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angethology's review against another edition
3.75
When it comes to people staying in toxic households, people often pose the question "but why didn't you just leave?" This anthology explores this, and the concept of one's attachment to a home — whether they want it or not. The answer to that question appears in various, nefarious stories with either a supernatural undertone, or sometimes full-blown, Amityville-type hauntings. I adore the varied stories as well as styles in the book. Besides the typical notion of a home luring you in, the anthology also focuses on how other places can be home, and how others try to make their place of residence a home despite all the other signs it's not: "There was no place like home. Because it was worse outside. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper."
Some of the stories are nostalgic to me and reminiscent of the cathartic horror I used to read years ago, like the choose-your-own-adventure format in "No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door" by Corey Farrenkopf, which reminds me of Goosebumps. Other stories incorporate a current online subculture such as the final "AITA for Setting My Dad's Trailer on Fire" story by Max Booth III. My personal favorites are "Your Application to Vacata 372 Wicker Avenue Is Still Pending" bySteve Loiaconi, "The Spirit Bed" by Eden Royce, "The Walls in This House" by Lyndsey Croal, and "Mother Nature Knows Best" by Tonia Ransom. Whether toxic relationships, domestic issues, or being under the throes of capitalism, there's a story for everyone that unfortunately might hit home.
Some of the stories are nostalgic to me and reminiscent of the cathartic horror I used to read years ago, like the choose-your-own-adventure format in "No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door" by Corey Farrenkopf, which reminds me of Goosebumps. Other stories incorporate a current online subculture such as the final "AITA for Setting My Dad's Trailer on Fire" story by Max Booth III. My personal favorites are "Your Application to Vacata 372 Wicker Avenue Is Still Pending" bySteve Loiaconi, "The Spirit Bed" by Eden Royce, "The Walls in This House" by Lyndsey Croal, and "Mother Nature Knows Best" by Tonia Ransom. Whether toxic relationships, domestic issues, or being under the throes of capitalism, there's a story for everyone that unfortunately might hit home.
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