Things Withered by Susie Moloney

It's Women in Horror Month! So far the only horror I've been able to squeeze in is Susie Moloney's collection Things Withered, which was released in December by ChiZine. Honestly, though, if it's the only horror I get in in February at least it was the good stuff!

Having read Moloney's The Thirteen, it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise that her collection is  fairly suburban focused. These tales make you wonder how well you know your neighbors, your friends, and even your family. Even knowing that, you'll find Moloney is particularly adept at surprising you - just when you think you know what to expect, she's guaranteed to turn the story on its head.

In "The Windemere" a realtor makes a startling discovery about her new neighbors. In "Wife" a woman tries desperately to hide her true nature from her husband. For a mother and her son, a weekend outing becomes deadly in "Petty Zoo." One man drives himself mad with fear of death in "Poor David, or, The Possibility of Coincidence in Situations of Multiple Occurrences." And anyone whose experienced it will sympathize with the poor girl in "The Audit."

With these tales and more, Moloney explores the ultimate fears and potential darkness that live behind closed doors - or even within us all!

A few of my personal favorites include:

"The Windemere," is the perfect start to the collection, setting an overall excellent tone. But it's the end of this story that really proved to be the so called cherry on top.

"The Last Living Summer," a little glimpse of the end of the world maybe?

"Reclamation on the Forest Floor," a dark gem of a tale that takes friendly rivalry to the next level.

"The Neighborhood, or, To the Devil With You," because evil isn't always what you expect it to be.

Win a Copy of The Thirteen by Susie Moloney

I think I've expressed my love of witchy books here before, but I'll continue to do so as long as folks continue to write them. Like all books and all kinds of characters, there are so many different angles. Witches can be evil or altruistic, they can be manipulative and sneaky, or they can be mild tricksters. There's an array of possibilities. 

So what do you get when you combine Desperate Housewife-esque suburbanites with devil worshipping witchcraft? The Thirteen by Susie Moloney of course!

Paula's mother sent her away from Haven Woods over a decade ago. Now, broke and jobless, she and her twelve-year-old daughter have received word that Paula's mother is very sick. And so Paula drags her daughter back to her hometown for a visit. While there, Paula runs into some old acquaintances, including a possible new love interest. But Paula should beware Have Woods. Something dark has been waiting for Paula to return. Something that will put both her and her daughter in grave danger. 

Moloney has an interesting style, throwing in character's inner thoughts in between the regular narrative. It's an interesting layer added to the story itself even if it is used sparingly. It's an element that makes Moloney unique, at least in my reading experience. 

The Thirteen is dark and twisted indeed, but also has a sharp and sarcastic tone that makes it an utterly delicious read. And though this is not Moloney's debut, nor is it her first release stateside, it is my introduction to Moloney's work and I do hope that it will be the first of many new releases from her. In the meantime, I've got a backlist copy of The Dwelling currently waiting in my TBR stack. 

The Thirteen is out now in paperback.  

Ooh, ooh! I almost forgot. I have a copy of The Thirteen to give away! If you want to throw your name in the hat, leave me a comment below with a way to get in touch with you. I'll draw a name on April 30. (US only please)