Before starting this review, I need to apologize. I wanted to get this review out during Thanksgiving time—hence the title is Pre-Thanksgiving Stress Disorder. However, that’s when I also started looking for new places to live. One thing after another happened, and then I moved. Now that I’m settled in my new place and can finally breathe, I can write this review.

First, I want to explain how I discovered Rowland Bercy, Jr. I was watching an episode of the podcast he’s on called Written in Red Podcast. He was talking about the book Master of Lies by Graham Masterton, which is one of my favorite books of all time. So I knew I had to read his work, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The first Bercy, Jr. book I chose was Pre-Thanksgiving Stress Disorder. I’m a huge animal lover and always enjoy reading books where animal cruelty is placed at the forefront. As you can tell by the title, this book deals with Thanksgiving and turkey slaughter.

Just a brief warning: there is animal abuse content in here. This shouldn’t be surprising; after all, this book does center around a slaughterhouse. If you’re sensitive to this content, I suggest skipping the first chapter.

What Is This Book About?

Pre-Thanksgiving Stress Disorder centers around one family-run turkey slaughterhouse. The family running the business doesn’t treat their turkeys well. We also quickly meet our protagonist, Rebecca, an animal rights activist and vegetarian protesting Thanksgiving turkey slaughter. But then she develops a sinister idea to end the awful turkey torture and murder.

The Characters

The main protagonist is Rebecca, an animal rights activist living in Minnesota. In case you didn’t know, Minnesota is the biggest turkey slaughter state in the entire country. We also quickly learn she’s on depression and antipsychotic medications. You also discover she doesn’t work since she received an inheritance.

We also meet the McIntyre family, the ones who run the turkey slaughterhouse. Dwight owns the farm and runs it with his wife, Jennifer. The two sons, Philip and Patrick, also engage in the slaughter. The whole family is terrible. Dwight doesn’t care for the turkey pens, admitting there are feces everywhere (yuck, I’m so glad I don’t eat poultry anymore), the boys beat the turkeys, and Jennifer is convinced that the best way to cook a turkey is to cook it while it’s alive.

In short, this family deserves what’s coming for them.

Of course, you have the turkeys. Bercy, Jr. makes you sympathize with them, describing the turkeys as simple creatures that don’t deserve this cruelty.

What Does Rebecca Do?

I don’t want to give away the whole story, but Rebecca soon realizes that protesting outside the slaughterhouse won’t save the turkeys. The only way she can save them is to take care of the problem—in the most brutal way possible. Still, she goes in well-planned, watching the McIntyres during their day-to-day lives and identifying the conditions of their turkeys.

Bercy describes her character well. In a way, she’s an anti-hero. One part of you thinks she’s doing something noble to save the turkeys. However, he makes her out to be a flawed character. As I mentioned, Rebecca is mentally unstable. Since she doesn’t work, she obsessively researches animal rights, PETA, and similar topics.

Overall Thoughts of the Book

First, this book is short—about 80 pages on Kindle. I finished it in a day or two. Still, Bercy, Jr. packs a massive punch here. The book is brutal, but the characters are strong, and all the torture and violent scenes fit the story (especially if you know a thing or two about poultry slaughterhouses). You also empathize with the turkeys and develop a connection with Rebecca, rooting her on the entire time.

And most importantly, you’ll want to stop eating turkey after reading this book.

Where To Buy Pre-Thanksgiving Stress Disorder

I honestly have no idea if I bought it on Godless or Amazon. I originally thought I bought my copy on Godless, but I no longer see it there. Either way, you can get Pre-Thanksgiving Stress Disorder on Amazon (e-book and physical) and Audible (audiobook). Follow Rowland Bercy, Jr. by visiting his website.