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thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
The book opens with the title story, ‘Everything That’s Underneath’. A husband undertakes a the seemingly innocuous job of constructing a door from scratch, much to his wife’s confusion. She doesn’t see the need for the door, but he seems set in his ways and uses the new hobby as a way of dealing with some recent bad news. But, using multiple senses, DeMeester creates an atmosphere of unease, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. We know something isn’t right almost from the start, but DeMeester does an excellent job of enticing us along with a sense of trepidation and dread until the awful truth is revealed.
In ‘The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him’, we find a world where the moon has shifted into an unnatural orbit and the perpetually dark sky seems to be screaming. But this is only mentioned in passing as Twain meets a strange woman on the street outside the apartment he shares with Nathan. The real horror is in how Nathan has changed from a loving husband to a lust-driven party animal who just wants to experience as much pleasure as possible before the seemingly impending apocalypse. But he gets more than he bargained for. DeMeester has developed a reputation for examining the horror that lies in human relationships and she delivers with this story, while also giving it a weird and cosmic twist.
To ‘Sleep Long, to Sleep Deep’ also examines the horror of a relationship, beginning with one man’s obsession with an untitled book full of dark and macabre illustrations. When his lover begins to feel the draw of the text, friction develops in this sultry and brooding tale. The ending is very unsettling and definitely has a lasting impression on the reader.
In ‘The Fleshtival’, low-level dealer Paul and his flatmate Jake hear of a private party in the woods where women shall fulfil any sexual desire of their guests, as long as the price is right. Scrounging all of the money they can, the two Casanovas drive to the woods to experience their wildest desires. But they get more than they bargained for. A very creepy and weird take on the old saying: be careful what you wish for.
Although one of the shorter stories in the collection, ‘The Beautiful Nature of Venom’ certainly packs a punch. Told in first person, we witness a brief sexual encounter between two strangers. But the narrator describes the feeling of spiders beneath her skin, and her every response to her partner’s touch is described using the movements and reactions of the spiders. At times sexy and disturbing, the imagery is extremely effective and will get under the skin of the reader. Indeed, this seems to be a common trait of the stories within the collection; through DeMeester’s language and vivid imagery, they all get under the skin. The title of the book could relate to how deeply affecting the stories are, as well as referring to the horror that can lie beneath the everyday relationships that the author is so clearly adept at exploring.
In ‘Like Feather, Like Bone’, the narrator discovers a young girl beneath her porch, eating a bird. This is another commonality with the all of the stories in the book; DeMeester is especially skilled at writing a strong opening sentence or paragraph. In this instance, the event is immediately weird, but also immediately gripping. The reader can’t help but be compelled to read on. In this case, through talking with the little girl and discovering the reason for eating the birds, the narrator recalls the horror of past tragedy and comes to a horrifying conclusion.
‘Worship Only What She Bleeds’ is a very strange story concerning a young girl who claims she can hear blood coursing through the walls of her house, pouring into the ground every night. Her mother ridicules the idea, but the girl refuses to be convinced. She can hear the sound of the blood, can smell the awful smell. DeMeester has crafted a very weird story here, with a sinister undercurrent that leaves the reader on edge until the horrifying finale.
‘The Tying of Tongues’ explores one young girl’s curiosity when a stranger wanders into her village, “…her bloodied skirts trailing behind her…”. Anya’s mother tells her that to bleed into the Earth is this woman’s curse for selling her soul, for she is a witch. This only intrigues Anya further, and she is drawn to the woman, by the power she possesses over others, but also by her beauty. Anya is different from the other girls of the village, as she does not seek a man to marry. Perhaps in the witch she sees a different way of life. This is a great study of the character, a young girl yearning for change and freedom. DeMeester does an excellent job of telling her story.
