Monstrous Affections

Bleak, stark and creepy, Stoker-winner Nickle's first collection will delight the literary horror reader. A jarring cover illustration by Erik Mohr prepares the reader for 13 terrifying tales of rural settings, complex and reticent characters and unexpected twists that question the fundamentals of reality. All are delivered with a certain grace, creating a sparse yet poetic tour of the horrors that exist just out of sight. Standout stories include “Janie and the Wind,” where a battered, abandoned woman does what she needs to survive; “Other People's Kids,” a disturbing examination of the razor-thin moment dividing childhood from maturity and the hand holding that razor; and “The Pit Heads,” a phenomenal story about the cold remnants of a Canadian mining town and the true cost of beauty. This ambitious collection firmly establishes Nickle as a writer to watch. (Nov.)