“The thing about being twins is that you're always half of something. You're never really whole.”
— Cherry reflects on her identity as a twin.
Archivist's Choice
Slice of Cherry
Dia Reeves (2011)
Genre
Thriller / Fantasy / Young Adult / Romance
Reading Time
1262 min
Key Themes
See below
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In a town where strange is normal, two sisters with a killer family history find an urge to kill and a door to another dimension, ensuring their 'justified' murders leave no trace.
Synopsis
Kit and Fancy Cordelle, daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, share a strong bond and a growing urge to kill. They start murdering people they believe deserve it, carefully getting rid of the bodies. Fancy finds a mysterious, invisible door to another world, which helps them dispose of bodies and becomes a new obsession. They learn the door leads to a realm with strange, often charming, creatures. Fancy, drawn to this other side, forms a relationship with one of its inhabitants, causing a rift with Kit, who feels left out and jealous. Their estranged father, Leonard Cordelle, returns, making the sisters face their past and his legacy. The doorway becomes unstable, and the other side's influence spills into their world, increasing the danger. Fancy must choose between her life with Kit and the other world. She chooses to stay on the other side, embracing her true nature, while Kit, heartbroken but determined, finds her own path in the human world, changed by their experiences and choices.
Reading time
1262 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Dark, Quirky, Suspenseful, Atmospheric, Disturbing
✓ Read this if...
You enjoy dark, quirky, and character-driven thrillers with a strong focus on sisterly bonds, a touch of the macabre, and a unique blend of urban fantasy and horror.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer traditional thrillers without supernatural elements, are sensitive to gore and violence, or dislike morally ambiguous protagonists.
Plot Summary
The Cordelle Sisters' Peculiar Upbringing
Kit and Fancy Cordelle live in the strange town of Portero. They are known as the daughters of the 'Bonesaw Killer,' Leonard Cordelle, who is in prison. They live with their mother, a former beauty queen now a recluse, and most people avoid them, except for a few unusual friends. The girls share a fascination with death, a trait they believe they got from their father. They spend time dissecting roadkill and practicing taxidermy, forming a unique bond through their shared dark interests and their family name. Their isolation in Portero, a town already full of odd characters and strange events, increases their feeling of being different and their growing, unsettling desires.
The First Kill and Growing Desires
Driven by their dark urges, Kit and Fancy commit their first murder. Their victim is a local bully who had been bothering them and others. The act is planned, done with disturbing precision and no regret. After the murder, they feel a strong, almost joyful connection, a confirmation of their unique bond and their 'otherness.' This act solidifies their identity as a unit, separate from the 'normal' world, and awakens a hunger for more. They see themselves as vigilantes, ridding Portero of those they believe deserve punishment, following a twisted moral code from their father's legacy but shaped by their own desires.
The Discovery of the Doorway
While looking for a new place to get rid of their growing list of victims, Fancy finds a strange, invisible doorway in an abandoned house. This doorway hums with an otherworldly energy and, when touched, shows glimpses of a different, ethereal dimension. Curious and sensing its potential, Fancy tells Kit. They realize this doorway offers a perfect way to dispose of evidence, as anything passed through it seems to vanish. The doorway becomes their secret, a tool for their increasing activities, and a symbol of their unique access to Portero's supernatural side, further isolating them from the ordinary world.
Escalating Murders and the Doorway's Purpose
With the doorway providing an undetectable way to dispose of bodies, Kit and Fancy's killing spree increases. They target people they believe are evil or have wronged others, acting under their own twisted justice. The town of Portero, already used to strange events, slowly starts to notice more disappearances, though no evidence links them. Detective Miles, a local investigator, begins to see a disturbing pattern emerge. The sisters, however, become more confident and reckless, their bond strengthening with each shared secret, their reliance on the doorway growing as they delve deeper into their dark desires.