In ‘The Marking’, Violet suffers from bruising, has done ever since she was a child. It used to happen only once or twice a year, but recently they have been occurring once a month. The reason for the bruises is vague at first; all we know is that it has to do with her mother and it is often exacerbated when she eats. So, she has been starving herself. But this does not stop her mother from visiting in the dead of night, crawling on all fours and “feeding” on her daughter. This is a delightfully creepy tale about mothers and daughters and how complicated the relationship between the two can often be. Using the supernatural element makes it an entertaining and chilling read, but there is something deeper here.
In ‘The Long Road’, we meet Danny and his dad, living near a marsh that is home to something more than regular pond wildlife. Danny’s dad drinks water taken from the marsh and hints at what may live there, as well as what may live inside of him, a monster or monsters that whisper dark secrets to him. It seems he wants to share it with Danny, but Danny is more interested in getting as far away as possible. Finally, he meets someone, Sarah, and they settle down. But Sarah has demons of her own and when the story reaches its tragic conclusion, Danny will find himself on the long road, back to his dad and the horrors that await. Yet another great example of DeMeester’s skill at examining human relationships and the way we handle grief.
Taking inspiration from the mythology of the Southern regions of Africa, ‘The Lightning Bird’ tells the story of Gable, who begins to turn into a bird after her mother dies. The old women of the village expect her to take over her mother’s responsibilities as a healer but, instead, Gable begins to transform into the lightning bird, an entity from African witchcraft that feeds on blood and is often associated with a witch and will attack a witch’s enemies, calling into question Gable’s mother’s true colours.
‘The Dream Eater’ concerns a woman and her daughter living in isolation, cut off from the rest of the world by the field that surrounds their cabin. We never really figure out what is happening beyond the field, the story confined to the cabin. And the encroaching grass. Every morning they awake to find that the field has moved closer to their home, and so too the things moving within the field, filling them with dread. The mother insists that, as long as they take their daily pill, they will be okay. But the girl has been lying about taking the pill, saving them for her mother. She is too consumed by the grass and the vague dreams she has about what lies within.
‘Daughters of Hecate’ begins with main character, Birdie, awoken by a terrible recurring nightmare about something crawling from her mother’s mouth at her funeral. She believes there is blood on her fingers, but she never has a cut or any source of blood. She thinks back to her college roommate, Livia, and her fascination with witchcraft. Livia owned a book, Daughters of Hecate: Reclaiming the Crone, and when she showed it to Birdie one night, she had drawn crude depictions of witches in haunting poses. When they awoke the next morning, the drawings were gone and Livia claimed to have no knowledge of them. In the present, she visits a psychiatrist to discuss her dreams, and goes into detail about her troubled childhood, her difficult relationship with her mother, and the strange and terrifying things she witnessed her mother do in the middle of the night. Again, like so many of her stories, DeMeester has crafted a well-written tale of supernatural horror, while exploring the oftentimes difficult relationship between mother and daughter. She manages to keep the story moving while delving into the deeper horror of humanity.
A feat she manages again in ‘Birthright’, this time examining the relationship between two sisters and their absent mother. Told from Hayley’s point of view, we are immediately given a glimpse of the sibling rivalry she has with her younger sister, Mina. Mina mentions seeing a woman during the night, one with “…skin the color of the night.”. Hayley deflects her questions about this, but we see that she knows more than she is letting on. Then the story takes a dramatic turn as Hayley has to come to terms with the idea that maybe Mina is the chosen one. But chosen by whom? And for what purpose? And what effect will it have on the sisters’ relationship? An intriguing and creepy story.
‘All That Is Refracted, Broken’ tells the story of a boy, Paul, who should never have been born. Or so the doctors told his mother when she was pregnant, causing his father to leave, unwilling to stay with a “broken” woman, leaving her with an infant daughter and a possible miscarriage. But Paul is born and proves to be healthy in every way, except that he cannot look directly at his sister, the story’s narrator. The doctors have no answer, but then he discovers he can look at her through a mirror. Then he disappears, leaving his sister to ponder the strange theories he shared before. DeMeester explores the relationship between brother and sister while using the element of the weird as a backdrop to great effect. The ending is equally unsettling and moving.
