This year, I’ve made it a personal quest to read more short story collections. It’s been going much better than expected, and I’ve had the pleasure of reading some incredible short stories from some of the most brilliant writers of contemporary fiction. During this journey, I discovered a couple of interesting trends: all the short story collections I’ve read are from women writers, and the works are extremely dark. Two of these books come from the genius of Korean author Bora Chung. I read her first book, Cursed Bunny, back in February. When I was finished, I knew immediately that I would be reading her recent follow-up, Your Utopia, and so I reserved it from my local library. While I was originally planning to review both together, I’ve decided to keep them separate, as they are quite different stylistically. One leans more toward horror, while the other is heavily science fiction. So let’s discuss the delightfully twisted tales of Cursed Bunny!
Cursed Bunny (2017) by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur; Photo Credit: Natalie Getter (Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!)
This is the most varied assortment of stories I’ve ever encountered in one book! I thought I knew what I was getting into with this collection, particularly as the first two stories were firmly rooted in body horror. The opener titled “The Head” is so disgusting that the less I say about it, the better. You’ll just have to read it to see what I mean. The second tale called “The Embodiment” is so surreal and Kafkaesque, as a woman becomes inexplicably pregnant despite never having been with anyone. Rather than provide any sympathetic advice, however, her physician tells her that in order to have a normal baby, this young mother will have to find a suitable father. The story then becomes an allegory on parenting and the pressures of a woman in Korea believing she must have a man in her life. Chung infuses both of these opening stories with a lot of humor, but it doesn’t take long for them to become so disturbing. I completely loved these stories, and, rightfully so, was mistaken in believing that all ten stories would be works of horror. Far from it, as Chung proves she is adept at moving from genre to genre with equal skill.
For example, “Goodbye, My Love” is fully in the science fiction vein, focusing on a scientist and her relationships with the androids she creates. While she works through the difficult decision to send her first ever creation back to the factory as it’s become obsolete, she wonders if perhaps the android has feelings about this as well. “Snare” is a dark version of the classic golden goose fable, while “Ruler of the Winds and Sands” is a fantasy fable taking place on a desert world. In this one, a princess embarks on a mission to restore the sight of the prince she is to marry, only to discover that things are not as they seem, and that human nature is a terrible thing.
Another group of stories take a darker and supernatural approach. One of the best horror shorts I’ve ever read is called “The Frozen Finger” and is a claustrophobic story of a woman trapped in a sinking car in complete darkness with only a cold hand for company and support. It’s so chilling! (no pun intended). Another favorite from this collection, “Reunion,” is a clever ghost story that takes the reader in so many directions, leading us to examine the darkness that exists in each of us. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the title story of this phenomenal book. “Cursed Bunny” is told from the point-of-view of a grandfather who takes revenge on a company by gifting them a cursed object, a rabbit lamp shade. As the story unfolds, we see how the curse works on a family but also how it comes back on the grandfather himself.
Overall, Chung’s first collection is an impressive debut, with translator Anton Hur doing an extraordinary job in converting these twisted tales for us English readers to enjoy. Here’s my warning: as impressed as I was with this book, I recognize it’s not for the squeamish or for the faint of heart. I encourage you dear reader to have the courage to check out this intriguing collection from one of my new favorite writers. If you still say Bora Chung is a no-go, I ask that you wait for my review of Your Utopia before making a decision.
“I could finally understand the horrific and cruel clarity of what he considered to be meaningful. The desperation and immense fear that your life, as well as the future to come, hinged on a moment.”-“Reunion”
Have you read this book? I’d love to know your thoughts! Let me know with a comment below.
Welcome to my wrap-up post for March, as I sit here and ponder, “How are the first three months of 2024 already gone?” I suppose time flies when you’re having fun reading. Overall, it was a splendid month, both for books and for personal reasons. Natalie and I spent a week on vacation visiting the Florida coast. Highlights included exploring an old World War II fort and lots of shopping. Anytime I’m out of town, I always try to purchase at least one book from the experience. I think this time, I took home five, which I will hopefully review at some point in the near future!
