Dark Corners Collection: Books Five, Six, and Seven

Miao Dao by Joyce Carol Oates

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Mia is a fourteen-year-old girl whose life has been turned upside down by the divorce of her parents. It does not help that she is also going through puberty and the kids at school are noticing, and her friends are starting to push away from her because she is “weird.” The cherry on top of the cake is that her mom is getting married again to a guy that she cannot stand and does not trust. Her only form of consolation is the colony of feral cats in the lot behind her house. When the township comes and destroys the lot and takes away the strays, Mia thinks that life is now unbearable. But when she discovers a snow white kitten with black eyes that is still alive, she brings it home. The cat is named Miao Dao, and she only likes Mia. But the cat also has instilled Mia with the faith in herself to not put up with any mans shit. It may have also instilled in her murderess capabilities.

What is scary about Miao Dao is the complete possibility of it. Every girl going through puberty has to deal with unwanted looks that they have never before had to deal with. They have to deal with the kids at school making fun of them for these changes, bumping against their new hips and breasts on purpose, the cat calls. It may not be to the extremes that Mia faced, or it may be worse, but this is a reality for young girls. It is also not outside the realm of possibility for a girl to have to deal with her new stepfather, or even mom's new boyfriend, making advances on them, even if their mother is right there. I did not see Mia being the murderer of the high school boy. But I am annoyed that she did not say anything for fear of being made fun of. I know that that is probably what would have happened, but Mia as a character makes a lot of assumptions throughout the story, and most of them have no basis, and she never stands up for herself. When she finally does, it results in the death of a teenager. If she had said something when the comments started, the chances of that happening would have decreased. That being said, I do not blame her for going after her step father. Maybe it is double standards, but the teenager had a chance of changing his behavior; a 40-year-old man does not have that same chance. 

Rating: 6/10

Author: Joyce Carol Oates

Series: Dark Corners

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

Dates Read: October 31-November 1, 2018

The Remedy by Adam Haslett

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Derrick is at the end of his rope. He has seen so many doctors and had so many treatments for this pain he feels, but after all of these years, he has not made any progress. His pain is his identity now. Then one day a friend tells him about this new doctor. He has only had two appointments with her, but his life has changed. She is extremely expensive, but she is worth it. Derrick decides that it would not hurt. After his first appointment with her, he feels better. She asked questions he has never been asked before, she said things in a different way from other professionals. He cannot wait to go back to her. He believes that she has the remedy he has spent his life looking for. But at what cost?

The story started out so strong. The doctor clearly has some sort of hypnotic ability. I knew the other shoe would fall. I knew that Derrick was going to have to give up something big. I thought the doctor would turn out to be the Devil and he would have to sell his soul, or something along those line. However, for me, the ending was a complete let down, and left me with a lot of questions that will never be answered.

Rating: 5/10
Author: Adam Haslett
Series: Dark Corners
Genres: Horror, Short Stories
Dates Read: November 1, 2018

Oak Avenue by Brandi Reeds

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Ana and Edison have moved back to Edisons hometown after purchasing the house that he has loved since he was a child. It is a beautiful, old Victorian that went through a horrible renovation in the 70s and needs a lot of work. Edison is always back in New York working, leaving Ana to take care of their toddler alone while overseeing the renovation to return the house to its former glory. But when an old door is unearthed while digging up a tree, strange things begin to happen in the house, and to Edison when he returns for the weekend. No one in this small town seems to believe her, or want to get to know her, despite their love for "Eddie," as the townsfolk call him. Ana is hearing voices, things are falling over, the house being destroyed; and to top it off, now Edison has become abusive. What happened in this house to cause this haunting, and why does it seem to always peak on Thursday night?

Oak Avenue was probably my favorite in the collection, and it definitely has the most scare factor out of all seven of the books. For me, it has all of the classic markers of a scary story. Slow build up, isolated main character who is under a lot of stress, creepy old house with mysterious back story. Reeds definitely did not try to reinvent the wheel, and it worked in her favor. And just like the best ghost stories, it ends with a mystery.

Rating: 8/10
Author: Brandi Reeds
Series: Dark Corners
Genres: Horror, Short Stories
Dates Read: November 1, 2018