‘December Skin’ follows sister and brother, Rory and Aaron, on the run from some dark secret and seeking refuge in a motel room. There are hints at the darkness that lurks within Rory, and Aaron seems to be the only person that can hold it at bay. But for how long? The love between the two characters is evident in the interaction DeMeester has written. And the ambiguous ending is very well done.
‘Split Tongues’ is told from the point of view of Brianne, a child of a broken home who spends most of her time with her mother, but who visits her religious father every other weekend. Her parents separated when her mother caught her father being a little too friendly with one of Brianne’s classmates, but then he found refuge in the church, and eventually spoke in tongues. Brianne doesn’t mind too much, only because Alec Mitchell attends the church and she has unholy thoughts about him. But then she begins experiencing strange dreams about the church and choking on a piece of tongue.
In ‘To Sleep in the Dust of the Earth’, we find narrator Willa and Lea hanging out in a spooky, abandoned lot that most of the kids claim is haunted. Here they meet Beth, another young girl with an extraordinary ability to find things that have been lost, beginning with a ring that belonged to Lea’s mother, but also any number of things. Eventually, Willa and Lea put this ability to the test by intentionally hiding things, only for Beth to miraculously appear with it. The story falls them as they mature, leading to a frightening encounter between Beth and a horny teenage boy, as she tries to return something he has lost. Finally, Willa loses something that can never be returned. Or can it?
The collection is eighteen stories strong and, while many share similar themes and similar situations, each perfectly exemplifies DeMeester’s masterful storytelling. She has quickly established herself as a leading light in the Weird fiction genre and this collection will only add weight to this argument. DeMeester has crafted stories that may well begin in a familiar setting, but soon take a wrong turn and head down an alley of weird horror until the reader can almost feel her words squirming beneath their skin. And fans of Weird Horror will welcome the under-skin invasion. But they may well take issue with the nightmares that follow.
In ‘The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him’, we find a world where the moon has shifted into an unnatural orbit and the perpetually dark sky seems to be screaming. But this is only mentioned in passing as Twain meets a strange woman on the street outside the apartment he shares with Nathan. The real horror is in how Nathan has changed from a loving husband to a lust-driven party animal who just wants to experience as much pleasure as possible before the seemingly impending apocalypse. But he gets more than he bargained for. DeMeester has developed a reputation for examining the horror that lies in human relationships and she delivers with this story, while also giving it a weird and cosmic twist.
To ‘Sleep Long, to Sleep Deep’ also examines the horror of a relationship, beginning with one man’s obsession with an untitled book full of dark and macabre illustrations. When his lover begins to feel the draw of the text, friction develops in this sultry and brooding tale. The ending is very unsettling and definitely has a lasting impression on the reader.
In ‘The Fleshtival’, low-level dealer Paul and his flatmate Jake hear of a private party in the woods where women shall fulfil any sexual desire of their guests, as long as the price is right. Scrounging all of the money they can, the two Casanovas drive to the woods to experience their wildest desires. But they get more than they bargained for. A very creepy and weird take on the old saying: be careful what you wish for.
Although one of the shorter stories in the collection, ‘The Beautiful Nature of Venom’ certainly packs a punch. Told in first person, we witness a brief sexual encounter between two strangers. But the narrator describes the feeling of spiders beneath her skin, and her every response to her partner’s touch is described using the movements and reactions of the spiders. At times sexy and disturbing, the imagery is extremely effective and will get under the skin of the reader. Indeed, this seems to be a common trait of the stories within the collection; through DeMeester’s language and vivid imagery, they all get under the skin. The title of the book could relate to how deeply affecting the stories are, as well as referring to the horror that can lie beneath the everyday relationships that the author is so clearly adept at exploring.
