The Night Marchers And Other Strange Tales

Download The Night Marchers And Other Strange Tales full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online The Night Marchers And Other Strange Tales ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales

Author : Daniel Braum
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781940658711
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (587 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales by : Daniel Braum

Download or read book The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales written by Daniel Braum and published by . This book was released on 2016-05-11 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take a journey to the edge of civilization and go one step beyond to enter mind-blowing worlds of magical wonder and personal revelation that defy conventional reality. Travel the darkly strange passageways of THE NIGHT MARCHERS AND OTHER STRANGE TALES.Daniel Braum spins a unique blend of speculative fiction that effortlessly blends fantasy, science fiction, mysticism and horror in every verse. Weaving a tapestry of quantum intelligence, the multi-dimensional vistas and dark worlds of spiritualism in THE NIGHT MARCHERS AND OTHER STRANGE TALES explore concepts of advanced science that collide with magical realism in an effort to explain the unexplainable.Listen to the chords of a psychedelic jazz tune that threatens to herald the end of the world. Travel the sun-soaked beaches of the Caribbean with a young girl possessed by an inexorable power. Play a game of cat and mouse with demons in the lush Central American jungle. Experience a dance of redemption led by the reincarnated soul of an enigmatic Native American legend. Spend an erotically charged evening in the desert that may end in redemption or embraced by the arms of evil. Learn the future from a treacherous Egyptian beast with its sites set not on Bethlehem by Brooklyn.Partake in all this and so much more with the dangerous and delightfully weird tales in this definitive edition of THE NIGHT MARCHERS AND OTHER STRANGE TALES that includes bonus fiction not found in any other version of this book.

Night Marchers

Author : Rebecca Gober
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781470044701
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (447 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Night Marchers by : Rebecca Gober

Download or read book Night Marchers written by Rebecca Gober and published by . This book was released on 2011-10-16 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "NEVER, EVER lock eyes with a Night Marcher!" Everyone in Hawaii has heard this warning, except for seventeen-year-old Emma Townsend that is. For most Hawaiians know that you must never lock eyes with a Night Marcher, for to do so can strike a curse that will end in death or eternal servitude. Even though her father, who is a paranormal investigator, solely raised Emma, she has little experience in the realm of the supernatural. When she is forced to move with her father to Hawaii, only months before her graduation, Emma finds that her world as she knows it, is shaken when she starts seeing the unexplainable: fire balls in the distance, beating drums in the middle of nowhere and strangers who vanish into thin air. Then one day when she has a run in with a procession of Night Marchers, ancient Hawaiian spirits wandering from their burial grounds to their locations of battles past, Emma has no choice but to believe that the unbelievable does exist. Now Emma must go on the run with the help of a mysterious stranger, as they seek out how to free Emma from the curse of a Night Marcher, who will stop at nothing to get her soul.

The Mystery of the Haunted Trail

Author : Janet Lorimer
Publisher : Apple
ISBN 13 : 9780590418300
Total Pages : 140 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (183 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Mystery of the Haunted Trail by : Janet Lorimer

Download or read book The Mystery of the Haunted Trail written by Janet Lorimer and published by Apple. This book was released on 1989-01-01 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A summer-long visit with his Hawaiian pen pal, Alani, gives Brian the opportunity to investigate strange occurrences on Alani's island and determine whether the Night Marchers--ancient ancestral spirits--are responsible.

As Summer's Mask Slips and Other Disruptions

Author : Gordon B White
Publisher : JournalStone
ISBN 13 : 195030521X
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (53 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis As Summer's Mask Slips and Other Disruptions by : Gordon B White

Download or read book As Summer's Mask Slips and Other Disruptions written by Gordon B White and published by JournalStone. This book was released on 2020-01-31 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A genderfluid witch in a small Southern town prepares for their Black Cotillion coming out party. Singing worms converge on an old woman and young boy living in a house buried deep underground. Revenge drives an angry spirit through possession after possession in the bare-knuckle boxing ring. A father and son's canoe trip to one of the world's "soft places" culminates in an ecstatic encounter with the Weird. These are just a few of the fifteen stories contained in As Summer's Mask Slips, and Other Disruptions, Gordon B. White's debut collection of horror and Weird fiction.

