"Michael Wehunt is one of my favorite, trusted guides navigating stories of grief and loss, sadness and regret. My reader’s heart left standing in Gre"Michael Wehunt is one of my favorite, trusted guides navigating stories of grief and loss, sadness and regret. My reader’s heart left standing in Greener Pastures so eager to welcome that unique, familiar voice ushering me toward a new strange path twisting through Wehunt’s garden of eerie, weird, beautiful things—The Inconsolables; what a gift."
**Full review coming to LitReactor June 2023**
VAMPIRE FICTION HOLOOW CARING FOR A STRAY DOG (METAPHORS) THE PINE ARCH COLLECTION THE TIRED SOUNDS. A WAKE A HEART ARRHYTHMIA CREEPING INTO A DARK ROOM THE TEETH OF AMERICA IT TAKES SLOW SIPS IS THERE HUMAN KINDNESS STILL IN THE WORLD? AN ENDING (ASCENT)...more
This was incredible. A few mind-blowing standouts, solid anthology overall, and just a few that didn’t stick the landing for me but definitely a must-This was incredible. A few mind-blowing standouts, solid anthology overall, and just a few that didn’t stick the landing for me but definitely a must-have for lovers of short fiction and Shirley Jackson. Datlow is Queen. I have 6 pages of notes.
The stories in this anthology drew inspiration from American writer, Shirley Jackson. These tales capture different facets of her literary style and the overarching themes commonly found threaded through her collective body of work.
Present in this anthology are stories of quiet horror, murder mysteries, secrets, hauntings, dysfunctional families, rage, loneliness, psychological terrors, and the supernatural. Following are the notes I jotted down for each story as I read them. I was vacationing at Dillon Beach, CA, and staying in a quaint, little cliff-side house called Wit’s End. It was literally the perfect setting.
A note about "reviewing notes":
As I read, I jot things down about the stories to help me remember what they were about and how they made me feel. So, these are not complete sentences or full reviews, but I think they get the message across and I'm happy to share them.
"Funeral Birds" by M. Rickert Lenore is socially awkward and lonely. Going to funerals to people-watch. Part of the suffering and sadness of others while at the same time, just an observer. Maybe even fantasizing the funeral is someone she loved.
"For Sale by Owner" by Elizabeth Hand Subtle, quiet horror with a memorable opening line. A dog walker finds joy in her curiosity about the homes of strangers. She gathers a group of women to trespass with her for an overnight stay in a strange house.
"In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" by Seanan McGuire A beautiful, atmospheric, literary story blurring the line between fantasy and horror.
"A Hundred Miles and A Mile" by Carmen Maria Machado “I wouldn’t approach a dog that bites.” The luring of a girl? Repressed childhood memories.
"Quiet Dead Things" by Cassandra Khaw A tense story about a murder in a strange, little town.
"Something Like Living Creatures" by John Langan A strong sense of mood and power. Divination. Witches. Empowerment. Rituals.
"Money of the Dead" by Karen Heuler A claustrophobic, suffocating, toxic relationship between a mother and her son. A tragic tale rife with parental guilt. Suffering. Nature vs. nurture. Terrifying.
"Hag" by Benjamin Percy “The ocean likes to cough up its dead.” For fans of cults, small-town horror and secrets, murder, family dynamics, and a strong sense of place. Coastal. FEED THE HAG. One of my favorite stories in this collection.
"Take Me, I Am Free" by Joyce Carol Oates A disturbing story of neglect. “Before I knew what was happening she got inside me and kept growing and growing and now she’s everywhere.” Unwanted child. Reluctant motherhood.
"A Trip to Paris" by Richard Kadrey Compelling tale. Needing freedom, independence from family. Tied-down. Claustrophobic. Mold. Guilt.
"The Party" by Paul Tremblay “Eat, drink, and fuck for tomorrow we die.” Living in the moment. Unplugging. Secretive, weird, cultish party. Cake.
"Refinery Road" by Stephen Graham Jones Themes of friendship. Ghosts. Family secrets. Abuse. Guilt. Redemption.
"The Door in the Fence" by Jeffery Ford A strange little story about the journey a widow embarks on after the death of her husband.
