Reviews

Every Woman Knows This: A Horror Collection by Laurel Hightower

_ashton_reads_'s review

4.0

I love the feminist horror in this anthology and am shook it doesn’t have more ratings and reviews!!!

twilliamson's review

5.0

Hightower continues to build on her reputation as a master storyteller with her first collection of short fiction, Every Woman Knows This. Full of frightening tales centered on the experience of being a woman, the collection doesn't hold any punches in exposing the ugly truths of the way women are marginalized, objectified, misrepresented, or mistreated by modern society. Although many of the stories here collected focus on transgressions against women, Hightower serves up dialectical readings in which women as often transgress against what is expected of them, such that her characters always read as complex, vivid individuals capable and vulnerable all at once.

It's a real credit to Hightower's craft that every story reads as highly polished, effective horror, full of suspense and daring. On many occasions, I felt my gut wrench at Hightower's prose or in anticipation of what's to come later on the page. Her stories have a way of creeping up on you, of disarming you with intimate character interactions before plunging a dagger into your chest.

This collection feels like an overture to Hightower's work, a fitting prelude to the complex themes and issues she explores through her fiction. If anyone is interested in seeing why she is the voice to follow in indie horror, Every Woman Knows This isn't so much a résumé of Hightower's skill as it is the trumpet announcement of Hightower's arrival.

amy_da1sy's review

4.0

Some very incredible stories

ngallegos87's review

5.0

Hightower has done it again! This collection of shorts was thought provoking, beautifully written, and delightfully spooky. Pick up your copy, you will NOT be disappointed.

the_coycaterpillar_reads's review

5.0

Nothing makes me love horror more than when I’m reading a kick ass horror collection featuring some of the strongest, and yet frightening female main characters to ever grace the fictional page. Laurel Hightower opens the door hesitantly on your darkest nightmares. She knows the dark depravity that awaits you inside and yet she still welcomes you on a wicked laugh. It makes you nervous, each step full of trepidation and yet both curiosity and morbid fascination makes you put one foot in front of the other. Stories of womanhood with a particularly nasty bite – Serial Killers, of female exploitation, haunted books that tell the future and creature features alike.

The Bride Wore Black, Victorian era in its sense of storytelling is about a woman who goes back to her hometown after her Grandfather’s wake. Claudia is looking for something very special – a book, that is a mere haunting memory. Her parent’s tried to explain away its existence. When she finally sets her eyes on it again it paints a particularly bloody memory of her childhood and that things that transpired as a result of it. This was one of my favourite stories in the collection. The old time feel of it had me gripped and had a very Insidious undertone.

The Midwife, scared the crap out of me and in equal measure made me angry. Really, I shouldn’t be surprised that Laurel Hightower would write about the horrors of parenthood. This story was dystopian in nature, and I should’ve kept that firmly at the front of my mind instead of focussing so much on the heart-breaking nature. We all know that giving birth is hard, right? Right, imagine having to do it in relative silence in fear of a what I imagined as a reptilian midwife coming to steal away both yours and your babies screams? That first initial joyous moment of hearing your baby scream is both one of pure relief and happiness. Imagine having that stolen from you?

The Little Head, essentially a cautionary tale about what I took as being focussed on body dysmorphia. All women have been there, we’ve all looked in the mirror and not liked what we’ve seen at one point or another in our lives. What would our bodies say to us if they could talk? If they could let us know about the hurt they’ve inflicted upon them…food for thought.

Hooking Up, this was my favourite story mainly because I love a good serial killer story. A story of a killer with a deadly hook going from state to state is an urban legend we’re all familiar with but the spin on this story will shock you to your core.

All the words within Every Woman Knows This had such a profound effect on me that I immediately purchased a physical copy, I needed this one my shelf. It’s the kind of collection that punches you in the stomach with a veracious force. Embrace the darkness, you might just find a home there.

paulataua's review

3.0

Laurel Hightower’s recently released short story collection. I got into Hightower when I read ‘Crossroads’ and then was really knocked out with her recent longer piece ‘Below’, so I just had to get this. The stories are OK and do deal with important issues that would most likely resonate more with a different reader. For me, however, they lack bite. I could read three or four stories, one after the other, and not really remember them later the same day. Suddenly, however, a knock out story would turn up and I would think wow, but then the next few would again be a little flat. There are about twenty stories of which three were great, fifteen were OK, and a couple that I didn’t rate much.

