Hi everyone,
I have one last short story for you this month, and I think it’s the creepiest one I’ve shared so far. Today I’m reviewing Alice Sola Kim’s “Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying,” which is the last story in the Monstrous Affections collection.
This is the story of three close friends, all adoptees from Korean descent, who use a mysterious spell to contact the spirit world. Unhappy and confused by their family lives, the girls become attached to a spirit who calls itself their mother. Yet, “Mom” is not what she seems and finding a family and sense of belonging might be harder than the girls ever expected.
So, I have a pretty high tolerance for creepy things, but demonic possess is definitely moving toward a direction that freaks me out a little more. I wouldn’t call this “keep me up at night” scary, but I do think this story is the most potentially triggering of all those I’ve reviewed this month with pretty serious family issues and the increasing power of this malevolent spirit. My favorite part about this story was actually the writing style; I think the narration is really well done. At first, I found I was a little confused because the narrator never seemed to be introduced. As the story continued and I found myself caught up in the story, I completely forgot my confusion – until I reached the very end and realized what had happened. This story was a quick read that really sucks the reader into the page, perfect for a Halloween read!
About Monstrous Affections:
Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales
Edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant
Genre: Short Stories, Young Adult
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2014
Pages: 467
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed from Public Library
For more information: //candlewick.com/cat.asp?mode=book&isbn=0763664731&browse=Title
I’ve really enjoyed reading this collection this month. Although I’ve only selected three short stories to review, there are quite a few others by great authors, including Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, M.T. Anderson, and Patrick Ness. There’s also a “graphic short story” by Kathleen Jennings, which I thought was a really exciting addition to the collection. Have you read Monstrous Affections? Which story was your favorite?
Did you enjoy this month’s short story collection snapshot? Let us know if you’d like to see more!
And of course, happy Halloween!
Julia
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This is an extremely funny and extremely terrifying story about friendship and warped mother-daughter relationships. It also does strange things with POV; the difference in who we think is speaking and who is actually speaking
keeps shifting. There are many lessons of craft here, but actually every time I read this story, I am just in complete and total awe of Alice Sola Kim’s imagination. First published by Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales, 2014, Republished by Tin House, 2018. Read online here
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Title: Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying Title Record # 1871159
Author: Alice Sola Kim
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: SHORTFICTION
Length: short story
Language: English
Note: Per copyright credit in The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year: Volume Nine, "Copyright 2014 Alice Sola Kim. Originally published in Tin House #61."
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Publications
Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales | 2014-09-00 | ed. Gavin J. Grant, Kelly Link | Candlewick Press | 978-0-7636-6473-2 | $22.99?$: US dollar | xi+ 467 | hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size. | anth | Yuko Shimizu | |
Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales | 2014-09-00 | ed. Gavin J. Grant, Kelly Link | Candlewick Press | 978-0-7636-7085-6 | xi+ 467 | ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF. | anth | Yuko Shimizu | ||
The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year: Volume Nine | 2015-05-12 | ed. Jonathan Strahan | Solaris | 978-1-78108-309-3 | $19.99?$: US dollar | 609 | tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep. | anth | Dominic Harman | |
The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year: Volume Nine | 2015-05-12 | ed. Jonathan Strahan | Solaris | 978-1-84997-910-8 | $7.99?$: US dollar | ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF. | anth | Dominic Harman | ||
The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year: Volume Nine | 2015-05-21 | ed. Jonathan Strahan | Solaris | 978-1-78108-308-6 | �12.99?�: UK pound | 609 | tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep. | anth | Dominic Harman | |
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2015 | 2015-06-23 | ed. Paula Guran | Prime Books | 978-1-60701-454-6 | $19.95?$: US dollar | 569 | tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep. | anth | NKMandic | |
Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales | 2019-08-13 | ed. Gavin J. Grant, Kelly Link | Candlewick Press | 978-1-5362-0641-8 | $14.99?$: US dollar | 480 | tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep. | anth | Yuko Shimizu | |
Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales | 2019-10-03 | ed. Gavin J. Grant, Kelly Link | Walker Books (UK) | 978-1-4063-8975-3 | �9.99?�: UK pound | 480 | tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep. | anth | Yuko Shimizu |
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