"Pear of Anguish" by Gemma Files Another favorite story, this one is dark. Coming-of-age. Adolescent girls. Self-harm. Witchcraft. Menstruation. Finding kindred spirits when you’re awkward, lonely, different.
"Special Meal" by Josh Malerman A family meal. Dystopian? Restrictions on education; learning. Math. Rebellion. Defiance.
"Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive Home" by Genevieve Valentine Different women in “compromising” situations. “You could kill a woman practically anywhere.” Sexism. Predators. Pretending and performing in relationships. Independence.
"Tiptoe" by Laird Barron Photography. Predators. A childhood game. Family dynamics. “Warm and fuzzy outside, cold tapioca on the inside.” A lakehouse vacation—the description transports the reader. Clairvoyance. Sons & Fathers.
"Skinder's Veil" by Kelly Link A man is distracted by his roommate having too much sex, takes a job as a housesitter for a friend who has a regular housesitting gig for a residence out in the woods. There are some strange house rules. The story is very “Twilight Zone”-esque. Rose Red & Rose White. Friends & Neighbors.
This is my ritualistic plug for anthologies and short fiction collections by one author. I truly believe that anthologies are the best way to discover new storytellers that are compatible with your unique preferences. It's so simple to pick up something like, When Things Get Dark and sample the stories as they apply to the overall theme that interests you. In this case, if you're a fan of Shirley Jackson, you're bound to find something here that moves you the way her stories did. Then, you can pick up one of these author's collections and sample more short fiction to be totally sure they're a fit.
I decided to write this review in the style of one of my personal favorite tools of the trade, NoveList Plus powered by EBSCO. NoveList Plus is a huge database of book recommendations serving as a resource and guide for library workers. Patrons of most local public libraries can access this database through each public library's website using a personal library card.
I use this database all the time. The recommendations written by library workers utilize several key elements to help users find a specific book, and then from that one book, find other similar books called, "Read-Alikes", based on matched criteria like pace, tone, genre, themes, and writing styles. NoveList Pro calls these Book Appeal Terms:
Appeal is a way of determining why people enjoy the books they read. Some readers already have a good vocabulary for talking about the books they love, while some do better in talking about books they never want to read again – but framing these conversations around appeal is the foundation for helping people find what to read next.
It's extremely helpful and I hope you'll check it out. Here's how I access NoveList Plus at my library:
Home Page > Online Library > A to Z Resources > NoveList Pro > Login with unique Library Card ID
Here's an example of what you will find at NoveList Pro with my "mock NoveList Pro entry" for Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (June 2021)
Author: LaRocca, Eric
Adult, Fiction
Description: A woman posts a family heirloom for sale to an internet chat room. A woman responds to the post with a desire to buy. This exchange begins a harrowing correspondence between these two lonely women.
Writing style: Stylistically Complex, No Exposition, Experimental, Intricately Plotted
Reading this novella is an agreement to embark on a voyeuristic character study between two women who meet through an online message board. As the title of the novella suggests, a friendly exchange back and forth between two strangers about an antique apple peeler begins to blossom into a shared intimacy and ultimately, an arrangement. For the sake of preserving discovery, this is all that should be known before heading into this dark story. Readers sharing in the same real-time spontaneity the characters go through as they send and receive each other's emails is why this novella works so well.
Definitely carve out enough time to enjoy this book from beginning to end. There isn't a good place to drop a bookmark in and save the rest for later. This book slowly turns up the intensifying dread little by little until its shocking conclusion. There is a masterful subtlety the author uses to reveal the identity and mental state of his characters; little signs, tells, carefully chosen words, repeated phrases, and insights. Every new email Agnes sends to Zoe or Zoe sends to Agnes is an escalation in their relationship providing rich food for thought. Curiosity gives way to concern; concern gives way to internal screaming and internal screaming ultimately gives way to devastation. Bleak, clever, edgy, and vicious. Eric LaRocca draws his readers in for something they will never expect and never forget.
After the review section, all the above book details like genre, setting, character, tone, writing style, subjects, are separated out with little check boxes next to each one. Users can then check the boxes to filter the search engine to give results. So if you checked "Menacing", "Obsession", and "Psychological Suspense", NoveList will list Read-Alikes.