In ‘Like Feather, Like Bone’, the narrator discovers a young girl beneath her porch, eating a bird. This is another commonality with the all of the stories in the book; DeMeester is especially skilled at writing a strong opening sentence or paragraph. In this instance, the event is immediately weird, but also immediately gripping. The reader can’t help but be compelled to read on. In this case, through talking with the little girl and discovering the reason for eating the birds, the narrator recalls the horror of past tragedy and comes to a horrifying conclusion.
‘Worship Only What She Bleeds’ is a very strange story concerning a young girl who claims she can hear blood coursing through the walls of her house, pouring into the ground every night. Her mother ridicules the idea, but the girl refuses to be convinced. She can hear the sound of the blood, can smell the awful smell. DeMeester has crafted a very weird story here, with a sinister undercurrent that leaves the reader on edge until the horrifying finale.
‘The Tying of Tongues’ explores one young girl’s curiosity when a stranger wanders into her village, “…her bloodied skirts trailing behind her…”. Anya’s mother tells her that to bleed into the Earth is this woman’s curse for selling her soul, for she is a witch. This only intrigues Anya further, and she is drawn to the woman, by the power she possesses over others, but also by her beauty. Anya is different from the other girls of the village, as she does not seek a man to marry. Perhaps in the witch she sees a different way of life. This is a great study of the character, a young girl yearning for change and freedom. DeMeester does an excellent job of telling her story.
In ‘The Marking’, Violet suffers from bruising, has done ever since she was a child. It used to happen only once or twice a year, but recently they have been occurring once a month. The reason for the bruises is vague at first; all we know is that it has to do with her mother and it is often exacerbated when she eats. So, she has been starving herself. But this does not stop her mother from visiting in the dead of night, crawling on all fours and “feeding” on her daughter. This is a delightfully creepy tale about mothers and daughters and how complicated the relationship between the two can often be. Using the supernatural element makes it an entertaining and chilling read, but there is something deeper here.
In ‘The Long Road’, we meet Danny and his dad, living near a marsh that is home to something more than regular pond wildlife. Danny’s dad drinks water taken from the marsh and hints at what may live there, as well as what may live inside of him, a monster or monsters that whisper dark secrets to him. It seems he wants to share it with Danny, but Danny is more interested in getting as far away as possible. Finally, he meets someone, Sarah, and they settle down. But Sarah has demons of her own and when the story reaches its tragic conclusion, Danny will find himself on the long road, back to his dad and the horrors that await. Yet another great example of DeMeester’s skill at examining human relationships and the way we handle grief.
Taking inspiration from the mythology of the Southern regions of Africa, ‘The Lightning Bird’ tells the story of Gable, who begins to turn into a bird after her mother dies. The old women of the village expect her to take over her mother’s responsibilities as a healer but, instead, Gable begins to transform into the lightning bird, an entity from African witchcraft that feeds on blood and is often associated with a witch and will attack a witch’s enemies, calling into question Gable’s mother’s true colours.
‘The Dream Eater’ concerns a woman and her daughter living in isolation, cut off from the rest of the world by the field that surrounds their cabin. We never really figure out what is happening beyond the field, the story confined to the cabin. And the encroaching grass. Every morning they awake to find that the field has moved closer to their home, and so too the things moving within the field, filling them with dread. The mother insists that, as long as they take their daily pill, they will be okay. But the girl has been lying about taking the pill, saving them for her mother. She is too consumed by the grass and the vague dreams she has about what lies within.
