Haunted: Tales of the GrotesqueNovelist, poet, dramatist and author of many of the best American short stories of our time, Joyce Carol Oates shows yet another aspect of her unbounded creativity in these tales of the grotesque. Haunted, a collection of sixteen tales that range from classic ghost stories to portrayals of chilling psychological terror, raises the genre to the level of fine literature - complex, multi-layered, and gripping fiction that is very scary indeed. In the title story, "Haunted, " the pubescent Melissa and her best friend, the sexually precocious Mary Lou, ignore "no trespassing" signs to explore forbidden houses. But the deserted Minton farm is one place where they should not have gone, and years later Melissa is tormented by her memories of its malevolence...and the murder of Mary Lou. In the novella, "The Model, " a sexual threat seems to underlie the interaction between young Sybil Blake and "Mr. Starr, " who asks her to be his model, but the truth about her own identity, and his, shows that the danger is lurking in a different part of the heart. The "Accursed Inhabitants of the House of Bly, " a macabre reworking of Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw, " resurrects the evil of Miss Jessel and Quint, who are up to their old tricks with the children, Miles and Flora, but with new, perverse, and brilliant revelations. The tales in this collection plunge the reader into nightmare worlds where violence slips in unexpectedly, where reality turns into a funhouse mirror, and where American culture goes awry in shocking, provocative ways. Joyce Carol Oates is a master storyteller of the dark side. She writes with skillfully controlled prose, tightly woven plots, and deep psychological insight that m her fictional horror worthy to set alongside the stories of Edgar Allan Poe - and far above all the rest. |
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Page 11
... breath . I remember smoke rising from the Siskins ' kitchen chimney , from their wood - burning stove , straight up into the winter sky like a breath you draw inside you deeper and deeper until you begin to feel faint . Later on , that ...
... breath . I remember smoke rising from the Siskins ' kitchen chimney , from their wood - burning stove , straight up into the winter sky like a breath you draw inside you deeper and deeper until you begin to feel faint . Later on , that ...
Page 86
... breath was being sucked from him . . . . " Oh , no ! Save me ! Dear God- " The damp muzzle against his mouth , sucking his life's breath from him , and he could not move to tear it away - his arms , leaden at his sides ; his entire body ...
... breath was being sucked from him . . . . " Oh , no ! Save me ! Dear God- " The damp muzzle against his mouth , sucking his life's breath from him , and he could not move to tear it away - his arms , leaden at his sides ; his entire body ...
Page 229
... breath , and I said to Father , " Okay . I'll get the damn old turkey . " Screwing up my face like a little kid to hide how frightened I was , so he needn't know . I stepped over some debris and broken glass , got down on my hands and ...
... breath , and I said to Father , " Okay . I'll get the damn old turkey . " Screwing up my face like a little kid to hide how frightened I was , so he needn't know . I stepped over some debris and broken glass , got down on my hands and ...
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Alissa arms asked Aunt Lora Babygirl beautiful Bibi Bingo blood breath Broome County called child course cried crying damn damp dark dear Directorium Inquisitorum dolls door dream Ellen eyes face Father feel felt fingers Fitz-James floor Florence Parr friends George Conte girl glass Glencoe gone governess hair hand Harley Street head hear hurt husband Jocko Joe Pye Joyce Carol Oates kill Miranda kitchen knew Lake Champlain laughed legs light lips little Flora little Miles lived look Mary Lou Miranda Miss Jessel Momma mother mouth Muir murmured never night Norman Ottery park Persian cat poor Queenston Quinn Quint remember screamed Sea of Azof seemed she'd skin sleep smell smile staring Starr stood Sybil Blake teeth tell things thought told Tophet turned voice whispered Whitney window woman wondered young