2016 Story 20
Today's story comes from Candle in the Attic Window: An Anthology of Gothic Horror, edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles.
20. THE SNOW MAN by E. Catherine Tobler. I really enjoyed this story on multiple levels. Tobler takes all of the classic aspects of a gothic story: lonely young female narrator, potentially haunted house, weather causing problems for communication with the outside world, fellow residents who don't sense the weirdness the way the narrator does, and weaves them into something that still feels original, cut from whole cloth. I loved the slow spooling out of what is really going on. The only moment that almost threw me out of the story was an off-hand mention of lack of internet access; until that point I'd been assuming the story took place in the typical Gothic period. But that little mention didn't ruin the whole story for me; the narrator's voice is compelling enough that I was able to fall right back into her tale and accept that this type of story works just as well regardless of whether the inclement weather is cutting off road access or wireless. (Note: I feel like I've read this story once before, but cannot find it catalogued anywhere in this community.)
20. THE SNOW MAN by E. Catherine Tobler. I really enjoyed this story on multiple levels. Tobler takes all of the classic aspects of a gothic story: lonely young female narrator, potentially haunted house, weather causing problems for communication with the outside world, fellow residents who don't sense the weirdness the way the narrator does, and weaves them into something that still feels original, cut from whole cloth. I loved the slow spooling out of what is really going on. The only moment that almost threw me out of the story was an off-hand mention of lack of internet access; until that point I'd been assuming the story took place in the typical Gothic period. But that little mention didn't ruin the whole story for me; the narrator's voice is compelling enough that I was able to fall right back into her tale and accept that this type of story works just as well regardless of whether the inclement weather is cutting off road access or wireless. (Note: I feel like I've read this story once before, but cannot find it catalogued anywhere in this community.)