Meeting the Inhabitants of the Other Side
Driven by curiosity and a wish to understand the doorway's true nature, Fancy eventually decides to cross into the other dimension herself. Inside, she finds a bizarre, otherworldly landscape inhabited by strange, non-human beings. These creatures are neither hostile nor friendly, but have an ancient, indifferent wisdom. Fancy learns that the doorway is a thin spot between worlds, where the barrier between dimensions is weak. She begins to form a tentative understanding with some of these creatures, realizing that her unique connection to the doorway gives her a certain privilege and perhaps power within their realm, further blurring the lines of her reality.
Kit's Jealousy and Growing Rift
Fancy's growing interest in the other dimension and its inhabitants starts to create a rift between the sisters. Kit feels left out and increasingly jealous of Fancy's unique connection to the doorway and the secrets she's finding. Their once-strong bond, formed in shared darkness, begins to weaken under the weight of Fancy's new connections. Kit, who has always relied on Fancy as her closest confidante and accomplice, feels abandoned and questions their shared purpose. This tension shows up in arguments and a noticeable distance between them, threatening to unravel their twisted partnership and their carefully built world.
The Return of Leonard Cordelle
A major disruption occurs when Leonard Cordelle, the infamous Bonesaw Killer and the sisters' father, is unexpectedly released from prison. His return shocks Portero and deeply affects the Cordelle household. Their mother, who had been a recluse, becomes even more withdrawn and scared. For Kit and Fancy, their father's presence is a complex mix of fear, admiration, and a desire for his approval. He represents their dark legacy, and his return forces them to confront the origins of their own violent tendencies. His re-entry into their lives complicates their current activities and reignites old family traumas, adding another layer of danger and psychological complexity.
The Confrontation with Leonard
The sisters eventually confront their father, Leonard, revealing their own killing spree and their use of the doorway. This confrontation is full of defiance and a strange plea for understanding. They seek his approval, yet also assert their own twisted morality, showing that they have surpassed his methods and found a more sophisticated way to operate. Leonard, initially surprised, reacts with a complex mix of pride and a strange sense of competition. This interaction redefines their family dynamic, creating a new, unsettling understanding between the generations of killers and forcing Leonard to acknowledge his daughters' unique and dangerous path.
The Doorway's Instability and the Other Side's Influence
As the sisters continue to use the doorway, it begins to show signs of instability. The barrier between worlds thins further, and the strange, ethereal entities from the other dimension start to appear in Portero, causing bizarre events and unsettling the town's already fragile reality. This increased influence creates new dangers for Kit and Fancy, as the line between their world and the other blurs. Fancy, with her unique connection, feels a growing pull towards the other side, while Kit becomes more wary of its unpredictable nature. The doorway, once a tool, now becomes a source of increasing peril and a threat to the stability of their existence.
The Final Showdown and a Difficult Choice
The escalating chaos, combined with Detective Miles getting closer, leads to a final confrontation. The sisters, their father, and even some of the entities from the other dimension are drawn into a showdown that threatens to expose everything. During this intense sequence, Kit and Fancy must make a difficult choice that will determine their future. They must decide whether to continue their murderous path together, fully embrace the other dimension, or try to find some semblance of a 'normal' life, however unlikely. This decision tests their bond, forcing them to confront the true nature of their relationship and their individual desires.
Fancy's Ultimate Choice
In the story's end, Fancy makes a profound and irreversible choice. Embracing her deep connection to the other dimension and its inhabitants, she decides to fully cross over, leaving her life in Portero and her sister Kit behind. This decision comes from her growing understanding of herself and her place in the universe, realizing that her true home lies beyond the veil. Her departure is a heartbreaking moment for Kit, who is left to deal with the loss of her best friend, accomplice, and the other half of her identity. Fancy's choice means a complete transformation and a permanent shift in the sisters' relationship and their individual destinies.
Kit's New Path
With Fancy gone, Kit is left to navigate a world forever changed by their shared past and her sister's departure. She must confront her own identity separate from Fancy, and the consequences of their actions. The ending leaves Kit on a new path, uncertain but shaped by her experiences as the daughter of the Bonesaw Killer, her partnership with Fancy, and the lingering presence of the other dimension. She is a changed person, carrying the weight of her choices and the memory of her sister, now a creature of another world. Her future remains open, but it is clear she will never truly be free from the darkness that defines her family.
