20th Century Ghosts
I have stated before that I am not a big fan of short stories. This book illustrates one of my reasons why, but in a good way. With many of the stories, I felt strongly that I would love to see the story continued, the plotline expanded--I wasn't ready to let go of the characters at the end.
Two stories stand out as exemplary to me without any effort in my mind to recall them. The first is Pop Art, about a boy whose best friend is an inflatable doll. The second is Voluntary Committal, in which a young man with disabilities has a strange affinity with building boxes. Hill showcases many influences in his work. The first story in the anthology (I can't remember its name, unfortunately), for example, leans heavily on the classic conventions of horror novels (and he shows a talent for gore his dad, Stephen King, displayed in many of his earlier works, like Cujo, Pet Sematary, etc.). A story about a boy turning into a bug will, of course, bring to mind Kafka.
There weren't really any stories I skipped through. Each story has its own merits. Just to note, not all contain supernatural or horror elements, although most do. My only regret is that we didn't see more of some of the stories. There were a few that could have easily have been full-length novels. Ah, well, I guess I'll just have to be patient for the next full-length novel (after Heart-Shaped Box, a definite read if you haven't read it yet) from this up-and-coming novelist.
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Joe Hill - 20th Century Ghosts - 8
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Joe Hill - 20th Century Ghosts - 8
N is for NEVILLE, who died of ennui
--Edward Gorley
--Edward Gorley
