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corvidquest 's review for:
A Nest of Nightmares
by Lisa Tuttle
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
An uneven but interesting collection of dark, female-centered horror stories where the threat originates as much from women's status in society as from the supernatural.
For example, in "The Memory of Wood", a woman struggles with telling her husband about the strange sounds coming from a chest they bought at a yard sale because she fears he will refuse to take her seriously. As the threat grows, his being an incredibly sound sleeper - almost hostiley so! – drives the tension as much as the threat from the chest as she bitterly recalls how he always slept through the cries of their baby, leaving her to care for it on her own.
Although the stories don't always come off, Tuttle puts a menacing spin on divorce, motherhood, female relationships, etc., and at her best manages this double tension beautifully.
For example, in "The Memory of Wood", a woman struggles with telling her husband about the strange sounds coming from a chest they bought at a yard sale because she fears he will refuse to take her seriously. As the threat grows, his being an incredibly sound sleeper - almost hostiley so! – drives the tension as much as the threat from the chest as she bitterly recalls how he always slept through the cries of their baby, leaving her to care for it on her own.
Although the stories don't always come off, Tuttle puts a menacing spin on divorce, motherhood, female relationships, etc., and at her best manages this double tension beautifully.