Author: Caitlin Marceau
Publisher: Ghost Orchid Press
I’m absolutely in love with this cover (especially the gruesome cat) so much so that I had to get a physical copy of this beauty. It took months to arrive (cries in Brazilian) but being familiar with Caitlin’s works I knew that this collection would be more than worth the wait. Reader, I was right. When I got it I thought I’d get through one story a day since I was in the middle of a reading slump and it had been difficult to get through more than ten pages a day. However, once I started I just couldn’t put the book down, and before I realized I’d flown through all of it. We have some wonderful Marceau staples in this collection: creepy children, white-out horror, and despicable parents. I struggled to pick which stories to showcase in this review, I’ll go on a little more about the four that captured my heart down below.
Sarah - If you’ve read Caitlin’s novella We Need to Talk Things Out (and if you haven’t, you should do it ASAP) all I have to say is that Sarah’s father could give Sylvie a run for her money. If you were bullied as a child/teen you are sure to empathize with Sarah and, without giving away the whole plot, you’ll have a cathartic experience with this gruesome tale.
The Broomway - Few stories have ever caused me to let out a gasp so loud as this one did. Marceau builds a tense atmosphere and a gothic atmosphere so encompassing that you’re sure to be transported inside the story. I’m afraid to say more and ruin the twist because I truly did not where this was going and thought the ending was perfect.
Barmbrack - A short and (not so) sweet read and, speaking of great endings, this one takes the cake for sure. I’m a huge fan of stories about self-fulfilling prophecies and of teens making questionable decisions for the sake of their love life and Barmbrack delivers both wonderfully. Although this is one of the shortest in the collection it became one of my favorites due to how well it flows and the sudden way in which it ends.
Gordon - Alzheimer’s runs in my family and I’ve been watching my grandmother succumb to it for over a decade now, and I think this was one of the reasons why this story affected me so much. To me, the scariest thing about this story isn’t Gordon or the hauntings, but the fact that no one believes the protagonist when she reaches out for help. One of the most terrifying things that can happen to a person is for others to believe they’re not sound of mind and not believe they have experienced what they’ve said. Especially when the individual is a senior, a group that has their sanity constantly questioned as they age
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