‘Daughters of Hecate’ begins with main character, Birdie, awoken by a terrible recurring nightmare about something crawling from her mother’s mouth at her funeral. She believes there is blood on her fingers, but she never has a cut or any source of blood. She thinks back to her college roommate, Livia, and her fascination with witchcraft. Livia owned a book, Daughters of Hecate: Reclaiming the Crone, and when she showed it to Birdie one night, she had drawn crude depictions of witches in haunting poses. When they awoke the next morning, the drawings were gone and Livia claimed to have no knowledge of them. In the present, she visits a psychiatrist to discuss her dreams, and goes into detail about her troubled childhood, her difficult relationship with her mother, and the strange and terrifying things she witnessed her mother do in the middle of the night. Again, like so many of her stories, DeMeester has crafted a well-written tale of supernatural horror, while exploring the oftentimes difficult relationship between mother and daughter. She manages to keep the story moving while delving into the deeper horror of humanity.
A feat she manages again in ‘Birthright’, this time examining the relationship between two sisters and their absent mother. Told from Hayley’s point of view, we are immediately given a glimpse of the sibling rivalry she has with her younger sister, Mina. Mina mentions seeing a woman during the night, one with “…skin the color of the night.”. Hayley deflects her questions about this, but we see that she knows more than she is letting on. Then the story takes a dramatic turn as Hayley has to come to terms with the idea that maybe Mina is the chosen one. But chosen by whom? And for what purpose? And what effect will it have on the sisters’ relationship? An intriguing and creepy story.
‘All That Is Refracted, Broken’ tells the story of a boy, Paul, who should never have been born. Or so the doctors told his mother when she was pregnant, causing his father to leave, unwilling to stay with a “broken” woman, leaving her with an infant daughter and a possible miscarriage. But Paul is born and proves to be healthy in every way, except that he cannot look directly at his sister, the story’s narrator. The doctors have no answer, but then he discovers he can look at her through a mirror. Then he disappears, leaving his sister to ponder the strange theories he shared before. DeMeester explores the relationship between brother and sister while using the element of the weird as a backdrop to great effect. The ending is equally unsettling and moving.
‘December Skin’ follows sister and brother, Rory and Aaron, on the run from some dark secret and seeking refuge in a motel room. There are hints at the darkness that lurks within Rory, and Aaron seems to be the only person that can hold it at bay. But for how long? The love between the two characters is evident in the interaction DeMeester has written. And the ambiguous ending is very well done.
‘Split Tongues’ is told from the point of view of Brianne, a child of a broken home who spends most of her time with her mother, but who visits her religious father every other weekend. Her parents separated when her mother caught her father being a little too friendly with one of Brianne’s classmates, but then he found refuge in the church, and eventually spoke in tongues. Brianne doesn’t mind too much, only because Alec Mitchell attends the church and she has unholy thoughts about him. But then she begins experiencing strange dreams about the church and choking on a piece of tongue.
In ‘To Sleep in the Dust of the Earth’, we find narrator Willa and Lea hanging out in a spooky, abandoned lot that most of the kids claim is haunted. Here they meet Beth, another young girl with an extraordinary ability to find things that have been lost, beginning with a ring that belonged to Lea’s mother, but also any number of things. Eventually, Willa and Lea put this ability to the test by intentionally hiding things, only for Beth to miraculously appear with it. The story falls them as they mature, leading to a frightening encounter between Beth and a horny teenage boy, as she tries to return something he has lost. Finally, Willa loses something that can never be returned. Or can it?
The collection is eighteen stories strong and, while many share similar themes and similar situations, each perfectly exemplifies DeMeester’s masterful storytelling. She has quickly established herself as a leading light in the Weird fiction genre and this collection will only add weight to this argument. DeMeester has crafted stories that may well begin in a familiar setting, but soon take a wrong turn and head down an alley of weird horror until the reader can almost feel her words squirming beneath their skin. And fans of Weird Horror will welcome the under-skin invasion. But they may well take issue with the nightmares that follow.
tynathereader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
cemeterygates's review against another edition
2.0
There are some good, truly unsettling stories, but there’s also a kind of foggy sameness that runs through the collection. She does love talking about pulling meat from bone in almost every story.
