Siphon – A. A. Medina

Reviewed by JD Jung)

Hematopathologist Gary Phillips continually pulls all-nighters at the hospital and hates his job. He has no girlfriend or social life, though he has an infatuation with a female co-worker who is at least ten years his junior. Yes, part of the problem is due to his work schedule, but the major reason is that he never developed social skills, even though he’s in his mid-thirties.

His parents died when he was too young to remember and he has been living with his abusive grandfather, a disabled Vietnam veteran, ever since. Maybe that’s the problem.

In any event, Gary’s life, perspective and actions suddenly change when he breaks a vacutainer filled with blood. This is when the story gets weird. His obsessions take over his life and a bizarre set of events occur all because of Gary’s newly-acquired sense of enormous power.

This psychological novella hits you from the beginning with its spine-chilling action and vivid detail. I got sucked in from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. At only eighty pages it is surprisingly complete in both character and plot.

Siphon is exactly what I’ve been dying to read. It’s perverse, bizarre and gritty. OK, what does that say about me?

If you enjoy the same, this is the book for you. I’m looking forward to a lot more from this author.