I enjoyed reading these very strange stories even when I was not sure what was going on. They are not really horror stories but they are unsettling. Along with Lynch and Kafka I also thought that these stories are what Charlotte Perkins Gilman saw in the wallpaper. Enjoy these imaginative original stories but read them during the day.

Fans of quirky short stories will not be disappointed, but this is definitely a niche book for many. Stories run from truly surreal to absolutely brilliant with everything in between.

The Doll’s Alphabet, the upcoming short story collection by Camilla Grudova, was something completely different from anything I have encountered recently. These stories, thirteen in total, are dark and eerie with some sort of childlike quality about them; they are almost fairytale like in nature; each story sending a message and all provoking caution. I was bewildered while I was reading. I found myself continuously pondering that perhaps I wasn’t smart enough to “get” these stories and spending the rest of my time thinking “Wait…WHAT??!”

This short story collection felt like something I would have studied in university; filled with motifs and symbolism, I really liked how Grudova took several political stances throughout and discussed feminism. Very much like the Southern Gothic style of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Conner, these stories read like they came from a different time period. Unstitching, the short but powerful opening story begins with women literally “unzipping” and coming out of their skin. It is only then that they feel liberated and the men are outraged to see their women so unhinged. Does this make sense? Nope! Do I think it is pretty awesome? Absolutely.

That question ran through my mind constantly as I was reading. Does this make sense? Does this make sense? What about this makes sense? And, truly, none of her stories really do. They are purely whimsical and fantastic calling on dollhouses and mermaids and talking spiders. This magic realism is something I am not used to but found really interesting during the time I was reading.

Usually, I like a short story collection because I can read it slowly and pick it up when I feel like it, but, with The Doll’s Alphabet, I found myself reading fairly quickly.

Overall, I found this collection intriguing and dynamic.

Camilla Grudova's book of short stories, The Doll's Alphabet, is a ride through a strange blend of feminism, magical realism, and depressing alternate realities. Some of the stories are just great, such as Unstitching (in which women learn how to unstitch themselves and sewing machines are now relics that are forbidden) or The Gothic Society (in which gothic figures begin to spread across buildings, gardens, etc.) or Waxy (in which women are responsible for taking care of their Men). The other stories didn't catch my attention in the same way, but were interesting nevertheless; they'll require a bit more work before I can settle my thoughts about them.

I'm sorry, I was unable to read this book due to a technical error. The PDF would not open, and Adobe Digital Editions was unable to verify the license.

The stories in this collection are strange, macabre and very grotesque. I found the collection disjointed in that there were some really excellent stories mixed in with stories that I didn't enjoy that much. Sometimes I felt the stories ended suddenly without any sense of an ending. I wish the stories that I enjoyed had been longer.

The tales in this volume have quite the Victorian, sometimes Lovecraftian, feel. At times the content of the stories is disturbing, so much so that I had to put the book down and walk away for a moment. This one is worth picking up of you are a horror reader.