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
4.0
I've been hearing a lot of positive chatter about Kristi DeMeester's work lately, so I was eager to give her a try for myself, and I definitely wasn't disappointed! I'd say Everything That's Underneath is a healthy mixture of horror and speculative fiction: while some pieces were perfectly creepy, others were confusing and immersive—the kind of stories that you finish and have to clear your head for a moment because you're not sure what you just read, you just know you really liked it.
I happily gave every single story in this collection at least 3 stars, but most of them were 4-5 star reads. While I'm tempted to give a rundown for each story, some of them would be too hard to describe without spoiling them, so I'll just list my favorites:
→ Everything That's Underneath:
The title story follows a couple reeling from the husband's recent MS diagnosis, which lends an eerie, sorrowful feel to the entire story as the wife and narrator is forced to find a balance between helping her spouse and not interfering with his autonomy. He decides to take on a new project of carving a door for their home, but the longer he works the wood, the more terrifying his behavior becomes.
→ All That is Refracted, Broken:
A girl's younger brother wasn't supposed to live, but he did, and she loved him very much, despite the fact that he refused to look at her unless he could look at her reflection in a mirror. The ending to this story actually stunned me, and I've got chills just remembering it right now.
→ December Skin:
A brother is forced to go to terrifying, dreadful lengths to save the world from the monster his sister has become. This, like so many other stories in the collection, is equal parts creepy and tragic—my very favorite combination.
Overall, Everything That's Underneath is a fantastic collection of stories and was a perfect introduction to DeMeester's work. It's piqued my interest enough that I can't wait to read more from her, and I highly recommend picking this one up!
That night, she locked their bedroom door. Outside, the creature moved up and down the hallway. She did not sleep.
I happily gave every single story in this collection at least 3 stars, but most of them were 4-5 star reads. While I'm tempted to give a rundown for each story, some of them would be too hard to describe without spoiling them, so I'll just list my favorites:
→ Everything That's Underneath:
The title story follows a couple reeling from the husband's recent MS diagnosis, which lends an eerie, sorrowful feel to the entire story as the wife and narrator is forced to find a balance between helping her spouse and not interfering with his autonomy. He decides to take on a new project of carving a door for their home, but the longer he works the wood, the more terrifying his behavior becomes.
→ All That is Refracted, Broken:
A girl's younger brother wasn't supposed to live, but he did, and she loved him very much, despite the fact that he refused to look at her unless he could look at her reflection in a mirror. The ending to this story actually stunned me, and I've got chills just remembering it right now.
→ December Skin:
A brother is forced to go to terrifying, dreadful lengths to save the world from the monster his sister has become. This, like so many other stories in the collection, is equal parts creepy and tragic—my very favorite combination.
Overall, Everything That's Underneath is a fantastic collection of stories and was a perfect introduction to DeMeester's work. It's piqued my interest enough that I can't wait to read more from her, and I highly recommend picking this one up!
snood's review
4.0
It’s hard to give a short story collection with such varying quality a single rating. The stories near the beginning felt overly vague. Although DeMeester’s prose is beautiful, most of the stories end with me thinking “Wait, what just happened?” rather than feeling satisfied. Her writing does get better over the course of the collection, and the ending few stories were consistently 4/5 or 5/5 star quality. The early stories hold the collection back somewhat, but overall was very good if you enjoy the weird fiction genre’s somewhat surreal logic and lack of explanations.
Only one story was outright bad in my opinion. “Fleshtival” stood out as unusually unpleasant due solely to the protagonist. Any story that has me begging for something to kill the main character and end the story is doing something wrong.
Only one story was outright bad in my opinion. “Fleshtival” stood out as unusually unpleasant due solely to the protagonist. Any story that has me begging for something to kill the main character and end the story is doing something wrong.
evavroslin's review against another edition
5.0
Kristi DeMeester has been one of the strongest female voices in horror for many years, captivating readers with her words, including her short story collection, Everything That's Underneath, which was released in 2017. The title story, "Everything That's Underneath," reveals a woman, Carin, who is watching her husband, Benjamin, building a door. This story slowly reveals a picture that seems good at the outset but evolves into less than good as things develop. DeMeester explores primal fears of things that go bump in the night but does so in a vivid, inventive way. Carin strongly struck me as an unreliable narrator. Doppelganger horror is tricky to do well, but DeMeester pulls it off here like a seasoned veteran.