A word of warning in that this wrap-up post will be a bit longer than past ones. Since I only read five books this month and only did one review, I’ll be giving this list in a mini-review format. So hopefully, at least one book below will “tickle your fancy” as the kids say.
Five fabulous books by five fabulous women! And, as always, the photos are from the fabulous Natalie Getter!
Let’s start with the one book I did review this month. In my post, I talked about how If We Were Villains is such a beautifully written and complex novel, that it deserves a reread in the near future. While serving as a terrific suspense thriller, the novel also works as an introduction to the works of Shakespeare, with emphasis on the tragedies. And let me tell you, this book is definitely a tragedy. However, the author takes this book to new heights with dynamic characters, exquisite language that alternates between real-world language and Shakespearian dialogue, and a structure that transforms the book into a five-act play.
The book is full of tension from the very beginning, as our protagonist Oliver is telling his story from ten years ahead of the horrible events that occurred to him and his six friends as drama students at an elite arts college. If We Were Villains is a glorious work that has fueled my love of dark academia. Whether you love Shakespeare or not, this is still a well-written tale to enjoy. (5 stars)
Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt:
Last year, I read a disturbing horror novel calledTell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt, a writer who I believe is one of the strongest voices in LGBTQ+ literature. Like many readers, I’ve been curious to read her next novel. Rumfitt’s sophomore novel is horror once again, exploring similar themes of political extremism, transphobia, and the path of creeping fascism. Rather than a haunted house story, Brainwyrms takes body horror to the extreme to explore trauma, fetishes, and the most disgusting moments I’ve ever encountered in a work of fiction to the point where you question how this got published. In fact, I paused my reading of this one to read something else, not that it was badly written by any means, but I was unprepared for the dark directions this book would take. I did pick it back up and finish it, and while Tell Me I’m Worthless is the stronger novel, this one also forces us to take a hard look at the world and of ourselves.
Rumfitt’s experimental writing style works well in the horror genre, taking unexpected twists in a voice that is both conversational and yet quite loud and aggressive at times. This novel will always be divisive, for the disgusting parts and the political nature of the horror, so clearly this will be a work that will only be recommended to certain readers. More general readers will most likely put this book down at less than 50 pages. I did enjoy the tone of Rumfitt’s introduction, where a future fictionalized version of herself sets up the tone of the novel well. While the previous novel included a trigger warning, this one contains two, at the beginning, and a middle interjection where readers are encouraged to take a break and return. You have been warned. (4 stars)
Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue:
Having read two of Emma Donoghue’s other books (Room and The Pull of the Stars), I’ve come to realize that this is an author with such versatility. Once again, she completely surpasses my expectations with Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins. I love retellings of classic fairy tales and have even tried writing some of my own. This stunning collection manages to capture the effortless narratives of old tales being passed around in conversation, yet infusing them with with a raw intensity that explores feminism and gender roles in a lovely work that is pure magic.
I love the blending of the old and the new with so many delicious twists. What if Cinderella fell in love with the Fairy Godmother? What if the “beast” from Beauty and the Beast was female? While these stories are fresh and exciting, they still contain all the violence, humor, and harshness you know from the Brothers Grimm. This is far and away from the likes of Disney. Death is a matter of normalcy, blood is spilt, lives are threatened, and women are savage and ambitious, yet noble, beautiful, and courageous. In Donoghue’s hands, nothing is black and white: villains are not simply evil, and the heroines aren’t quite as flawless as contemporary tales make them out to be. In fact, the dichotomy between heroine/villain becomes quite blurred, particularly when you get stories from the perspectives of the evil stepmothers and ruthless work matrons. I look forward to reading more from Donoghue, as she continues to surprise and impress! (4.5 stars)
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie:
I’ve read a lot of Agatha Christie up to this point, and I will continue to do so. Her second published novel was not what I was expecting at all. Rather than your traditional locked room mystery, The Secret Adversary is Christie’s first attempt at giving the world a spy thriller for a novel. It’s hard to imagine the Queen of Mystery as being a young and vibrant woman, but this work proves that this is exactly who she was at the time of penning this novel. Full of vibrancy and youthful fun, this rollicking adventure introduces the world to the crime-fighting team of Tommy and Tuppence.
