Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen
The Bachelor meets Bigfoot in this wacky page-turner.
The cast and crew of reality dating show The Catch travel to a remote island in the San Juans to film an episode on location. The four remaining contestants all want very different outcomes from their time on the show, and it’s not necessarily a proposal from “the catch.” Ambitious production assistant Casey is determined to catch their squabbling on camera. But this production has more to reckon with than its sloppy host and uncooperative castmates. Someone thinks they saw a large hairy person in the forest, and isn’t this the same island where those hikers disappeared?
Patricia Wants to Cuddle manages to pack multiple genres into its short length: satire, romance, horror. The narrative bounces between Casey, the contestants, love letters, and true crime forum posts. The result is both funny and a little gory, with surprisingly heartfelt messages about conservation and the human condition.
Reviewed by Emma Radosevich, collection development librarian, Whatcom County Library System
(Originally published in Bellingham Alive March 2023 issue.)