Devouring Dark

Author : Alan Baxter
Publisher : Grey Matter Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 401 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Devouring Dark by : Alan Baxter

Download or read book Devouring Dark written by Alan Baxter and published by Grey Matter Press. This book was released on with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE NEXT JUGGERNAUT SUPERNATURAL THRILLER FROM AWARD-WINNING ALAN BAXTER Matt McLeod is a man plagued since childhood by a malevolent darkness that threatens to consume him. Following a lifetime spent wrestling for control over this lethal onslaught, he’s learned to wield his mysterious paranormal skill to achieve an odious goal: retribution as a supernatural vigilante. When one such hit goes bad, McLeod finds himself ensnared in a multi-tentacled criminal enterprise caught between a corrupt cop and a brutal mobster. His only promise of salvation may be a bewitching young woman who shares his dark talent but has murderous designs of her own. Devouring Dark is a genre-smashing supernatural thriller that masterfully blends elements of crime and horror in an adrenaline-fueled, life-or-death rollercoaster ride that’s emblematic of the fiction from award-winning author Alan Baxter. Praise for Devouring Dark: "There is a lot to like about Devouring Dark, especially if you are into grimdark (grey characters, making a decision between bad and worse) and dark fantasy... I could hardly put it down and couldn't wait to get back reading it. The atmosphere, the complexity of the characters and the curiosity just sucks you in. Devouring Dark is a gritty, tension filled read from the start until the end." – Grimdark Magazine “Devouring Dark is a thrilling mix of crime and horror, a book that somehow defies either description yet embraces both. It moves like a juggernaut, thundering towards an intense, emotional conclusion. I devoured Alan Baxter’s dark; you should too.” – Gary McMahon, author of Pretty Little Dead Things “Devouring Dark is a powerful tale of crime and death, cleverly crafted and flawlessly executed. I’m a fan of Alan Baxter and Devouring Dark is a perfect example of why. Do yourself a favor and join me for some shivers.” – James A. Moore, author of Seven Forges and the Serenity Falls Trilogy “Action-packed yet emotionally resonant, Devouring Dark held me to the last page.” – Kaaron Warren, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Tide of Stone Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated independent publisher. Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive

The Isle

Author : John C. Foster
Publisher : Grey Matter Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Isle by : John C. Foster

Download or read book The Isle written by John C. Foster and published by Grey Matter Press. This book was released on with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: EXPOSE THE DARKEST OF SECRETS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD A deadly menace threatens a remote island community and every man, woman and child is in peril. Sent to the isle to collect the remains of a dead fugitive, US Marshal Virgil Bone is trapped by torrential storms. As the body count rises the community unravels, and Bone is thrust into the role of investigator. Aided by a local woman and the town pariah, he uncovers the island’s macabre past and its horrifying connection to the killings. Some curses are best believed. Sometimes the past is best left buried. And some will kill to keep it so. Praise for The Isle "With The Isle, John Foster makes a twenty-first century contribution to the tradition of the New England Gothic, taking his lawman protagonist off the coast of the mainland United States to visit a small island in the North Atlantic whose inhabitants might have settled there from one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Puritan fantasies. Himself riven by guilt over past misdeeds, U.S. Marshall Bone encounters a community on whom the sins of their ancestors continue to exert a very terrible and a very real force. Fast-moving, gripping, it's a tale straight from Old Man Atlantic's barnacled treasure chest." — John Langan, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Fisherman "Brooding and claustrophobic, one hell of a scary ride. You won't soon forget your visit to The Isle." — Tom Deady, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Haven “Dripping with claustrophobic malice, crawling with dread and otherness, The Isle is a journey into places best left alone. A chilling, disturbing, compelling tale.” — Alan Baxter, award-winning author of Devouring Dark and Manifest Recall “John Foster masterfully weaves New England folk horror into a hard-boiled murder mystery to form a wholly original and gripping novel that will keep you guessing as the dread builds like a tide rolling over the rocky shore. Strange rituals, hidden histories, and dangerous paranoia intersect on The Isle in ways that turn northeastern peculiarity into something uniquely horrific and thoroughly engrossing to read.” — Ed Kurtz, author of The Rib from Which I Remake the World and Nausea "If you’re the kind of person who seeks out hidden places with awful histories, then this book is for you. You’ll feel the damp and the chill, you’ll hear the shrieks and the inhuman mutter, you’ll see those children and their awful games. Read it in a safe place." — Karen Heuler, author of The Inner City Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated independent publisher. Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive

The Best Horror of the Year

Author : Ellen Datlow
Publisher : Start Publishing LLC
ISBN 13 : 1597806307
Total Pages : 487 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (978 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Best Horror of the Year by : Ellen Datlow

Download or read book The Best Horror of the Year written by Ellen Datlow and published by Start Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2017-07-11 with total page 487 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An elderly man aggressively defends his private domain against all comers?including his daughter;a policeman investigates an impossible horror show of a crime; a father witnesses one of the worst things a parent can imagine; the abuse of one child fuels another’s yearning; an Iraqi war veteran seeks a fellow soldier in his hometown but finds more than she bargains for . . . The Best Horror of the Year showcases the previous year’s best offerings in short fiction horror. This edition includes award-winning and critically acclaimed authors Adam L. G. Nevill, Livia Llewellyn, Peter Straub, Gemma Files, Brian Hodge, and more. For more than three decades, award-winning editor and anthologist Ellen Datlow has had her finger on the pulse of the latest and most terrifying in horror writing. Night Shade Books is proud to present the ninth volume in this annual series, a new collection of stories to keep you up at night. Table of Contents: Summation 2016 - Ellen Datlow Nesters -- Siobhan Carroll The Oestridae -- Robert Levy The Process is a Process All its Own -- Peter Straub The Bad Hour -- Christopher Golden Red Rabbit -- Steve Rasnic Tem It's All the Same Road in the End -- Brian Hodge Fury -- DB Waters Grave Goods -- Gemma Files Between Dry Ribs -- Gregory Norman Bossert The Days of Our Lives -- Adam LG Nevill House of Wonders -- C.E. Ward The Numbers -- Christopher Burns Bright Crown of Joy -- Livia Llewellyn The Beautiful Thing We Will Become -- Kristi DeMeester Wish You Were Here -- Nadia Bulkin Ragman -- Rebecca Lloyd What’s Out There? -- Gary McMahon No Matter Which Way We Turned -- Brian Evenson The Castellmarch Man -- Ray Cluley The Ice Beneath Us -- Steve Duffy On These Blackened Shores of Time -- Brian Hodge Honorable Mentions

Darkest Hours

Author : Mike Thorn
Publisher : JournalStone
ISBN 13 : 1950305856
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (53 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Darkest Hours by : Mike Thorn

Download or read book Darkest Hours written by Mike Thorn and published by JournalStone. This book was released on 2021-06-11 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between the covers of Darkest Hours, you will find academics in distress; humans abusing monsters; demons terrorizing people; ghostly reminiscences; resurrected trauma; and occult filmmaking. Ranging from satirical to dreadful, these sixteen stories share a distinct voice: urgent, sardonic, and brutal. This expanded edition includes a new foreword by Sadie Hartmann (Mother Horror) and author notes for every story describing Thorn’s process, influences, and more. This updated release also features seventeen of Thorn’s essays on horror cinema, which cover films by Tobe Hooper, George A. Romero, Rob Zombie, M. Night Shyamalan, Wes Craven, and Dario Argento, among others.

Suspended in Dusk II

Author : Simon Dewar
Publisher : Grey Matter Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Suspended in Dusk II by : Simon Dewar

