Member Review
Review by
Lucia P, Media/Journalist
For many years - decades, even - I wasn't much one for short stories. They always seemed... well, TOO short, with abrupt endings that never seemed to say as much as I'd hoped they would. The form, too, never seemed terribly interesting to me - just truncated versions of what I'd rather be reading instead.
But as time went on, I began to find writers who really stretched what the short story could do, playing with both form and content in ways I hadn't realized were possible. Paul Tremblay - whose novels I also adore - is one of those writers; his previous short story collection, Growing Things, grabbed me in a way few such collections historically have, and this new collection, The Beast You Are, continues the trend.
In "The Blog At The End Of The World," for instance, we're reading not just a series of blog posts penned by an increasingly isolated young 20-something as the world gradually ends around her, but a reverse chronology, AND the comments section, leading us ultimately to a slow realization of what, precisely, occurred to cause things to end up how they are.
In "The Last Conversation," we experience a series of conversations with someone we're told is our doctor as we remain trapped in a single room, recovering from a mysterious ailment no one will tell us anything about. (And I do mean "we"; written in the second person, the story positions the reader as the protagonist.)
And in the novella for which the collection is named, "The Beast You Are," a fable-like setting populated by anthropomorphic animals quickly becomes a nightmare, all told in a prose poem format that gives it the air of legend.
Fans of A Head Full Of Ghosts - my personal favorite of Tremblay's novels - will find a lot here to love; several stories exist within the A Head Full Of Ghosts universe, or, in some cases, offer differing takes on its characters and their dynamic. The titular novella is particularly notable in this respect - and, indeed, I might even go so far as to say that when it comes to this particular collection, it's sort of a, "come for the short stories, stay for the novella" situation. "The Beast You Are" is arresting in its plot, in its ideas, and in its presentation - a real triple threat.
I'm always excited to see what Tremblay has in store for us, and each page of The Beast You Are offers something to shock and delight. An excellent read.
But as time went on, I began to find writers who really stretched what the short story could do, playing with both form and content in ways I hadn't realized were possible. Paul Tremblay - whose novels I also adore - is one of those writers; his previous short story collection, Growing Things, grabbed me in a way few such collections historically have, and this new collection, The Beast You Are, continues the trend.
In "The Blog At The End Of The World," for instance, we're reading not just a series of blog posts penned by an increasingly isolated young 20-something as the world gradually ends around her, but a reverse chronology, AND the comments section, leading us ultimately to a slow realization of what, precisely, occurred to cause things to end up how they are.
In "The Last Conversation," we experience a series of conversations with someone we're told is our doctor as we remain trapped in a single room, recovering from a mysterious ailment no one will tell us anything about. (And I do mean "we"; written in the second person, the story positions the reader as the protagonist.)
And in the novella for which the collection is named, "The Beast You Are," a fable-like setting populated by anthropomorphic animals quickly becomes a nightmare, all told in a prose poem format that gives it the air of legend.
Fans of A Head Full Of Ghosts - my personal favorite of Tremblay's novels - will find a lot here to love; several stories exist within the A Head Full Of Ghosts universe, or, in some cases, offer differing takes on its characters and their dynamic. The titular novella is particularly notable in this respect - and, indeed, I might even go so far as to say that when it comes to this particular collection, it's sort of a, "come for the short stories, stay for the novella" situation. "The Beast You Are" is arresting in its plot, in its ideas, and in its presentation - a real triple threat.
I'm always excited to see what Tremblay has in store for us, and each page of The Beast You Are offers something to shock and delight. An excellent read.
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
