It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on the death of an animal, animal cruelty, substance abuse, suicide, graphic depictions of death, body decomposition, psychological distress, child abuse, parental neglect,  & others.

In the world of books, all things are true—all can be real. A book is a mystery holding the discarded fingerprints of those lonely dearly departed readers; it is a swamp of the cantankerous empyrean. Every story within this collection is a sweetly devious reminder of all the wonders held within the pages of a book. They remind the reader that safety in the imaginary is untrue—false security—we cannot escape the things we seek to hide from, they are there in the inky blotches of words once a seeping serpent of a thought, slithering through the mind of the author.

The Skin of Her Teeth :
Gloria Grossman is a literary agent in New York City, she is in her forties & has no time for any sidetracks; no clients who deal with addiction, no persons derailed in their pursuits. Gloria is a person who is focused to the point of jeopardizing her own life & relationships. In David McElroy she sees the pay-day of her dreams. The screenwriter has been charged with adapting the highly popularized novel by John Fish, a project that has been in the works for longer than Gloria is aware of but which is to be met with its end before she has the chance to believe in the supernatural phenomena hidden in the words long ago written by the polarizing author himself. 

There is something truly superb about Malfi’s writing that hooks me immediately. I found myself wondering how I was going to find Gloria’s character a comfort in this sad story about the collapse of the mental state that keeps us tethered in this realm of reality—the collective federation of the human species. Her character is at once someone the reader realizes they have no choice but to follow, as she is the main character in this short story, while simultaneously highlighting herself as an individual who seems to lack any apparent abilities to empathize with others. All the while, the writing style employed in this story kept me wanting to read; longing to know if Gloria might grant David some reprieve. 

When Gloria arrives at David’s house in the secluded woods, his special place for working/writing, she comes upon the man in a state of duress. A normal reaction to this scene, or what one might hope from their fellow human being, would be the approach of kindness as David has evidently experienced some lapse in fortitude. Though Gloria assumes that David has had a substance abuse relapse, it is unfair to assume that this is undeniably true. It seems that Gloria wants to see the worst in people come to fruition so that she can move on without having to put forward any due diligence. 

Do not mistake me, I do not think it is anyone’s responsibility to carry another person, no matter the circumstances, one’s own person must be responsible for one’s own healing process—whatsoever this might mean & entail. However, Gloria throws relationships to the side in a plight to see her ultimate goal achieved. We see this play out in her actions towards Rebecca, her partner. Why does she always feel the need to lie? Why lie regarding a situation you proclaim to have no patience to dabble in? Ultimately, she gets none of what she destructively sought. 

I truly adored this story because it holds so many wonderful aspects of traditional, old horror. The grime that goops from the pages of the book, collapsing other entities to its will; the rancid smell of fluids seeping through the floor in an invisible fury; the antiquated bookshop; the morbid cast of characters; a tail spinning of gore & violence all leading to an end that sees the story hold no resolution, the demon lives on, forever. 

The Dark Brother’s Last Ride :
Danny Drake is also known as Danny ‘Dark’ to those who deal with him professionally. As something of a glamorized courier for the wanderers of shadowed corners, Danny has never escaped the detriment inflicted on him & his younger brother, Tommy, by their scaly abusive father. As a man in his thirties, Danny has acclimated himself to a life lived in a realm of ‘in-between’, never truly here nor there; somewhat transitioning between the parts of his life that he leans on to move forward. The capstone of all his shelters crumbles as both he & Tommy partake in one last ride together under the guise of delivering a very rare & valuable book. 

Danny is a character that a person can feel tethered to, similar to how he might feel towards Tommy. Though one knows & acknowledges that his chosen profession is one that deals with the very unseemly aspect of human society, Danny appears to the reader as a moral compass across a desolate land. His character does not read as someone who necessarily revels in the actions he undertakes but rather, he is acting out of habit. This is seen during instances of recollection where Danny’s childhood memories flood the page in a deluge of horror; chased from his bed by a firearm-wielding father, strung-out on drugs, screeching about secrecy to his young children who have come to know nothing but terror at the hands of their only living parent. 

