Custom anthology full of horror and dreaminess – review of the book ‘The Terrible Young Ladies and Other Peculiar Stories’

Ghosts, magic, death, misery and secrets are just a few of the entries that can be used in the new anthology published by Wydawnictwo Literackie. This is one of those books that you never forget.

The cover features a dragonfly, the title and the author’s details. However, when you devote a little more time to the insect placed there, you notice that it is a head with an extremely long braid, and the drawn wings have a whole lot of symbols, e.g. a skull, bones, a wind rose or a moon. The whole thing is drawn with something that causes a slight glow, so the very first moment of taking this book in your hands is intriguing, even a little anxious.

A few words about the author

The American writer Kelly Barnhill, who works for children and teenagers mainly in the fantasy trend, has already earned several awards in her life (eg World Fantasy Award, John Newbery Medal). In Poland, it can be associated with the novels published so far, The Son of a Witch and The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The literary publishing house continues to publish the works of Barnhill and this time invites us to read a collection of unusual stories addressed to older readers who are not afraid to reach for the grotesque, combined with horror and a large dose of sadness.

Knock Knock – Here I am, the book you are not expecting!

The anthology contains nine texts that relate to many difficult topics. You can read here, among others about death, jealousy, betrayal, fear or love. However, don’t expect standards, duplicate diagrams, and normal endings. In these texts, much remains unsaid and closed in the sphere between magic and reality, reality and dream. The author perfectly outlines not only each of the characters she has created, but also the accompanying supernatural phenomena or – included in the title itself – peculiarities. The emotions of the character quickly become the emotions of the reader, because Barnhill does not use direct vocabulary and descriptions from the genre , he / she was sador rather, it reaches for the whole context. The writer also provides a full package of feelings and often takes the reader on a journey through the memories of her characters. On the one hand, some elements of the gothic novel (crime, mysterious and spooky narrative, death) are felt here, on the other hand, there is something innovative and unique in these stories that cannot be fully compared with another title or genre.

The most important thing is sometimes invisible to the eyes

This is definitely a book for a specific audience. If you are not a fan of mysteries, the grotesque and unusualness, this collection may be disappointing, mainly due to a misunderstanding of the style of full onirism and poetry (personally, the one about the Insect and the Astronomy is the most difficult text in this respect ). Some of the author’s ideas may also seem strange and repulsive. At the same time, I suppose that empathetic people will feel more reading this publication, especially with these sad fragments, because it is impossible to ignore some of the information received, even if it is covered with a magical envelope.

Tim Burton’s cinema, but on paper?

The cover description mentions that Scary Young Ladies and other peculiar stories are reminiscent of the worlds created by Tim Burton. I have to agree with this because I have not found any better point of reference. One thing is certain – these texts are not easily forgotten and they resonate in a person even some time after reading.