"The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him" shows how the author's use of language is incredibly evocative; I don't know how she does it, but she's a master of vivid, lush descriptions that are captivating. This is a story of love, betrayal, obsession, and heartbreak. It has shades of Lovecraftian influence and was one of the standouts of the collection for me.
Next up, in "To Sleep Long, to Sleep Deep," Nina is being questioned after the death and disappearance of someone she hooked up with. This story is even more visceral than the previous one.
Other highlights for me included, "The Beautiful Nature of Venom," which, first of all, can I just say, what a title.... These are stories of sex, betrayal, intimacy, obsessions, addictions, not being able to let things go, heartbreak, death, darkness, shadows, and so much more. Kristi DeMeester is one of the most breathtaking writers of horror, and she excels at short fiction. To get back to 'Venom,' this story is about a woman who seems to have spiders inside her.
I had previously read and enjoyed "Like Feather, Like Bone" in another anthology, and it is incredibly vivid. Highly recommended.
"Worship Only What She Bleeds" starts off with the line: 'The house bleeds at night.' The author's opening sentences are gorgeous; a thing to marvel at. I keep using the word visceral, because it captures the heart of DeMeester's work so well. Her stories crawl under the reader's skin and demand attention. This story is about a troubled relationship between a mother and a daughter. It's very difficult to take (or at least was for me, even more than the other stories) because the protagonist is a little girl.
In "The Tying of Tongues," a new woman comes to town and most people suspect she's a witch; it's a tale of love and sorrow, and forbidden desires. It's also a bloody, violent tale.
"The Marking" goes along with the thematic similarities between the stories; one of the big themes is troubled relationships between mothers and daughters, of unnatural hungers and appetites, and this story is an example of that. These are stories of impossibilities becoming possible, of the unexpected flitting across the pages, and of gazing into remarkable darkness in awe.
I hate to use a phrase like 'things that go bump in the night' but the author really is excellent at this, of things that should not be but that she makes possible and intriguing.
"The Lightning Bird" is another example of bird horror that I enjoyed. Meanwhile, in "Daughters of Hecate," this story also explores a mother-daughter relationship but involves a protagonist, Birdie, who insists she doesn't want children.
I also felt a profound impact from "December Skin," which reinforces the theme of characters trying to outrun themselves and facing the devastation that comes from realizing that they can't, no matter how hard they try. This time, the troubling relationship is between a brother and sister.
Overall, it is a strong collection from one of the most impactful voices in horror today, and deserves to achieve as many accolades as possible, to find as wide a readership as possible, and to continue to expose the beauty and pain in horror, as well as the juxtaposition. Fans of Damien Angelica Walters and Gwendolyn Kiste would do well to add DeMeester to their reading lists if they haven't already done so.
"The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him" shows how the author's use of language is incredibly evocative; I don't know how she does it, but she's a master of vivid, lush descriptions that are captivating. This is a story of love, betrayal, obsession, and heartbreak. It has shades of Lovecraftian influence and was one of the standouts of the collection for me.
Next up, in "To Sleep Long, to Sleep Deep," Nina is being questioned after the death and disappearance of someone she hooked up with. This story is even more visceral than the previous one.
Other highlights for me included, "The Beautiful Nature of Venom," which, first of all, can I just say, what a title.... These are stories of sex, betrayal, intimacy, obsessions, addictions, not being able to let things go, heartbreak, death, darkness, shadows, and so much more. Kristi DeMeester is one of the most breathtaking writers of horror, and she excels at short fiction. To get back to 'Venom,' this story is about a woman who seems to have spiders inside her.
