Review from a Transgressive Fiction Fan
I am not an anthology reader typically. I don’t like investing pages and pages into a story and characters, only to have it cut short. This anthology was different. I agree with the review that stated Staring Into the Abyss makes you rethink the short story. The author is able to pull you right into the tone and the character and gives you dark slices of their life and then pull you right out. You’re better for it each time. A couple of times the author winks at you. Many times a few lines make you smirk right back. Nothing is typical. The pieces both fully respect the intelligence of the reader yet do not ask them to work too hard. Some stories I soaked up in a few minutes. And in each sitting, I thought to myself ‘just one more’. No, this is not flash fiction, but the pieces are offered in perfect, bite-sized yet rich morsels.
The darkness and horror here is of the real world. Despair, isolation, desolate characters who the author treats with a touch of stoicism. You’ve probably met these characters you’ll be reading about, but closer still, you’ve probably been them. Even when the horror is traditional in vampire fashion it is never traditional.
“Insightful” Review from a Mainstream Reader