The Minimalist by Kailee Pedersen
Terror comes in many different forms. There is physical terror, emotional and mental terror, and group terror. The worst form of terror, many will argue, is the terror that lives in our own brain. This terror is explored in Kailee Pedersen’s new novel The Minimalist. The Minimalist describes a harrowing journey into madness by a young musical composer who is tortured by her past and current circumstances.
A Descent Into Psychological Terror
Terror is often expressed in fiction through the use of flashbacks, thought diversions and engagement with minor or ancillary characters. In The Minimalist, the author uses flashbacks in an almost constant effort to describe what Mia, the main protagonist, is experiencing as she fights the urge to do ultimate harm to herself. Mia comes from a difficult and emotionally draining background, with negative relationships with her adopted parents, teacher, and other characters. Mia battles her inner demons through physically torturing herself and leaving scars that will never heal.
The Minimalist is a good example of how difficult it can be to keep sane when battling mental health issues. Mia goes through periods of physical harm that should be difficult to overcome. She pulls her tooth with a pair of rusty pliers, breaks her finger in the sink, and regurgitates way too often. These incidents of self-harm seem to overshadow Mia’s skill at composing music that will be performed by symphonies worldwide and her efforts to finish the work of her teacher, who dies under suspicious circumstances. All of these factors combine to make for a difficult road that is often travelled.
Mia’s Inner Demons
The Minimalist is an easy read. The author uses vivid imagery to describe the battles that Mia constantly faces. The difficulty with which Mia’s relationships are navigated is written with vivid detail. Mia faces struggles that no one should ever have to face. She rides the wave of really high highs and really low lows. This rollercoaster effect helps the narrative to easily transition from one difficult instance to another. The suspense created by Mia’s personal demons is readily and easily identifiable to anyone who has battled mental health issues and who has fought back against their own struggles.
About Kailee Pedersen:
Kailee Pedersen writes haunted, unsettling speculative fiction. She graduated with a BA in classics from Columbia University, specializing in ancient Greek. Kailee was adopted from Nanning, China and grew up in Nebraska, where her family owns a farm. She is the author of the queer poetry chapbook Pastorale and the novel Sacrificial Animals, which was named one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2024 and a finalist for Best Horror at the 2025 Libby Book Awards. When not scribbling down her next book, you can catch her studying opera performance at the Mozarteum University, playing video games, or working as a software engineer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel.