Set immediately after World War I, these two old friends reunite without a penny to their names. With a lack of anything better to do, they decide to become detectives, and within minutes, are swept into international intrigue involving some stolen documents, a missing woman, and a mysterious figure known as “Mr. Brown” who is a criminal mastermind hiding in the shadows. As you can tell, this novel requires some suspension of disbelief with its overreaching coincidences and melodrama. This is a novel clearly rooted in its time fueled by the aftermath of the War, the rise of the Bolsheviks, and the sinister world that seemed to have emerged from the Armistice. While not the typical pace of a Christie narrative, this one is complete bonkers and over-the-top fun from start to finish. On another note, I did learn recently that Tommy and Tuppence are the only Christie protagonists who age in real time, so I’m very curious about how these characters develop in subsequent adventures. (4 stars)
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado:
Finally, I decided to read another short story collection called Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. It’s been sitting on my shelves for months. I picked it up with no idea what to expect, and I’m happy to report that I couldn’t have ended March on a stronger note! Through the lens of magical realism, Machado explores the many ways in which women’s bodies are often mistreated, exploited, and controlled. Each story in this collection is unique and inventive. Here are some of the plots: a woman runs through an inventory of her past loves to keep herself sane during the apocalypse; an epidemic causes all the women in the world to slowly fade away; the longest tale in this collection is a series of vignettes following the characters of Law & Order: SVU but includes ghosts, buried traumas, and evil doppelgangers (so nuts and yet so good).
My favorite story in this collection keeps changing, but for now it is “The Husband Stitch.” This is a retelling of the classic folktale about the girl with the green ribbon around her neck. I remember reading that one as a child, and it scaring the ever-loving piss out of me. Machado seamlessly weaves countless fairy tales, myths, and urban legends into this piece (the hook-handed man, the girl raised by wolves, the girl who dies of fright in cemetery) and by the end they all begin to run together with one common theme: women being punished for being women. Machado’s exploration into trauma and healing has taken this therapist’s heart by storm. So much, in fact, that I’m planning to read more from this author sooner than later. These stories are so well-written, and I encourage everyone to check out this extraordinary writer. (4.5 stars)
I have a lot more I’d like to say, but that can wait for another time. Cheers to another great month of literature!
“Maybe we are all marked in some way, even if it’s impossible to see.”-“The Husband Stitch”
What was your favorite book in March? Let me know with a comment below!
Like moths to a flame, human beings are attracted to dark and unsettling stories. For centuries, the macabre has been a favorite form of escapism. The original folk and fairy tales of The Brothers Grimm were full of horrific imagery and just as disturbing as many of today’s horror movies. This fascination with the darkness is not lost on English writer A.S. Byatt, as she points out in her story “Raw Material” about an adult writing class whose students are drawn to “the world of domestic violence, torture, and shock-horror.” Whether it’s a matter of making sense of our own darkness or as an escape from our own lives, time and time again we turn to this type of fiction. My first experience with A.S. Byatt was another fabulous collection, The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye: Five Fairy Stories, which seamlessly blended magical elements with the everyday world. Little Black Book of Stories contains five tales, which combine the ordinary with the absurd. While I didn’t love all the stories equally, I will say that each little tale of terror stayed with me for a few days after I finished the book.
Little Black Book of Stories (2003) by A.S. Byatt will definitely leave you feeling unsettled; Photo Credit: Natalie Getter
The opening story for this collection is an intriguing story about the distorted edges of reality, called “The Thing in the Forest.” The setting is England during World War II, when children were evacuated from London. Two girls named Penny and Primrose become best friends and decide to keep each other safe. Once they’ve arrived at the estate serving as a safehouse, the girls decide to explore the surrounding forest. It’s there that they encounter, or possibly imagine, a disgusting monster. The creature can be be described as a nightmare worm, composed of miscellaneous rotting debris. Though the children come to no harm and they never speak of it again, the discovery of this bizarre being affects them throughout their adult lives. The story quickly moves forward in time as each girl deals with their past traumas in extremely different ways. Penny and Primrose never think about each other again, until one day as adults they return to that dark forest.
