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Sonja Ska Reviews 10/10/2024

spookycurious

See My Breath Dance Ghostly by Matthew Gostelow made me go to war with myself. On one hand, I have a tough time with short story collections. On the other hand, I can't resist weird, uncanny stories that are equal parts dark and gory - so I decided to push aside my hesitation and jump in - and man, I made the right call.


Fourteen stories make up this odd little collection, blending real life with a creepy supernatural event that leaves you feeling off-kilter. I loved how each story chipped away at reality, making you realize how easily everyday life can bleed into a nightmare. And the nightmares come so easily. It's hard to find a book where the horror feels real, like you're going to walk down the hallway at work only to hear the footsteps of something behind you without anything being there or find a pile of freshly peeled flesh in the bathroom of a hotel, but that's exactly the type of quiet horror this collection captures.


See My Breath Dance Ghostly is the type of horror that sinks in slowly. It breathes down your neck and convinces you to look at your neighbor extra closely. But there's more than otherworldly creepiness in these tales. There's also humor, wit, heart, and so much imagination. The first thing I did when I finished was run to check if Gostelow had something longer available because these are the types of nightmarish worlds I want to get lost in.


Some stand out stories were:

Stranger Than Shitty Sheets and Rubber Ding-Dongs

The Zebra Finch

The Dark Wood Cold


Pick this up if you're into:

Silent Hill Vibes (that weird unreality)

Lyrical writing

Quiet, weird, broken world horror

Bizarre, occult penetrating real life


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