Download or read book Suspended in Dusk II written by Simon Dewar and published by Grey Matter Press. This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DUSK DEFENDS THE LIGHT FROM THE DARK. SOMETIMES… Life is nothing if not constant change. And these changes force us to make terrifying choices that will lead us into either the light or the dark. Dusk is this tipping point, where things go well, or where they go very, very bad. Suspended in Dusk II continues the legacy of editor Simon Dewar's anthology series. Volume II includes the disturbing work of seventeen extremely diverse voices from the horror and speculative fiction genres. -- Teenage boys navigate the Dark Web where diabolical games of life and death await… -- A woman stalked by shadows gets answers she doesn't want to hear… -- Ghost hunters commune with malevolent spirits seeking vengeance on the living... -- A family confronts a Maori legend that's less myth and far more terrifying truth… -- A young man explores a love that continues to gnaw long after it's gone… -- A group of adults encounter childhood fears that will not die… -- And so much more. Suspended in Dusk II is introduced by Angela Slatter and includes fiction from Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Graham Jones, Bracken MacLeod, Damien Angelica Walters, Alan Baxter, Paul Tremblay, Sarah Read, Christopher Golden, Nerine Dorman, Dan Rabarts, Gwendolyn Kiste, Benjamin Knox, Annie Neugebauer, J.C. Michael, Letitia Trent, Paul Michael Anderson and Karen Runge. Confront your change. But you must first survive dusk. Praise for Suspended in Dusk II: "Simon Dewar's second installment of the series really delivers. This collection has thrown together a multitude of quality writing that begs to be read. There is darkness in the margins of each page, smudges of black ink threatening to swallow the reader when they aren't expecting," – Brian Bogart, Kendall Reviews "Suspended in Dusk II grabs you by the throat from the very first story and does not let go. I honestly can't overstate how good this anthology was. There are some very heavy topics in the stories but…not a single one is played merely for shock value or cheap emotion." – Gracie Kat, Sci-Fi & Scary "I appreciated the large amount of diversity in this book; from the foreword it became clear that individuals of all shapes of life were given the chance to contribute, and I feel that's largely absent in anthologies these days." – Red Lace Reviews Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the home of multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated volumes of horror. Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive

Manifest Recall

Author : Alan Baxter
Publisher : Grey Matter Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 127 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Manifest Recall by : Alan Baxter

Download or read book Manifest Recall written by Alan Baxter and published by Grey Matter Press. This book was released on 2018-06-26 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE NEW SUPERNATURAL THRILLER FROM THE AWARD-WINNING MASTER OF DARK FANTASY Following a psychotic break, Eli Carver finds himself on the run, behind the wheel of a car that’s not his own, and in the company of a terrified woman he doesn’t know. As layers of ugly truth are peeled back and dark secrets are revealed, the duo find themselves in a struggle for survival when they unravel a mystery that pits them against the most dangerous forces in their lives. A contemporary southern gothic thriller with frightening supernatural overtones, Alan Baxter’s Manifest Recall explores the tragic life of a hitman who finds himself on the wrong side of his criminal syndicate. Baxter’s adrenaline-fueled approach to storytelling draws readers into Eli Carver’s downward spiral of psychosis and through the darkest realms of lost memories, human guilt and the insurmountable quest for personal redemption. Praise for Alan Baxter and Manifest Recall: “If you like crime/noir horror hybrids, check out Alan Baxter's Manifest Recall. It's a fast, gritty, mind-f*ck.” – Paul Tremblay, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts “Manifest Recall grabs you by the scruff of the neck from word one and doesn't let go. It's fast paced, bad people doing bad things to other bad people. I gobbled it down in two nights. You should, too. Highly recommended!” – John F.D. Taff, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The End in All Beginnings “Alan Baxter’s fiction is dark, disturbing, hard-hitting and heart-breakingly honest. He reflects on worlds known and unknown with compassion, and demonstrates an almost second-sight into human behaviour.” – Kaaron Warren, Shirley Jackson Award-winner and author of The Grief Hole “Alan Baxter is an accomplished storyteller who ably evokes magic and menace.” – Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase “Alan’s work is reminiscent of that of Clive Barker and Jim C. Hines, but with a unique flavour all of its own.” – Angela Slatter, World Fantasy, British Fantasy and Aurealis Award winner Grey Matter Press, the multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated independent publisher, is proud to present one of the best supernatural thrillers of the year. Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive

The Wish Mechanics

Author : Daniel Braum
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9788899569525
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (695 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Wish Mechanics by : Daniel Braum

Download or read book The Wish Mechanics written by Daniel Braum and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take a walk on the wild side, through the twilight zone of dark and dangerous and dangerously personal terrain of Daniel Braum's short stories. Navigate impossible worlds and hidden corners of our own with damaged men and women seeking love and transcendence. There is heartache, loss, and stark poignant truths in the dark places these stories fearlessly venture, but also magic, mystery, beauty and wonder. Do you dare to dream? Do you dare to make a wish? Find out just who are the Wish Mechanics before answering. Braum effortlessly blends horror, science-fiction, and fantasy in his unique style and vision that transcends genre. Dark, literary, weird-fiction stories such as How To Make Love and Not Turn to Stone operate with the Night Time Logic of Robert Aickman. The vivid, exotic settings evoke the majestic prose of Braum's literary hero Lucius Shepard. The genre blending fantasy and science fiction of The Canopy Crawlers and Tea in the Sahara channel "the anything can happen spiri"t of the late, great grandmaster Tanith Lee.