bookwyrm55's review

4.0

In this collection of short stories, themed toward issues that plague women, family, parenthood, violence (from men, and others) are all on display. Hightower holds back no punches, and the symmetry of the collection, longer stories broken up by a series of flash pieces and vignettes, flows smoothly. Possibly the best story in the book is one of the longest, "Starman," blending dark science fiction with guilt and the fight not to repeat the sins of our parents. A solid collection - recommended.

thomaswjoyce's review

5.0

The theme for this collection is clear to see. Every story is told from the POV of a woman, either directly or indirectly harassed to some degree by a man, or having to deal with issues of motherhood, or their role as a woman in society. These are situations that all women have had some experience with and, as a man, I try to be understanding and empathetic about seeing the world from viewpoints other than my own. And I try to take responsibility for my own behaviour. Even so, I found all of these stories eye-opening, Hightower unflinching in her approach to each tale. It is a heavy subject, but its basis is in reality and I only wish more men tried to see the world from the POV of a woman. This collection would be a good place to start. I'm a big fan of Hightower's writing thus far, and I can honestly say I enjoyed every story in the collection, thanks to her storytelling style and knack for creating compelling characters. The character interactions are charged with raw emotion and Hightower creates protagonists you can't help but to root for. An important collection of short stories, both in terms of their entertainment as horror fiction and their unwavering indictment of society's flaws. Incredible, vital work from one of the most incredible, vital voices in the horror genre today.

ericarobyn's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Every Woman Knows This by Laurel Hightower is a collection of short stories that will have you feeling rage, sorrow, or a strong mix of both for the things women deal with every day. 

CW: abuse, cancer, childbirth, fertility, depression, death, and more. 

I had read a few of these when they appeared in other collections, but many of them were new to me. 

While I absolutely love the light Laurel sheds on the female experience in this collection, I also hate that each of these stories were so relatable. Every tale was wonderfully unique, but were each tied together in rage. 

I absolutely loved and hated each of these, especially all of the Vignettes of Womanhood! Some of my top favorite tales include:

• Every Woman Knows This
• The Bride Wore Black
• Vignettes of Womanhood: Broken Branches
• Distress Call
• Though Your Heart Is Breaking
• The Goodbye House
• Someone Has To Do It

Here are my thoughts on each. 

Every Woman Knows This – 

Starting off with this absolute stunner of an opening sentence, “There’s a certain kind of smile that is not safe to return- every woman knows this.” This tale takes us on a journey so familiar to many. But this tale has a lovely theme that reels us along through the ending. 

This was such a perfect story to go first in this collection. I was already fired up with the very first sentence! 

The Dance – 

Still enamored by the magic of Christmas, this man continues to make the same wish year after year in order to keep the magic between him and his wife alive.

This tale had such a warm beginning! When things changed, I thought it may be headed in one direction but was shocked to see it go another way! What an ending! 

The Bride Wore Black – 

Determined to find a book she had in childhood, this woman has returned to her family home to search. But she’s not just searching for the book itself, it’s the answer to a question she has that she hopes the book can answer.

What a great gothic horror vibe this one had! I was so invested in this woman based on her childhood experience. Even though this was the second time I encountered this tale (the first read when it was included in Gothic Blue Book VI), I still couldn’t help but wish for a happy ending for her. 

Vignettes of Womanhood: Scar Tissue – 

An absolutely brutal short filled with the anger that comes with things we have to bear. 

The Midwife – 

While giving birth, a woman is terrified of the midwife’s arrival as this midwife isn’t human. But it can’t be avoided, the midwife is coming to steal her scream. Little do they know what the being plans to do with it. 

I absolutely loved the path this one took! I can’t say anything else without the risk of spoiling!

The Little Head – 

A woman struggling with body issues, especially while pregnant, obsesses over herself, always thinking she’s too big. But that anxiety comes back for her, refusing to let her pass this on to her daughter.

Heartbreaking in so many ways! This is a great cautionary tale to go easy on yourself before it’s too late. 

This passage hit me so hard! Going through infertility for four years, this sums up the anger perfectly:

The next morning, exhausted and staring at the blood in her panties, she screamed into the mirror.

“You bitch! You worthless, sneaking bitch,” she snarled. “Three days late. For what, for fun?” Her lips curled into a snarl, and she stared at the enemy. Her body. Her stupid, betraying body.

Vignettes of Womanhood: Broken Branches – 

An intense reflection on perfection and holding things that aren’t yours to carry. 

Goddess Of Need – 

Refusing to choose one path, this goddess is determined to be everything to everyone. She even refuses to choose a name as she wants her people to name her. She is warned against this, but she tries anyway.

What a perfect tale for precisely what it’s like to try to be everything for everyone. Pouring from your cup constantly and not having people pour back into yours. It always ends in burning anger. 