“They remembered the thing they had seen in the forest in the way you remember those very few dreams – almost all nightmares – which have the quality of life itself, not of phantasm, or shifting provisional scene-set. (Though what are dreams if not life itself?) In the memory, as in such a dream, they felt, I cannot get out, this is a real thing in a real place.”
This story intrigued me for several reasons. As a therapist, I loved the juxtaposition of the uncanny with reality. Byatt immediately establishes the trauma that the girls are experiencing in their violent separations from their families due to the war. They’ve been forced to grow up too soon. This monster in the woods is the perfect representation of what these children are giving up on that fateful day. One of Byatt’s strengths is her incredible use of vocabulary, which she uses here to great effect in describing the creature. I felt this strong wave of disgust as I could practically feel it through all five of my senses. This clever use of wordplay works quite well in a later story about a woman who is slowly transforming into a stone statue.
It seems the true horror of this story is not the experience with the monster itself, but how it affects both girls as they become adults. Penny and Primrose handle their traumatic experiences in completely different ways. However, both girls become disconnected to interpersonal relationships. That isn’t to say they don’t have lives, it just seems like the only meaningful connection they’ve ever had is with each other. Both became stuck, and like trauma, they were not consciously aware of being stuck. Penny and Primrose meet later as adults, and this chance encounter triggers their memories of the horrific experience, motivating each one to face the creature in the forest once more. At first, I didn’t realize this as I was reading. After finishing the book as a whole, I see now that Byatt was connecting these tales to a theme of how we respond to traumatic experiences.
The second story, Body Art, was my favorite of this collection. It follows an emotionally distant doctor and his relationship with a young artist who has been scarred, both physically and figuratively, by a previous abortion. The girl is silent about her past and lives in a homemade cave in a storage room at the hospital. The doctor feels sympathy for her and allows her to temporarily stay at his home. Inexplicably, the two have an affair to which she becomes pregnant. Byatt makes use of the the theme of art to tell a larger story regarding the hot topic of abortion. As a male reader, I had some difficulty with this story, as it becomes a power struggle between the future parents on the best decision to make with regards to keeping the baby. As all the stories of this collection, it ends with lingering questions about the future. I suppose one could say that its ending mirrors the abortion debate, as there are not always easy answers.
Byatt’s works are categorized as fantasy, but I believe this is often the problem today with genre-labeling. This book, along with so many others, crosses and combines so many other genres from magical realism, to horror, to domestic drama. For me, the first two stories beautifully intertwined so many elements. “Raw Material” was interesting from a writer’s perspective, as it explored whether or not the act of writing can be a form of therapy. Of course, my answer is a resounding yes! However, this story didn’t become interesting to me until the last few pages with images that made me want to scream in terror. Byatt once again shows us that supernatural monsters cannot compare to true-to-life horror.
Like the opening story, “The Stone Woman” and “The Pink Ribbon” have a blatantly mythic, supernatural element. While I didn’t care for “The Stone Woman,” I did appreciate the geology and Icelandic mythology elements. “The Pink Ribbon” is about a man haunted by a memory of his wife, who now has Alzheimer’s. As someone who has experienced a loved one losing her mental capacity, I will say this one evoked a lot of emotion. While I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, the five tales came together to form a deep psychological view of the terrors that can be found within the mundane.
“I think there are things that are real-more real than we are-but mostly, we don’t cross their paths, or they don’t cross ours. Maybe at very bad times we get into their world, or notice what they are doing in ours.”-The Thing in the Forest
Have you read this book? I’d love to know your thoughts! Let me know with a comment below.
I am firmly in end-of-year mode, which means finishing up my reviews for the year so I can start all over again in 2020. Since I don’t have time to review each of these books separately, you get to read all of these mini-reviews in one fantastic post! During my Christmas vacation, I had the opportunity to read several books in my favorite genre. Let’s start with some awesome graphic novels of some classic sci-fi/fantasy works.
Photo Credit: Natalie Getter
Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Hope Larson
I actually never read the original novel until I was an adult. My wife introduced me to it, and while I never read the rest of the series, this book always stayed with me. So many great characters filled the pages as Meg and her brother Charles Wallace attempt to rescue their father from across space and time. The character that always resonated with me was Meg for her stubbornness and big heart while I adored the three Mrs. of Who, Whatsit, and Which.