Once again, Malfi has broached the reality between the fictional & non-fictional worlds to create a story that doubles as a marvel of sorrow. Not unlike the ‘other world’ in which Choptank awaits the delivery of the valued book, our own society is plagued by the shifting tenures of powers unbeknownst to the masses; sequestering identities through tender practice, overthrown tantrums, & perilous intentions. The abusive past that haunts Danny is one aspect of an otherwise jigsaw puzzle of morbid encounters the main character packs away in his anamnesis. 

I particularly appreciated the resurgence of characters such as the troubled & umbrous George Lee Poach, as well as the vernacularly particular bookshop keeper known as Finter. Their appearances, though still tertiary in nature, brought a level of realism into this story, one that highlighted the base that was being upheld by hosting this story in such a nestled section of palpability. There are, certainly, aspects of this story that led me to wonder about the level of consistency, such as the gas level in the vehicle. However, this never took away from my enjoyment of the story. Rather, it brought a tinge of weightiness to the possibility that there could be other realms cozy & secretive, next to our own. 

There will remain an aspect of me that feels sadness about Tommy’s death; a person who was simply never given the basis to live a life unplagued by the haunted figure of his demented father. I feel a tenderness towards him, similar to the one I have for Danny, as I view them both as figures stuck in the tar fields of their memories, cursed into the repetition of cataclysmic behaviours that distance themselves from each other & from the world. 

This Book Belongs To Olo :
Bartholomew (Olo) Tiptree is nine (9) years old, about to be ten (10) on the upcoming Saturday. Dawning his plastic clown face mask he stands ominously at the periphery of the local playground, watching all the other children interact. On this day, he hands them invitation cards to attend his birthday party—one that promises great surprises, prizes, & fun. However much the other children verbally accost him, Olo remains stoic, wearing a smile that could offtrack a train. Though these other children laugh & taunt Olo for things outside of his control—a dauntingly wealthy house on the hill, homeschooling, personal finance—they make their way to the house in which people have gone missing, only to be hidden in between the spot that marks a biological match to the world in which we all roam.

This story is difficult for me to review because it was my least favourite. This is not to say that it’s a bad story, only, that I didn’t much care for Olo & felt certain that there was no conclusive manner in which everyone might escape the dual realm he had fostered within the walls of Helix House. While reading this story I began to feel that it was very long & I wondered why we should be reading about Olo’s parental guardians so much when they mattered, seemingly, not at all. Did I think that his mother deserved to lose a child? Certainly not. However, I truly felt nothing towards her person nor did I seek to see her receive reprieve for what one might assume she may (or may not) be feeling.

Perhaps this is the point. Perhaps throughout this story, I was meant to feel as disconnected as Olo; troubled by the home life that sought to actively seclude him from the society that might have accepted his quirks—as we all have some aspects of our person which are truly bizarre—I felt pained with sadness for the child who never got the chance to develop. Yet, here was this same child committing atrocities in the hopes of finding himself, finally, surrounded by people who would not abandon him, who would remain as constant as the interminable clock that ticks all throughout our lives. Can I blame him for that? I don’t think so. It’s not that I actively seek to humanize the outlandish so much as I cannot rightfully look at this character & say that I believe they were capable of anything other than what they were doing.

I found the aspects of claustrophobia & entrapment particularly morbid—I appreciated their presence within the story very much. The resurgence of characters from other stories, seeping through various worlds as the baseball that Peyton threw into the glass window that knocked onto the roof of the Dark brother’s car; the literary agent; the versed section of the manuscript. I acknowledge that what sticks out in this story the most are the aspects that render it ambiguous. Does Olo’s mother have a similar ability? Is that why some people connected so strongly to an almost realistic Detective from her crime novels? Will Olo ever escape the ‘other world’? What awaits him & his mannequin friends in the universe of The Cleaner & his world-bending books?