Principal Figures
Kit Cordelle
The Protagonist
Kit struggles with her identity, initially defined by her bond with Fancy and their shared dark acts, eventually forced to forge a solo path after Fancy's departure.
Fancy Cordelle
The Protagonist
Fancy evolves from a shared identity with Kit into an individual embracing a trans-dimensional existence, leaving her human life behind.
Leonard Cordelle
The Supporting/Antagonist
Leonard returns from prison, initially trying to reassert his dominance, but eventually has to acknowledge his daughters' unique and evolved brand of 'justice.'
Mrs. Cordelle
The Supporting
Remains largely static, a figure of tragic stasis, symbolizing the collateral damage of Leonard's actions.
Detective Miles
The Supporting
Miles's investigation progresses from confusion to a growing understanding of the supernatural and criminal elements at play in Portero.
The Otherworldly Entities
The Supporting/Mentioned
Their presence and influence grow as the doorway becomes more unstable, eventually interacting more directly with the human world.
The Town of Portero
The Setting/Supporting
Portero's inherent weirdness escalates as the doorway's influence grows, blurring the lines between its natural strangeness and external supernatural forces.
Themes & Insights
Sisterhood and Identity
The novel focuses on the strong, almost dependent bond between Kit and Fancy. Their identity is initially tied together, formed by their shared trauma, their father's legacy, and their mutual dark desires. Their sisterhood provides both strength and a dangerous echo chamber for their violent impulses. This theme explores how this bond is tested and eventually broken by outside forces (like their father's return) and internal desires (Fancy's pull to the other dimension), forcing each sister to confront her individual identity apart from the other. This is clear in Kit's jealousy when Fancy spends more time beyond the doorway, and Fancy's ultimate choice to leave, showing the painful change in their relationship.
“We were two halves of a whole, like a pair of lungs, and if one of us stopped breathing, the other would surely suffocate.”
Nature vs. Nurture
The novel explores whether the sisters' violent tendencies are inherited (nature) from their serial killer father or a result of their upbringing and environment (nurture) in the strange town of Portero. Their fascination with death seems innate, yet their methods and reasons are shaped by their experiences. Leonard Cordelle's return forces them to directly confront this legacy, as they both seek his approval and try to surpass his 'art.' The theme suggests a complex interaction, where inherent predispositions are amplified and shaped by their unique circumstances, making their descent into murder feel both fated and chosen.
“Some things were just in your blood, like the taste of copper on a cold morning, or the way a knife felt right in your hand.”
Otherness and Belonging
Kit and Fancy constantly feel like outsiders, avoided due to their father's reputation and their own unique interests. This feeling of 'otherness' initially bonds them, creating a world where only they truly understand each other. Portero itself is a town of 'others,' giving a strange sense of belonging within its weirdness. However, Fancy's discovery of the doorway introduces an even deeper level of 'otherness,' as she connects with non-human entities and finds a new sense of belonging beyond the human realm. This theme explores the desire for acceptance, the comfort found in shared deviance, and the ultimate realization that true belonging might exist outside normal human experience.
“We didn't fit into their world, and they didn't fit into ours. It was a simple truth, sharp as a fresh blade.”
Morality and Justice (Twisted)
The sisters follow their own twisted moral code, believing they only kill those who 'deserve it.' They see themselves as vigilantes, delivering a brutal form of justice in a world they see as corrupt or uncaring. This theme challenges common ideas of right and wrong, showing a main duo who are clearly murderers yet have a strange, internal logic for their actions. Their father's philosophy also plays into this, as he viewed his killings as a form of artistic expression and purification. The novel makes the reader consider the subjectivity of morality, especially when seen through the eyes of individuals who live far outside societal norms.
“Some people just needed to be cut open, to let the rot out. We were merely the surgeons.”
The Veil Between Worlds
This theme explores the thinness of reality and the existence of dimensions beyond human understanding. The doorway is the main example of this, allowing characters to cross between the ordinary world of Portero and an ethereal, otherworldly realm. It suggests that there are hidden truths and beings just beyond our reach, and that some individuals, like Fancy, have a unique sensitivity to these alternate realities. The theme highlights the wonder, danger, and transformative power of encountering the unknown, ultimately blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and expanding the story beyond a simple thriller.
