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A review by evavroslin
Everything That's Underneath by Kristi DeMeester
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.