emberology 's review for:

The Little Men by Megan Abbott

4.0

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At night, the sounds from the canyon shifted and changed. The bungalow seemed to lift itself with every echo and the walls were breathing. Panting.

After finishing a 1300-page behemoth, I haven't been too keen starting anything new that is past 200 pages, so it was a nice coincidence to stumble upon Abbott's short story. She's someone who's been in my mind for quite a while now, and dipping my toes into her writing through a mystery story set in 1950s L.A. felt appropriate.

Now, let me tell you: the setting and premise alone would have been enough to draw me in, Abbott or no Abbott, but she really is a good writer, isn't she? There's everything I love and could possibly love about noir, but somehow The Little Men feels fresh. It occasionally veers into a creepy territory, moving away from a conventional mystery story and becoming more like a suspense story about a woman's obsession. There's this foreboding atmosphere seeping through everything, whether it's the imperfect actresses that Penny tries to transform into perfect ethereal beings with makeup or the eerie rustling of palm trees and the scent of apricot in the bungalows.

I want more. Next year will be the year when I will finally read Megan Abbott novels.