Even having written that this was possibly my least favourite of the stories, I cannot fully believe that statement fulfills the definition of the category. Here I am remembering how otherworldly it felt reading a story where the simple picture book of a child catapulted them into a place where they knew no harm & where their actions were not ripening mouldy avocados under a blazing sun; Olo was simply a child within the mist. I cannot decide how I feel because I find myself reflecting on the absurd ways in which the characters were snatched from their freedoms. Most of all, I replay the entombment of Olo’s stepfather who will live in a mouse’s crypt for all of eternity.

The Story :
What becomes of the parts of our life that we leave behind? Are our actions stagnant in a zone of redundancy where they experience scenes in abundance, without making their way with us to the present? Though there are parts of Grady he chose to leave in the past, he finds himself faced with the inability to change what he’s done; languidly looming the concavity of his conscious mind while his body rolls him through another set of circumstances, demanding of him once again to make a life altering decision he can never take back. Grady is introduced to the reader as he sips a drink amongst a crowd in New York City. His former co-worker, Sammy, calls him in a panic; vomiting the news that Taryn has died by suicide. What follows is a mental bend in perception that results in Grady dying in a similar fashion.

Should I be asked, I might say that this was my favourite of all the stories within this book. I found Grady’s character to be particularly vivid; the traits that formed his person were quite overbearing whilst simultaneously allowing him to be a smeared bug’s body on an overheated windshield. His descent into ‘madness’—shall we say, or perhaps into the confines of his own regret—reveal itself slowly. At first glance, he appears to be a person who was able to move forward, even with the presence of recollection, a determined insouciance. Yet, all the while he was replaying scenes in his mind, acting out moments he desired to forget. What made Grady the perfect auctioneer of ‘The Story’ was indeed his ability to gauge his losses with great fortitude while remaining a victim of the sway of life as a drowned rock in a lowly riverbed.

It was shocking to see the “Choose Your Own Adventure Series” (1979) come into play, especially given the heavy hand technology plays in our world. I appreciated that ‘The Story’ was something that found the reader, seemingly removing the reader’s ability to actually choose their adventure & instead the premise chooses its actors. I am a sucker for concepts such as the one presented in this book. When a piece of nostalgia is presented to me in such a gruesome way I cannot help but become enamoured with the medium; what more is there to horror than to remind us of our proximity to the reality found within the pages?

As always I remain grateful to Malfi for taking the time to write such pointedly macabre stories. Brimmed with aged dedication & devilish prose. This particular story brings the reader to their own personal reflection in a pool of blue lagoons & entices them to drown in a monsoon of their own tears; wailing drearily into the abyss of all the unsaid words, ghostly desires, & second thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, & Ronald Malfi for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

As mentioned in the acknowledgements, this is a series of four short stories that deal with haunted books, haunted writers, and the power of the written word.

I was in the mood for a collection of short stories so when one of my buddies mentioned Malfi has a new book on Netgalley, I couldn’t request it fast enough! I really enjoyed each one. I’m such a fan of his writing style and this was no exception. These were so spooky and I had literal goosebumps at some parts. My least favorite story was The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride (still good though) but I really can’t decide which was my favorite of the other 3, they were all equally good. Not only were they linked thematically, but they each mentioned similar characters and I thought that was an incredibly neat touch. This is going to be the perfect read for Spooky season when it’s released! Highly recommend if you’re a fan of horror novellas.

LOVED THIS SO MUCH! I am not a novella or short story fan but I couldn't pass up Ronald Malfi as he has recently become a FAV. I can say truly enjoyed all four of these short stories - maybe because they centered around a single theme - haunted books!

In The Skin of Her Teeth, a novel seems to be cursed (or haunted!) In The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride, an easy job for a underground contact becomes a matter of life and death, in This Book Belongs to Olo, an only child, forgotten by his parents and finds solace in a very special book he creates. Finally, in maybe my favorite, The Story, an old-school "choose your own adventure" book includes very dangerous consequences for the wrong decisions.

All four novellas are great and related by this common thread yet so different. I just might read them again now! If you like your horror stories to keep you guessing, if you love haunted books, or just want to try a new and uniquely talented horror author, Ghostwritten is for you!