Perfect Summer Nights

Thankfully the weather in this heat dome has cooled down a bit, and last night it was actually perfect. We both sat on the sofa and worked on some writing with the back door open so that the breeze could come in. For a few moments, I just listened to the fading cry of the cicadas and the growing chirp of the crickets. The cats watched the insects. There was a moon in the distant treetops.

A lot has been happening and we’ve really struggled with yard care this year, but it’s been a blessing in the sense of the backyard and its wildlife. I have never heard so many cicadas, and seen so many happy birds. I’m trying to cling to that in the moments that feel like so much of an uphill struggle. It reassures me that life will get better and I won’t always feel the way I do now.

It’s Halloween in August!

It’s that time of year again! It’s August, and in honour of my lovely spouse’s favourite holiday, I will be reviewing some spooky books as we slowly change over the house’s décor to the leaves and spiderwebs that mean autumn is coming — which means birthdays and apple picking and some great seasonal television. (As an aside, we are huge fans of Food Network’s Halloween Wars and Halloween Baking Championship.)

This year, I’ve decided to do something a bit different with my reviews. I’m going to feature some contemporary female-written horror in August and save the more classical selection for October when I revisit spooky literature. Part of loving old literature is being excited for new literature too, and I decided to start with the evolution of the horror short story as evinced in Mariana Enríquez’s A Sunny Place for Shady People (Un lugar soleado para gente sombríaby)!

The Spooky Short Story

The horror genre is one that relies heavily on the short story both as a vehicle for evolution of the style and to deliver the impact that hopefully leads to shivers on the part of the reader. It’s short stories that I think are the true expression of what the origins of the horror story were — sitting around a fire, in cozy surroundings, telling loved ones spooky tall tales in order to spookify.

I’ve reviewed a lot of short story collections over the years and there are several masters of the form including Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Marjorie Bowen. Mariana Enríquez takes their style and pushes it to the modern edge. Particularly like Bowen, Enríquez loves a twist ending, and ghosts and horrors found in unlikely places. Her narratives are haunting and leave the reader both wanting more and afraid to ask for it. Enríquez also never fails to bring social commentary into her narratives, which is truly the best part of modern horror literature.

My particular favourite from this collection is ‘The Refrigerator Cemetery’, but all of these are so excellent.

The Right Mood

While the social commentary is partially what makes these stories great, I will warn that this might not be the collection to read when you happen to be in a low mood. I would also recommend not reading it all at once. I find, with Enríquez’s work, I have to wait until I am in the right mood for it in order for it to have the impact it clearly is meant to have without it overwhelming me.

If you’ve seen Isao Takahata’s masterpiece The Grave of the Fireflies, you know what I’m talking about. I love that film, but I have to be careful about when I watch it and be aware of when I will be far too devastated by it. Though there is always some devastation, because it’s Grave of the Fireflies and that devastation is absolutely Takahata’s intention and what makes it a brilliant film.

But There Will be More Heat Soon

As much as last night was perfect, I know that the heat will be returning soon. Because it’s just the beginning of August and that’s the way the summer goes. We’ve had so much to do that the summer is passing quickly, and I’m trying to look forward to fall. Winter is still a bit scary since we had some extreme weather last year.

But I have been trying to obsess over forecasts less and just try to trust that things will be okay and if they are not, I can handle it in the moment.