Obligatory pre-Halloween post

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Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales appeals to my inner morbidness and love of the dark and unconventional, but sort of bumps up against a general discomfort on my part with short stories. I don't have a problem with short stories, per se, but they're not really in my wheelhouse. I'm not saying I enjoy those long-winded nineteenth century Russian novels, but I do love a good book I can immerse myself in for hours and forget about the world. Short stories are too brief for that kind of escapism. They also leave too many unanswered questions. They tragically end just as I begin to love a character or dive into a tale, without offering any explanations or directions, or even much backstory.

Luckily, tragedy is the soil in which the stories in Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales take root. While the stories are short on revenge (I think I was imagining short supernatural versions of The Count of Monte Cristo), each tale is tinged with sadness and a good helping of eerie discomfort. Only one tale - about a woman who murders her husband and buries him in her garden, which somehow begins to grow hand-shaped carrots - seems to veer into the supernatural. While the stories do not share a central plot, each is linked with the others through characters and events. In one story, we hear from a woman who had once been a stepmother to a young child. In another story, the narrator is that child as an adult. An overturned tomato truck and a tame, dying tiger appear in several tales.

The writing is a bit stilted and matter-of-fact, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think sometimes authors trying to establish a unique voice for themselves can rely on overly-stylistic writing. That said, the writing can feel a little awkward, especially if you read a lot of florid Spanish-language magical realism. However, the book is an easy read. This is a good choice for you if you're looking for a book that isn't a lot of work and that will satisfy a craving for something a little eerie around Halloween.

Currently reading:
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
Queen Isabella by Alison Weir
Possession by A.S. Byatt
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Incidentally, if you ARE looking for some good Halloween stuff, may I recommend the Spooked podcast from Snap Judgment?  It's deliciously scary.

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