Distress Call – 

Discovering a submarine that had risen to the surface after being lost at sea many years ago, this duo investigates. What they find inside is nothing like they imagined.

This tale was terrifying! Between the enclosed space, the darkness, and the water, I was already spooked! Then add in being alone and feeling something move? No, thank you! Ocean Horror always freaks me out, and this one gave me goosebumps! 

Vignettes of Womanhood: Iron Lung – 

I’m not even a parent yet, and this one hits so hard. I already worry about my husband randomly just not breathing while sleeping…

Starman- 

When the Starman appears to her for the first time, she’s just a kid. She’s afraid of the being, but as she gets older she learns he was there to protect her. But faced with a tough decision, she soon fears that she will end up on his bad side.

This is such a good gut-punch horror tale! Your heart will go out to this woman at every stage of her life.

One Of Those Faces – 

Finding out that she has a talent for mimicking others, this woman assumes their personalities to get unwanted attention away from them. But the horror is that she never knows how far it will go each time she assumes an identity. 

Ooofh, this story. Just the fact that you can see this actually happening is the worst. Women deserve better. 

 Vignettes Of Womanhood: Pop Quiz – 

Such a relatable tale about not having processed how we’re doing and just saying “fine” when someone asks.

Though Your Heart Is Breaking – 

Bringing a woman in after viewing a gruesome crime scene, these detectives aren’t sold that she was the one that did the crime. But if it wasn’t her, who would it have been?

They’re about to find out…

This story is all-around amazing. I’m obsessed with the premise and the ending especially. Centered around a small thing that sets off a variety of emotions in women, most often rage, this tale reads all too similar to everyday experiences. 

Hooking Up – 

At a bar watching a woman become increasingly uncomfortable with a guy, this main character is rooting for her to find her spine. Meanwhile, she’s also being pestered by a guy that won’t take the hint and leave. Like the girl she was watching, she ends up leaving with him. 

I love how dark this one gets, and so quickly too! The whole tale had my blood boiling. 

Vignettes of Womanhood: Bullet Proof – 

I wish every adult would read this short heart-wrenching tale. It’s just dripping with terror, but it also has a glimpse of hope. 

The Goodbye House – 

A woman with a unique calling runs The Goodbye House where she allows visitors to come see if a goodbye calls to them. But one day, someone arrives very late at night and it changes everything. 

This tale had such a neat premise! At first, you’ll love the idea, but just like the main character, you begin to see the negatives. 

Ghosted – 

What a gut punch of a tale! The final three sentences… My gosh.

Someone Has To Do It – 

After the death of a mother, this family is shocked to see her back again. But she’s certainly not herself.

I was having so much fun with this one! But then she said why she was back… ugh!

The Smallest Places – 

A sorrow-filled tale that is the perfect ending for this collection! 

My Favorite Passages from Every Woman Knows This

There’s a certain kind of smile that is not safe to return- every woman knows this.
— Every Woman Knows This

The next morning, exhausted and staring at the blood in her panties, she screamed into the mirror.
“You bitch! You worthless, sneaking bitch,” she snarled. “Three days late. For what, for fun?” Her lips curled into a snarl, and she stared at the enemy. Her body. Her stupid, betraying body.
— The Little Head 

I should have followed them. Maybe to stop what happened, or even just to know, to see it for myself. Instead I sat on the top step and waited for someone older than me to come and tell me what my new truth was.
— Starman 

“Do you remember, Detective, the absolute worst time someone told you to smile?”
Helena’s breath caught in her chest. She did, with vivid clarity. She didn’t need to look at Max to know he was confused; it wasn’t a thing men dealt with.
— Though Your Heart Is Breaking

Helena watched, fascinated, as his eyes rolled back in his head, his mouth stretching impossibly wide. The skin strained, pulled tight. A nauseating crack as both jaws broke at once, and the man’s face split from his lips back to his ears.
The top of his head flipped open, like a mangled Venus fly trap. His scream tapered off into a gargle, then even that went silent as he slid to the floor.
— Though Your Heart Is Breaking 

He follows me. Not like a puppy, because puppies are fucking cute and who wouldn’t want one ambling after them, all big paws and ears? No, this guy follows me like a strip of toilet paper, soiled and embarrassing and bizarrely hard to shake.
— Hooking Up

My Final Thoughts on Every Woman Knows This

Laurel is the queen of gut-punch horror. Each of these tales really got under my skin in more ways than one.

A must-read for all. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Pregnancy, Infertility, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Grief

sultana_mama1's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0