Kirby McCauley's collection of 23 short stories isn't supposed to be fun to read. At least not a normal kind of fun for happy, well-adjusted people. Here you'll find the dark, nasty stuff, well-crafted and crawling with uncomfortable characters, motives and motifs. If you are the kind of person who likes this, who feeds on it, then go ahead. It's best not to speak more of it.
Here are 4 that made the inside of my skin crawl more than usual:
In Theodore Sturgeon's "Vengence Is." two local hard cases run into exactly the wrong person. Quiet inquiries are made in the aftermath.
In Edward Gorey's "The Stupid Joke" little Friedrich decides to stay in bed all day. He doesn't make it.
In Ray Bradbury's "A Touch of Petulance" a young man and an old man try to figure out the course of their life. One has the advantage of perspective.
Stephen King's novella "The Mist" is the basis for the movie
The Mist. A small group of people is trapped together when the outside world is shrouded by fog and filled with monsters. The group gets smaller, of course.
These are pretty good stories, suitably horrible. Read them one or two at a time. Then go sit in the sunlight for a while. And wonder why you miss the darkness.