I had previously read and enjoyed "Like Feather, Like Bone" in another anthology, and it is incredibly vivid. Highly recommended.
"Worship Only What She Bleeds" starts off with the line: 'The house bleeds at night.' The author's opening sentences are gorgeous; a thing to marvel at. I keep using the word visceral, because it captures the heart of DeMeester's work so well. Her stories crawl under the reader's skin and demand attention. This story is about a troubled relationship between a mother and a daughter. It's very difficult to take (or at least was for me, even more than the other stories) because the protagonist is a little girl.
In "The Tying of Tongues," a new woman comes to town and most people suspect she's a witch; it's a tale of love and sorrow, and forbidden desires. It's also a bloody, violent tale.
"The Marking" goes along with the thematic similarities between the stories; one of the big themes is troubled relationships between mothers and daughters, of unnatural hungers and appetites, and this story is an example of that. These are stories of impossibilities becoming possible, of the unexpected flitting across the pages, and of gazing into remarkable darkness in awe.
I hate to use a phrase like 'things that go bump in the night' but the author really is excellent at this, of things that should not be but that she makes possible and intriguing.
"The Lightning Bird" is another example of bird horror that I enjoyed. Meanwhile, in "Daughters of Hecate," this story also explores a mother-daughter relationship but involves a protagonist, Birdie, who insists she doesn't want children.
I also felt a profound impact from "December Skin," which reinforces the theme of characters trying to outrun themselves and facing the devastation that comes from realizing that they can't, no matter how hard they try. This time, the troubling relationship is between a brother and sister.
Overall, it is a strong collection from one of the most impactful voices in horror today, and deserves to achieve as many accolades as possible, to find as wide a readership as possible, and to continue to expose the beauty and pain in horror, as well as the juxtaposition. Fans of Damien Angelica Walters and Gwendolyn Kiste would do well to add DeMeester to their reading lists if they haven't already done so.
charlieash's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nevarferg's review against another edition
4.0
The stories in Everything That’s Underneath by Kristi DeMeester are best described as unsettling. Most are not traditionally horrifying instead being completely unique, sometimes crude, and just strange. They make you think, “What just went on?” even hours after reading some particular stories.
The one bad thing about this short story collection is that a lot of the stories seem incomplete. While some are longer, others seem to end leaving you looking for more and wondering if the last few pages of that tale got cut off from the book. However, this also often works in the book’s favor by increasing the stories’ unsettling factor and thought-provoking nature.
Overall, this book was an amazingly unique read, and I would full heartedly recommend it to someone looking for a new take on the horror genre, to someone that wants to know what reading a collection of “weird” stories is like, or to someone who just wants to lay up at night thinking. My favorites were “The Dream Eater”, “Like Feather, Like Bone”, and “December Skin”. I hope you check them out.
*I received a free early review copy of this book. This review is also posted on LibraryThing, Amazon, and on https://flyingwithpages.wordpress.com/ in a slightly altered form.
The one bad thing about this short story collection is that a lot of the stories seem incomplete. While some are longer, others seem to end leaving you looking for more and wondering if the last few pages of that tale got cut off from the book. However, this also often works in the book’s favor by increasing the stories’ unsettling factor and thought-provoking nature.
Overall, this book was an amazingly unique read, and I would full heartedly recommend it to someone looking for a new take on the horror genre, to someone that wants to know what reading a collection of “weird” stories is like, or to someone who just wants to lay up at night thinking. My favorites were “The Dream Eater”, “Like Feather, Like Bone”, and “December Skin”. I hope you check them out.
*I received a free early review copy of this book. This review is also posted on LibraryThing, Amazon, and on https://flyingwithpages.wordpress.com/ in a slightly altered form.
ceilidhwilliams's review
3.0
Very strange, DeMeester is very good at describing imagery but by the end alot of it was being used over and over again as if she couldn't think of anything new