“The Truth of the Unknown Interpreter” by Paul Aramouni has been critically acclaimed

The US Review of Books has granted a positive review for The Truth of the Unknown Interpreter by Paul Aramouni.

The book follows the story of a teenager’s link to a murder that turns him into a target for a dangerous cult.

Henry Velovsky, who has hearing disabilities, moves from his home country (Russia) to Fair Oaks, Oregon in the U.S. in order to find an interpreter who will help him live normally. Finally, our protagonist meets a friendly interpreter who he comes to deeply appreciate. She’s a kind interpreter whom Henry grows to like.

Unfortunately, the interpreter goes missing and is later found dead under unknown circumstances. When he finds another interpreter, he stumbles into a decidedly less likable one and things go wrong for Henry, who finds himself caught in the world of a nefarious cult that offers humans as a sacrifice to their god.

Here’s an excerpt of the review:

“Although significantly fictionalized, this story is based on the author’s experiences, who identifies as hard of hearing. His relatively recent graduation from high school ensures that his recollections of two interpreters’ respective good and evil natures remain vivid, allowing him to create a harrowing tale in which pervasive darkness threatens to overwhelm fragile light. Aramouni chillingly reimagines two unpleasant interpreters as slovenly villains with a vampiric craving for animal blood. Tellingly, Sunny’s last name, “Verruckt,” is German for “crazy.” Middle-aged Jenese also displays a pedophilic interest in the adolescent Henry. She is also not above attempting to burn her own daughter to death. Horror fans with a taste for unconventional storylines might find this tale to be just what they are looking for.”