Really good prose, but flawed story.

The writing was deft and interesting but the story required every single character to be unbelievably oblivious. The premise was so dependent on every character not noticing obvious things that it was hard to suspend disbelief. Still, I would try other works by this author just on the strength of the prose.

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Or of the funnier Brian Evenson stories

Brian Evenson, is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most effective literary Horror author on the planet — which is even more impressive of a statement when you read everything he’s ever written and realize that he never resorts to the genre trappings, the cliches & tropes, or anything within a country mile of the rote narrative frameworks we, (as in we the horror fans), have become so pathetically willing to slop up, (as if maybe *the next* book by Stephen King or [insert Best-Selling author’s name here despite neither them nor King deserving any credit as good Horror authors]).

Brian Evenson is basically the literary David Lynch, but like, with a brutal & relentless obsession with ontological. Not quite Ligotti, and FAR from Lovecraftian (which is nice for a change in the world of horror fiction published in the last 60 years or so); Evenson weapons our relationship with the most banal, routine, (and often subconscious), moments of our lives, then proceeds to his existential crisis canon straight into your mind...until you’re left sitting alone for several hours, asking yourself how you’d never read his work until now?

More than that, you’ll be left helplessly thinking, “How do I begin to describe everything Evenson’s stories made me feel without sounding like I’ve gone completely mad?” (Fun fact: this story is basically a meta-textual story that explores this inability to communicate with, well, ANYONE, when the issues plaguing your mind only feel crystallized, but in reality are slipping through your grip every time you attempt to convey those thoughts to anyone else...but I’m sure you picked up on that by now).

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3 people found this helpful

Sad.

I happened upon this because I love this narrator. I could be content of all of my audibles were read my him. The story itself was very well written, and very sad.

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Brilliant, again

Brian Evenson writes such powerful short stories. This is just another of his honest horrifying realities. Pretty close to perfection.

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An exemplary instance of naturalistic horror

Nothing supernatural occurs in this story, yet it is unquestionably belongs in the horror genre.

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Very Kafka’esq

It had an air of almost frustrated acceptance of something unnatural and surreal. Loved it

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