Rather scary at times, I sometimes felt as if I was reading a collection of warped fairytales the slightly supernatural vibe gave them a real edge which manifested itself in a deep sense of unease as I read more and more. There is a distinctly witchy feel to this collection which gave it a haunting and ethereal quality. This is a very unique collection of short stories that really got under my skin.

From a talented writer who has been compared to Angela Carter, Things We Say in the Dark is a powerful contemporary collection of feminist stories, ranging from vicious fairy tales to disturbing horror and tender ghost stories. These dark tales explore women’s fears with electrifying honesty and invention and speak to one another about female bodies, domestic claustrophobia, desire and violence.

Couples wrestle with a lack of connection to their children a schoolgirl becomes obsessed with the female anatomical models in a museum and a cheery account of child’s day out is undercut by chilling footnotes. Alone in a remote house in Iceland a woman is unnerved by her isolation another can only find respite from the clinging ghost that follows her by submerging herself in an overgrown pool. The characters in this collection find their aspirations for happy homes, happy families and happy memories dissected and imbued with shimmering menace. We can turn them over and weigh them in our hands and maybe that will protect us from them. But we can visit our fears at night, in the dark. Some things can’t be spoken about in the light of day. I have a very special blogtour post today – my review of Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan as part of the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize longlist blogtour 💫

Things we do in the dark reviews