitely some surprises and overall a very good read.

I thought the first part was better than the rest. It pulls you right in.It is beautifully written.Makes you think a lot about mental health and how everything is so delicate.

Born from one of her own nightmares, Mona Kabbani’s “The Bell Chime” is a poignant psychological horror that follows one woman struggling to hold on to what’s left of her sanity after a series of events push her to the breaking point.Told in a conversational tone with an intro, intermission and afterward, this novella reads almost as if someone is presenting a case study and, on occasion, is interjecting little tidbits of information to help readers better grasp what’s happening. This story is mostly horror, a little bit thriller and all kinds of psychological. You’ll suffer right along with the main character as her nightmares in both dream and reality bleed into each other. It’s a gut-wrenching story, as our fragile protagonist is dealt blow after blow to her crumbling grip on sanity. As Kabbani mentions in the afterward, it’s truly an examination of happiness and the lengths one will go to attain it—what they will abandon, what they will suffer, and what they will forget in order to finally be happy.A thought-provoking and evocative novella, The Bell Chime leaves you grappling with your own feverish questions of grief, regret, happiness and sanity. It’s one of the more creative books I’ve read recently and one that deserves more attention among bookish circles.

This is a nifty little gem of a first book from someone who is clearly tremendously talented. It is a lovely, haunting novella of psychological horror that at times reads as almost a tone poem, other times as a nightmare, and others as a sad slice of life. It is altogether unsettling and disturbing. It shifts a lot, being broken into clearly different parts that don't fully hang together until you get to the end when things click into place. The biggest shift comes after the first part, which the author wrote as a standalone short story. I admit to being uncertain when reading it. The language in it is a bit overwrought and purple. It wasn't until I was further in that I realized that the language issue was actually intentional. I won't spoil anything, but will note that the first section is consciously heightened for reasons that become clear later. After the turn that wraps up the first part, I found the story to be quite compelling and I finished the book quickly after that. Does everything make sense? No. Is everything explained? No. Did I find myself wanting to know more? Yes. Am I okay with not knowing? Yes, and I am because what this story is most of all is a depiction of a person in the midst of quite severe mental illness, and much of the narrative, even though it is not told in first person, is really from the main character's point of view. (I found myself wondering if the narrator was a construct of the character, actually.) Her understanding of reality is fractured. We don't understand because she doesn't. Some of the dialogue is stilted and unreal, but that is because we are getting her reconstruction, if not outright construction of what others are saying. We don't even know quite what is real and what is not, because she doesn't know. It is unnerving for that reason, and it gets at an experiential aspect of the main character that is rarely attempted with the success we see here. And as a writing exercise, it is quite remarkable. What seem like first author tics make sense as conscious storytelling choices that, once you understand what is going on and let the story tell you how to read it, just gels in the end. Mona Kabbani is a rare talent and I look forward to seeing what she does next (and next and next and next). Give this book a chance, and if you don't get it, read it again. You will be glad you did so because this story is deeper than you might think. Plus, you'll give yourself more time to squirm and question your own reality...

