The horror and crime thriller genres are still going strong thanks to the works of writers like Paul Tremblay, whose newest collection, Growing Things and Other Stories is now available. Nineteen short stories, some done in offbeat styles (multiple and/or unreliable narrators, a “choose your own adventure” parody) depict various characters finding themselves trapped in situations out of their control. Not everyone is successful, but even the least impressive ones will leave the reader gasping.
The title story, about the horrifying destruction of a family during an unexplained infestation of plants opens the book with a bang. That’s followed by such gems as “The Getaway” (a getaway driver watches his gang start to disappear without any reason after a heist), “Nineteen Snapshots at Dennisport” (a young man traces in photos taken during a family vacation the events leading to his father’s death and who made it happen), and “The Teacher” (a student begins to unravel apparently due to her strange AP history course teacher). My favorite stories are “The Ice Tower” (a bizarre Lovecraftian thriller, told through multiple narrators, about mountain climbers battling a snowstorm) and “It’s Against The Law To Feed The Ducks” (four-year-old Danny watches the effects of an unexplained seemingly worldwide catastrophe has on his family), the latter story working better than the author’s other, similar (but still troubling) story, “Where We All Will Be.”
Scary and tense from start to finish, Growing Things and Other Stories is a must-read!
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