Uglyville

Author : Sawney Hatton
Publisher : Dark Park Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9780988644458
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (444 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Uglyville by : Sawney Hatton

Download or read book Uglyville written by Sawney Hatton and published by Dark Park Publishing. This book was released on 2015-08 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meet Verona Cassidy. Dysfunctional. Delusional. Disturbed. When the 15-year-old misfit sees the strikingly handsome garbageman outside her bedroom window, it's love at first sight. But love doesn't always look back the same way. That won't stop Verona from winning his heart... at any cost. Sometimes people get used. Sometimes people get hurt. Sometimes people die. Presented by acclaimed author Sawney Hatton (DEAD SIZE), UGLYVILLE is the story of dark deeds and pathological passion, about how far this fille fatale will go to have her Hollywood ending.

Mysteries of Hawai'i

Author : Lopaka Kapanui
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 110 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (217 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Mysteries of Hawai'i by : Lopaka Kapanui

Download or read book Mysteries of Hawai'i written by Lopaka Kapanui and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-14 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many people who live outside the island state don't realize that, like anywhere else, many places in Hawai'i are very haunted, perhaps more so. Local residents seem to take Hawaii's hauntings as a part of everyday life. Lopaka Kapanui is Hawaii's "Ghost Guy" who collects and shares the ghost stories of Hawai'i.Na Mo'olelo Lapu is a collection of ghost stories from different people who have lived in Hawai'i long enough to have experienced their own hauntings personally. From an old woman who longs for her lost child and a Royal Princess who has been known to make a ghostly appearance, to an old Hawaiian man in a former hospital and a regal man who died in a tragic accident, Kapanui shares a myriad of stories of the ghosts of different cultures who all lived, and died, in Hawai'i.Some of the tales are the author's own experiences while others have been shared by those who were haunted. All of them are true as told by everyday people.

Sleeping with the Monster

Author : Anya Martin
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781590217009
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Sleeping with the Monster by : Anya Martin

Download or read book Sleeping with the Monster written by Anya Martin and published by . This book was released on 2018-11-03 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twelve horrors are disguised as love in Anya Martin's collection of the weird, the strange, and the haunting. Fans of Frankenstein and historical tales of the dark fantastical will enjoy her craft, which shows that some men are beasts, and some women uncover the means to defeat monsters.

Project ELE

Author : Rebecca Gober
Publisher : Clean Teen Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 291 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Project ELE by : Rebecca Gober

Download or read book Project ELE written by Rebecca Gober and published by Clean Teen Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Obake Files

Author : Glen Grant
Publisher : Mutual Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781566472241
Total Pages : 454 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (722 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Obake Files by : Glen Grant

Download or read book Obake Files written by Glen Grant and published by Mutual Publishing. This book was released on 1999-02 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

This Is Pleasure

Author : Mary Gaitskill
Publisher : Pantheon
ISBN 13 : 1524749141
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (247 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis This Is Pleasure by : Mary Gaitskill

Download or read book This Is Pleasure written by Mary Gaitskill and published by Pantheon. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Starting with Bad Behavior in the 1980s, Mary Gaitskill has been writing about gender relations with searing, even prophetic honesty. In This Is Pleasure, she considers our present moment through the lens of a particular #MeToo incident. The effervescent, well-dressed Quin, a successful book editor and fixture on the New York arts scene, has been accused of repeated unforgivable transgressions toward women in his orbit. But are they unforgivable? And who has the right to forgive him? To Quin’s friend Margot, the wrongdoing is less clear. Alternating Quin’s and Margot’s voices and perspectives, Gaitskill creates a nuanced tragicomedy, one that reveals her characters as whole persons—hurtful and hurting, infuriating and touching, and always deeply recognizable. Gaitskill has said that fiction is the only way that she could approach this subject because it is too emotionally faceted to treat in the more rational essay form. Her compliment to her characters—and to her readers—is that they are unvarnished and real. Her belief in our ability to understand them, even when we don’t always admire them, is a gesture of humanity from one of our greatest contemporary writers.