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦.”“𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦.”—————————-I finished reading “The Bell Chime” written by Mona Kabbani, and it is the only book I read for the month of May! There is a reason for that, and that is because this novella is jam packed with so much information I had to take my time with it to fully understand and appreciate the message that Mona imbued within it’s pages.This book, to me, felt like I was reading a play meant to be acted out on a stage. The descriptions within it that were grotesque, beautiful and filled with despair, read like poetry. I appreciated the fact that this book made me think and I was able to start connecting the dots in the second half the book that made me go “ah, so that’s why she wrote this the way she did.” Overall I enjoyed this tale and for whatever reason it reminded me of the French movie “Amelie.” (Perhaps it was the underlying Parisian details in this book!)This is NOT a book a reader should try to rush through, as I am sure the ones who have done so have missed important details (such as the actual description of what the bell chime is.) I also think some readers may struggle through it because it has an unorthodox plot structure, so here is me giving you that courtesy in advance. That being said, the structure is necessary for the story and readers should know that going into it. I think this book could also potentially be categorized as having an unreliable narrator or rather one that you’re afraid to trust, which is probably the point.I don’t want to say much more for fear of giving the plot away, but will leave you with the very question that Mona poses at the end of her book:“What would you abandon for happiness?” 🔔For the sake of ratings I am giving this book four stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I want to - no, need to - start by saying that this book is beautifully written. The style was engaging, and the descriptions vivid.The story, too, was beautiful in a dark way. It's not exactly a happy story, but there's a certain degree of satisfaction in how it all pieces together.However, I feel like I have struggled to connect with it. Reading, I couldn't help but feel that the narrative is a very metaphorical one, and that, unfortunately, is a weakness for me.Not a weakness of the book. A weakness of my ability to read and connect with it.This is probably the first book I've read where my autism has really impeded my reading. I could picture the scenes with ease, but as for the symbolism present and how it all intertwined to tell the full story...well, it just did not click in my mind.I know there is a deeper meaning to this story; I could feel it tugging at me from within the pages. It refused to hit me, though, and that's left me a bit disappointed. This book has so much to offer, yet it is "reader error" (if that's fair to say) that has prevented me from truly appreciating it.I've taken a star away because I struggled to connect on a personal level. It feels wrong to give it five stars just because I know I'm meant to feel more than I do.That, though, certainly does not mean it is bad. It's damn good. I flew through it. From a critical standpoint, this is a fantastically written novella, and it is absolutely beautiful.It has phenomenal reviews and for good reason. Trust those others more than mine, and read this for yourself. Cancel out my four star rating with five stars of your own.I do feel bad about taking a star away, but I have to be honest about my experience.

This is my first dive into the works of Mona Kabbani and I enjoyed the experience immensely. The Bell Chime is such a wonderfully detailed prose that explores the nuances layered within the human experience. I loved the way Kabbani presented the scenario and ultimately the choice to be made. I felt transported to a darker, more tragic, version of Alice in Wonderland—with the shifts between reality and dreams and the “never quite knowing” which one is which. Or which one is better to be in… it was also gripping to explore the different perspectives of good and bad, or, IMO, (comfortable and uncomfortable) through the characters actions and reactions. I feel I will be reflecting on this story for quite some time.I definitely recommend giving this novella a read.

If you like horror you have to read this! It's only 150 pages!The writing is so vivid and beautiful, it helped to pull me into the story and keep me interested.The premise is nothing I've read before and has lots of twists and turns.The format of the story is quite different too. Not 'House of Leaves' read this page upside down and this page is in font size 60. It really helps to frame the story and make all the more realistic.I'd really recommend this to any horror fan#supportindiehorrorauthors

On paper, this novella is labelled as "horror". However, that term doesn't really encapsulate everything it has to offer. At its core, this is a hybrid story, combining the sensibilities of horror with a romance that's simultaneously terrifying and beautiful in equal measure. It's an exploration of a codependent relationship, the mental health struggles that plague so many lives, and the unalterable nature of human memory. For humans, there is nothing so hard to kill as bad memories. They are like permanent stains on a white rug. They cannot be erased, or painted over to make them less prominent. Once they have become fixed in place, all we can do is leave them there, trying our best to ignore them, hoping that they will eventually fade away on their own, given time.But what is that wasn't the case? What if there were a way we could erase the past, removing those we loved and lost, eradicating those who helped us and hurt us, deleting all our triumphs and failures? These are the questions The Bell Chime explores through a hauntingly intricate narrative.What makes this story so clever is the way its framed. Each sequence of the story is told out of order, and through this non-linear structure, the reader is forced to make sense of each detail as it emerges, like putting together a jigsaw. The character motivations - and even the character identities - are toyed with, keeping the reader turning the pages, creating a story that grips the reader not through action, but through thought.This is horror in its deepest, most multi-dimensional form; a rare example of a novel that may require multiple read-throughs in order to plumb its full depths. Kabbani has meticulously crafted a five star work of horror fiction. It's a shame that art isn't a meritocracy, because if it were, this would be an international bestseller.

I loved this debut novella by Mona Kabbani who, based on this very dark tale, is a real talent to watch.The story is formed by several sections that feel misaligned or even unrelated (just like nightmare logic) but cleverly slot into place to complete a twisted, midnight jigsaw with heart - form and function working perfectly together.The initial section is a helter skelter assault in the sense, but the standout section for me was Lauren’s nerve shredding encounter with a faceless man in a faulty elevator that concludes with the blackest of punchlines.I thoroughly recommend this book.