In this case, if you enjoyed Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, I would recommend:
Little Eyes by Samantha Schweblin, The Perfect Fraud by Ellen LaCorte, The Body Lies by Jo Baker
Please try NoveList Plus at your local library. It has changed the way I read and review books. Also, today is the release date of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, and it's a five star recommendation from me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Original review published at LitReactor: https://litreactor.com/reviews/along-... _________ Nobody will blame you if you read the first chapter of AlongOriginal review published at LitReactor: https://litreactor.com/reviews/along-... _________ Nobody will blame you if you read the first chapter of Along the Path of Torment and quit. The subject matter is abhorrent. In fact, the entire novel is this way. Full of unrelenting acts of depravity. Enough to make you physically feel ill.
I’ve never read its equal. I can’t think of a single book as morally bankrupt that I’ve read all the way through. Thousands of thoughts raced through my brain. Mostly my conscience urging me to stop enjoying my reading experience. The return on my investment was making me feel dirty, shameful, conflicted, and manipulated. Chandler Morrison’s writing is intoxicating. I was insatiable. When I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be.
Dozens of times I closed the book and tossed it aside with every intention of never picking it up again. But I always did. I could not stop thinking about the main protagonist, Ty Seward. What would become of him? So many questions that needed answers. Who was the Woman in Yellow haunting him anytime he was alone? What would his oncologist tell him at his next appointment? Why would anyone do the things Ty does? Who made him this way?
Equally fascinating is the fifteen-year-old aspiring actress defiled in chapter one. I formulated early opinions as to her fate, none of which I would share for the sake of spoilers, but I was totally wrong about her. She grew on me. In fact, both of the lead protagonists, despite how reprehensible they are, grew on me to the point of endearment. I literally fell in love with their disgusting, fucked up fictional lives. I attribute all of my affection for this book to the sheer brilliance of its creator, Chandler Morrison. Truly Morrison’s mind is designed to write with the same alluring charisma that flowed through Vladimir Nabokov’s veins when he penned the objectionable classic, Lolita. People will also find themselves wanting to compare this to Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, but I reject that.
Morrison is far more talented and this book has a pulse. Morrison is capable of writing something compelling just for the sake of shock and awe, and he would find a willing audience, but that isn’t what he set out to do. It’s clear this deep dive into the depths of human depravity was an experiment to see if even sensitive readers would commit. Halfway through the book, I found myself standing at a precipice. The journey required me to jump off and I hesitated. It was at this moment that I knew how much I could endure if I trusted the author implicitly. Don’t misunderstand, I still skimmed over some scenes. My heart wouldn’t let me take in all the explicit details. I read enough to know what happened in those scenes and that’s enough for me.
Finishing this book and knowing I was going to rate it five stars is a monumental occasion in my reviewing career. All I do is read horror fiction day in and day out, so I have established healthy boundaries. I give myself permission to quit reading if anything is trespassing over a line of distinction. Horror doesn’t have limits, readers do. Talented authors ask their audience to leave everything at the threshold and enter into a contractual trust. I’ll admit: I rarely resign. I tapped out of The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum because it was the first book I read by him and I wasn’t ready. Now that I have read more of his works and authors like Andersen Prunty, C. V. Hunt, and Chandler Morrison, I have let those open doors—I bet I could finish The Girl Next Door and stand on the other side with fans. But why? What is there to gain from allowing stories like Along the Path of Torment to wander in and compromise your standards?
My answer is this: Truth is stranger than fiction. The world we live in gives rise to an ugliness that not even the most imaginative authors could conjure. If we can’t give our brains permission to wrestle fictional horrors in the comfort and safety of our homes, how will we feel when we face real-life terrors? If a reader can’t trust an author who is most likely a reasonable, sane individual just like you or me, to tell a story of human monsters, how can we reconcile living in a world that manufactures them every day? They live next door to you. They drive alongside you on the freeway. You stand in an elevator alone with them. Horrible people commit the most heinous acts every day and you don’t have to read about it. You can bury your head in the sand and pretend you’re safe. Or, you can read horror fiction and resign your sensitivities so that you can entertain monsters.
I love it. I show up to read horror fiction with the expectation to be challenged. Along the Path of Torment is deserving of all praises....more
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