I loved this version as I thought it was adapted well without losing any of the poignant moments that made the original work such a classic. The art work, done in black and white, adds an additional element to the storytelling. This special anniversary edition includes one of the final interviews Madeleine L’Engle completed before leaving our universe once and for all. A delightful read that hopefully sparked renewed interest in this classic tale.
Ayn Rand’s Anthem: The Graphic Novel by Charles Santino and Joe Staton
I read Anthem for the first time several years ago and appreciated its message of living for yourself. As most of you know, I love my dystopian fiction. For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows a character named Equality 7-2521 who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where individuality is nonexistent. There is only the collective “we.” Our main character discovers his love of learning after stumbling upon an abandoned mine. He also falls in love with a woman, something else that is forbidden in this society.
I appreciate that this adaptation keeps the story intact. It does not waver from the original story of individualism, liberty, and freedom. The illustrations are black and white and enhances the action of the story. It is a quick read as I finished this in one sitting.
The Illustrated Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess
Ever since I first read it years ago, Stardust remains one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. This is the story of Tristan Thorn as he journeys to a magical realm to retrieve a falling star in the name of love. However, it is so much more: brothers willing to murder each other for a throne, witches trying to gain back their power, and a mysterious star who wants to go home. When you read a Gaiman work, you are actually reading several stories at once that never fail to impress.
Rather than a graphic novel, this is actually the full novel completely illustrated. Charles Vess does a masterful job of bringing Neil Gaiman’s vision to life. The illustrations are so stunning and compliment Gaiman’s words to perfection. Once you read the first page, you are instantly hooked. Keep in mind that this is a very adult story so keep the little ones away. I also loved how Gaiman manages to weave all of the separate strands together with precision. This is a highly satisfying read.
I also had the pleasure of reading some classic sci-fi/fantasy novels.
Photo Credit: Natalie Getter
The Screaming Face by John Lymington
I had never heard of this British author prior to reading this book. John Lymington was quite a prolific writer. The plot of this one sounded promising. The Earth is days away from facing an apocalypse that will end all life on the planet. Every 11,000 years, an astronomical phenomenon occurs signaled by a planet-wide screaming sound. The protagonist is a pilot named Bill whose work for the government on a super-secret project has led to marriage problems between Bill and his wife. Bill struggles with knowing that the end of days is coming and is unsure if he should tell his wife or not.
Unfortunately, Bill’s marriage problems compose of the majority of the book. In addition, Bill is sexually attracted to his sister-in-law, whose husband just left her for another man. Bill’s wife Marty suspects her husband of infidelity with another man. These domestic issues compose over two-thirds of the book. While I don’t have a problem with sex in fiction, I got really tired of reading about Bill’s yearnings for his sister-in-law. The main plot is finally picked up in the final few pages, but at that point, I was ready to be done. John Lymington did not win me over with this one. At the end, the only screaming face was my own.
The Trees of Zharka by Nancy Mackenroth
While I was skeptical of tackling another pulpy sci-fi work immediately following The Screaming Face, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The planet of Zharka lives in perpetual penance for a great sin committed long ago. While the nature of this great sin is unknown, the priests of Zharka maintain order through forcing the populace to hard work and drudgery with the idea that after enough suffering, God will forgive the people. This story follows a young priest named Toma who begins to question everything he has been told.
Once again, I delved into another dystopia. Despite being a short novel, Nancy Mackenroth creates some memorable characters and some nuanced world-building. I also enjoyed the sci-fi element that the atmosphere of the planet grants certain characters special powers, such as telekinesis and telepathy. The book is also carefully paced. My one complaint about the book is the ending. When we finally get to the grand reveal of how these people ended up on Zharka, it felt extremely rushed. While the author intended for this revelation to have a strong emotional impact, it just felt tacked on. Otherwise, this was a solid read.
