Only The Stains Remain

It's one of the best revenge stories ever told in my opinion and the prose is so amazing. The subject matter is absolutely heartbreaking. Think: I spit on your grave... but for child victims of extreme abuse. Heart wrenching. I had to stop a few times because it was just so crushing.

Jude and Kyle are brothers, boys on the cusp of being teenagers, but forced to grow up too soon at the hands of their own father and their three uncles. Boys who would never see a normal childhood again. Their protectors make them walk the plank towards their downfall.Do you want a book that will wreck you, stick with you after, and make you cheer for sweet revenge by the end of it? That’s Only the Stains Remain. In its short length, I felt a real gut-wrenching feeling from this. The story is told through Jude, the younger brother of Kyle, and the one who seeks revenge on those who “raised” the pair. I felt disgusted by the end of the story – disgusted by the events that played out and angered that these fictional brothers are put through what they’re put through. Is this story incredibly graphic? No. But what is alluded to by the context of the story is horrid, and you know what is going on without the author spelling it out. By the end of this, I felt incredibly sad, and any happiness I felt at the revenge portion were bittersweet. What lead to the revenge stays in the back of your mind the entire time and you really can’t fully be happy.Regardless of the feelings I felt while reading this, I loved this story, and I know it’ll be in my mind for a while to come.

this book was not what i expected! i went in thinking it would be a horror novella but it was more dark fiction. it’s a heart-wrenching story with solid writing, and i really appreciate that the author wasn’t graphic for the sake of it.i do think this story was missing something that i can’t quite put my finger on, but overall i enjoyed this quick read!

Ross Jeffery is quickly becoming an automatic read for me. I really enjoy his storytelling and beautiful prose. However, the story told here is far from beautiful; in fact, it is very disturbing and very bleak. Centering around the horrific abuse of brothers Jude and Kyle, the story quickly evolves into a tale of vengeance, vanquishing wrongs through extreme violence, which is interwoven with flashbacks.Beyond the unspeakable abuse, what makes the betrayal so hard to read, is that it is perpetrated at the hands and allowed to happen by willful disregard from those entrusted to their care and well-being. There is no escape for Jude and Kyle, no refuge from their tormentors, and by the same token, no refuge for the reader.Rating this book is a weird thing. It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” reading a book like this because of everything horrific that is happening to the boys, but I can absolutely say I “appreciated” the caliber of the writing and had a hard time putting down, if that makes sense? All of that said, an important thing to point out is that the abuse—that of a sexual nature, at least—is inferred and doesn’t happen right on the page.This one is definitely not for the faint of heart, but circumstances similar to those the boys find themselves in, are not entirely uncommon in society. Perhaps on that level, this book hits the mark the most, to remind of the absolutely vital importance of protecting those who can least protect themselves.

🥃 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 🥃… 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙤, 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮.Ross tells the tale of the most horrific crimes committed to a child with brutal imagery that makes you feel every emotion you never thought you could. Even though this is a very sensitive subject and for some it is hard to read, I feel he did an excellent job with his words. In lieu of coming right out and saying exactly what is happening, context clues will have you , the reader, putting two and two together if you will. I found myself eager for Jude to get his revenge each and every single time.The love these two brothers have for each other cuts you deep down inside, as Kyle sacrifices himself time and time again to protect his brother. Somewhere within yourself you feel that rage and vengefulness Jude grows like a cancer, but twice as deadly.That being said I found this book phenomenal. Powerful beyond belief.5 ✨…𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏.

Only the stain remains... isn't that the truth! Unbelievable how much truth is in this story. Pain, torture, death, but the stain remains. I just want to give these boys a hug and a meal.

This book will not be for everybody.It's unrelenting and harrowing. Ross Jeffrey invites the reader to partake in a bleak story of vengeance and the scars that result when adults betray the trust of the people they are supposed to take care of.Jeffrey's biggest strength in this book is trusting the reader. Objectively, this book could have been novel length if he decided to harp on the gore and depravity. Instead Jeffrey takes the reader by the hand and walks them right to the edge. The execution is so well done, you may need to read a passage twice to realize the camera pans away when the bad things start to happen to Kyle and Jude. When the time for comeuppance arrives, however, Jeffrey takes part every bit as much as his characters.Many blurbs and reviews describe the work as Ketchum-esque, an apt comparison. If the unflinching look at the worst humanity has to offer seems up your alley, Only the Stains Remain is a pinnacle example of what can be done with the material.

I want to start this review by saying that Ross Jeffery is a phenomenal author! This book was torturous, heartbreaking, but written so beautifully that it was almost like poetry. This story broke my heart into a million little pieces, and is one of the saddest and best books that I’ve ever read, up there with The Kite Runner! This was about the loss of a childhood of two innocent brothers, who lost their mother to cancer, only to then be sexually, physically and mentally abused by their uncles. This was at times difficult to read as my eyes were shedding so many tears for these two young brothers who had a deep, unconditional love for each throughout all they were going through. I highly recommend this to EVERYONE, but ensure you have a box of tissues, because even the hardest of hearts will be shattered. This has to have a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating, but deserves so much more!!

Make no mistake, this is a HEAVY read and those of faint heart may struggle. Yet this is a story with a huge heart of its own which many will find rewarding. Jeffery is well thought of and appears ready for the next level of his writing journey with his darkly poetic style and heavyweight character building. This book is like a scab you can't stop picking at or a car crash you can't look away from in its exploration of abuse. Revenge is at the very core of this tale and Jeffery has you needing it more than anything. You ask yourself "why?" throughout as your emotions are exposed like raw nerves, tormented by Jeffery's ability to strike at your heart effortlessly. Yet you endure, just like the abused brothers endure. You do it for them because in a strange way you want to be able to help, even if that's just suffering at their side by living it with them. If that's not the mark of a writer with the skill to make you truly believe and feel something then I don't know what is.

Ross Jeffery is a writer’s writer! Never before has a book torn such strong emotions from my body. Fear, anger, repulsion, sadness, offence, shock, the list is endless. And I am still haunted by the lonely image of a shoeless boy, clinging to a wire fence as he stares blankly over the landscape.Now don’t be mislead. You’re not going to be reading about actual detailed scenes revolving around the book’s controversial subject. But Ross Jeffrey’s words are strong! It’s the hints, the sounds, the atmosphere, but most of all for me, the smells that he concentrates on that makes this book what it is. And what it is, is phenomenal!

It's no surprise that Ross Jeffery was a finalist in the Bram Stoker Awards - his novels and novellas are compelling reads with eccentric characters and great dialogue. The story told in 'Only The Stains Remain,' is a very bleak one, concerning child abuse of brothers Jude and Kyle - but then switches gears to become a tale of vengeance.Ross has the rare capability of writing such gut wrenching prose that you almost feel yourself peering through the slits in your hand when some of the lines hit. Just like some of the best horror movie moments. Abuse with children can always be a tough sell, but Ross deferentially uses his prose without becoming torturous or exploitative.The morality of protecting those weaker than ourselves permeates throughout, and although the subject matter may put some people off, I would definitely recommend this to readers that may want to divert from their comfort zone. Looking forward to 2022 and what else Ross Jeffery has to offer...

A real page Turner! Just couldn’t put it down! What an amazing writer Ross Jeffery is! What a talent! Would definitely recommend it.