The Arb

When a malevolent figure from Khmer folklore awakens, Sothea and Gabe must navigate friendship, family and the monster within to overcome a terrifying supernatural force and protect the society that shunned them.

Gabe, a seventeen-year-old labourer, becomes besotted by the enigmatic Sothea after her family moves into the dilapidated manor house he’s working on. Both are misfits and find it difficult to communicate with others, but in those brief moments they have together – be it a stolen glance, a whispered exchange, or a secret rendezvous – they begin to discover and explore their true selves and feelings.

But this idyllic blossoming romance is shattered when a malevolent figure from Khmer folklore – an arb – roams the night to feed on the unsuspecting.

The Arb is a dark coming-of-age tale that follows two neurodiverse teens who struggle to be accepted by a society that has little time, or empathy, for anyone who’s different. A contemporary gothic paranormal layered in Arthurian legend with an Asian horror twist.

©2023 Jon Smith (P)2026 Jon Smith