Friday, February 16, 2018

review: apart in the dark by ania ahlborn

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Apart in the Dark contains two novellas previously released by Ania Ahlborn. The first is The Pretty Ones which takes place in New York City at the height of the Son of Sam killings. The women Nell works with are bleaching and cutting their hair in order to not fit the victim profile, but Nell is more concerned with things like paying rent and avoiding the bullying of some of her "mean girl" coworkers. When those coworkers start being murdered, it's initially assumed they're Son of Sam victims, but Nell knows they were targeted because of her. With this one, Ahlborn crafts an excellent story of revenge.

The second novella, I Call Upon Thee, is truly terrifying though it doesn't start that way. At first it seems to be the sad story of a family struck with a number of tragic deaths. But then Ahlborn incorporates some of Maggie's backstory. As children, Maggie and her sister Brynn (whose funeral Maggie is back home to attend) played in a cemetery and used a Ouija board to try to summon Kurt Cobain. Maggie knows they didn't talk to Kurt that night, but believes a dead child from the cemetery now haunts the house. This creepy tale will keep you up at night.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Gallery Books.

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