“The world wasn't just what you saw. It was what hummed beneath, what whispered in the shadows, what waited just beyond the skin.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
The Doorway to Another Dimension
A mysterious, invisible portal used for body disposal and trans-dimensional travel.
The doorway is a central plot device, initially serving as a convenient and undetectable means for Kit and Fancy to dispose of their victims, thus escalating their murder spree. As the story progresses, it becomes a gateway to the fantasy elements of the novel, allowing Fancy to explore another dimension and interact with non-human entities. This device introduces a supernatural layer to the thriller, creating new conflicts and ultimately driving Fancy's character arc towards transcendence. It also symbolizes the sisters' 'otherness' and their unique access to hidden realities, blurring the lines between their human crimes and the fantastical elements.
The Bonesaw Killer Legacy
The infamous reputation of the sisters' serial killer father.
The legacy of Leonard Cordelle, the 'Bonesaw Killer,' acts as a powerful plot device influencing the sisters' motivations and the town's perception of them. It provides a foundational explanation for their dark inclinations (nature vs. nurture) and creates an inherent sense of isolation and notoriety. His eventual return from prison serves as a major turning point, reintroducing a direct link to their past and adding a new dynamic to their current activities, forcing them to confront their origins and measure their own 'achievements' against his. This legacy is both a burden and a strange source of inspiration for Kit and Fancy.
Portero's Supernatural Atmosphere
The town's inherent weirdness and propensity for strange occurrences.
The town of Portero itself functions as a plot device by providing a uniquely permissive environment for the sisters' activities. Its established reputation for the bizarre and supernatural allows their initial murders and the existence of the doorway to go unnoticed or be dismissed as just another 'Portero weirdness' for an extended period. This atmosphere normalizes the abnormal, making the fantastical elements more believable within the story's context. It also acts as a character, contributing to the sisters' sense of otherness and providing a backdrop where the veil between worlds is already thin, paving the way for the doorway's discovery.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“You can't outrun your own blood, no matter how fast you think you are.”
— A recurring theme about the inescapable nature of family.
“There are some secrets that taste like metal and blood when they finally come out.”
— Cherry alludes to dark family secrets being revealed.
“Love isn't always pretty. Sometimes it's a tangled mess of teeth and claws, and you just have to hold on tight.”
— Cherry's perspective on the darker, more possessive aspects of love.
“We were two halves of a whole, but sometimes a whole is just a bigger target.”
— Cherry's realization about the vulnerability that comes with being a twin.
“Some people are born with fire in their veins, and some are born to watch it burn.”
— A metaphor for the differing natures of characters and their roles in chaos.
“The past isn't dead. It's not even past. It's just waiting for you to look over your shoulder.”
— The lingering influence of past events on the present.
“There's a special kind of madness that only family can inflict.”
— Cherry reflects on the unique psychological toll of her family dynamics.
“You can try to bury the truth, but it always finds a way to sprout up, ugly and persistent.”
— The inevitability of truth being revealed.
“Our love was a dangerous thing, sharp and beautiful, and it cut anyone who got too close.”
— Cherry describes the intense and destructive nature of her romantic relationship.
“Sometimes the monster isn't under the bed. Sometimes it's the one looking back at you in the mirror.”
— A moment of self-realization about one's own darker nature.
“We were a symphony of chaos, and everyone around us just got caught in the discordant notes.”
— Cherry's view of her and her twin's impact on their surroundings.
“The world is full of pretty lies, but the ugly truths are the ones that really stick to your ribs.”
— A commentary on the nature of truth and deception.
“Being good is boring. Being bad... now that's where the real stories are.”
— A character's cynical view on morality and excitement.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
'Slice of Cherry' follows sisters Kit and Fancy Cordelle, daughters of the notorious Bonesaw Killer, who begin their own murder spree targeting those they deem deserving. Their methods evolve when Fancy discovers a magical, invisible doorway to another dimension, offering a unique way to dispose of evidence and escape the consequences of their actions in Portero.