Beauty by Robin McKinley
I adore retellings of fantasy stories. In fact, I’ve written a couple of my own in the past. This version of Beauty and the Beast takes a while to get going, but the pacing improves after the first 100 pages. I appreciated the changes Robin McKinley makes to the original story, in particular how “Beauty” was the nickname of a bookish girl who was actually quite plain. In fact, a significant amount of plot is spent on the character feeling as though she is nobody special. Beauty’s family is fleshed out very well, and I found myself enjoying the majority of the characters. Beast’s castle is also incredible, and I love the whole concept of invisible ghostly servants. This one was a lot of fun.
Once again, the only fault comes from the rushed ending. It felt as though McKinley just became bored and churned out a resolution as quickly as possible. It just didn’t feel like a natural culmination of the story, which is too bad because McKinley has proven herself to be a highly adept writer.
And with that, I bid you all adieu until next year.
“And since I am the only one who sees you, why are you not then beautiful?”-Beauty
Have you read any of these books? I’d love to know your thoughts! Let me know with a comment below.
My first experience with Kelly Link was her short story “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.” A college professor who had read one of my short stories recommended it to me because he thought I wrote in a similar style. Of course, I immediately found a copy of Link’s story and was completely blown away by it. A deceased man is stuck in a strange version of the afterlife writing letters to his still-living wife. Unfortunately, he can’t remember her name and several important details, but he does regain some random memories such as the girl who beat him up in the fourth grade. As time passes, the afterlife becomes stranger and stranger. It was a story unlike any I had ever read before, as Link takes you on a journey that moves in all kinds of directions. Since that first encounter, I’ve become a huge fan. Stranger Things Happen is Link’s first published collection and an excellent starting point for her rather unique voice. While I didn’t fall in love with every story in this collection, I enjoyed the majority of them. Link’s writing is full of heart as well as humor with more than a fair share of the surreal.
Appropriately enough, the above-mentioned “Carnation” kicks off the eleven bizarre journeys featured here. There is a dreamlike aspect to all of the fiction that often makes you wonder if you are actually lying in bed dreaming rather than reading a book of stories. That’s the best way I can describe it after reading “Survivor’s Ball, or The Donner Party” which mingles a toothache with a mysterious love affair ending in a rather outrageous dinner party. “Water off a Black Dog’s Back” is a fun story about a man who is meeting his girlfriend’s rather odd parents, such as the dad who is missing his nose but crafts his own replacements out of various materials.
Many of the pieces in this collection are adaptations of classic fairy tales. My favorite one “Travels with the Snow Queen” retells the Hans Christian Anderson story from the point-of-view of a jilted lover. “The Girl Detective” is following the Twelve Dancing Princesses whose activities at night will surprise you. “Shoe and Marriage” begins as a retelling of the Cinderella story before taking on a life of its own as something involving a television pageant show.
Several of the stories are completely changed between the first sentence and the last one. It’s easy to get lost in the mire of a Kelly Link story, as I had to go back and reread several pages. The most confusing tale for me was “Louise’s Ghost” about two friends who are both named Louise. Or were there two women named Louise? I still don’t know, so let this serve as a warning to be prepared for confusion. “Flying Lessons” about a girl who falls in love with a demigod starts out confusing but comes together beautifully in the final pages.
All of this strangeness may sound frightening, but there is some really poignant writing underneath all of it. Link uses the fantastic in order to tell very human stories. One of my favorites was “Vanishing Act” about a girl who doesn’t like her cousin who stays with her family for a short period of time. As the story progresses, you feel for both the girl and her cousin for different reasons. “The Specialist’s Hat” is the story of twin girls and their absent-minded father living in a haunted house. The subtlety in which Link embeds the true message of her fiction is what makes her one of the best short story writers I’ve ever encountered. The fantastic elements that help drive the story serve as beautiful window dressing.
I don’t recommend reading Stranger Things Happen in one sitting. Link’s fiction is stronger when you come up for air after diving down into the beautiful strangeness that is her writing. I promise there will be a story or two that stays with you, much like a few bars of a forgotten song.
“Part of you is always traveling faster, always traveling ahead. Even when you are moving, it is never fast enough to satisfy that part of you.”-“Travels with the Snow Queen
I read this book for the TBR Challenge. You can see my progress here. Have you read this book? I’d love to know your thoughts! Let me know with a comment below.
I Would Rather Be Reading 