Something Bloody and Something Bizarre
4 Nov
I’ve been reading lots, as I keep saying, but it’s not been anything relevant to the supposed topic of this blog. It’s all Henry James and James Joyce — and we can argue all day about whether The Turn of the Screw is a ghost story or not, but you won’t convince me it is. Scary as hell, yes. But not because of ghosts.
My friends bought me this book called Bloody Irish by Bob Curran, which claims to be a book of Irish vampire stories. It was my birthday, and they’d just come back from Ireland. They figured, “Hey, Katey’s from a giant crazy Irish-American family. She likes vampires! Let’s do it.”
Good choice, as it turns out. I don’t know how accurate the stories are, in terms of being local folklore– the only Irish stories I had growing up was that book of fairy tales by Sinead de Valera, and there were definitely no vampires there. But there are four little tales in this one, and they’re framed as classic ghost stories, very nicely laid out. I didn’t quite get into it until about the middle of the first one, but I think that was mostly my expectations– I had no idea what the book was meant to be. Once I realized they were folk tales/ghost stories, I liked all four of them very much. Not the usual brutal bloodsucker fare, something more subtle and scary, with vampires appropriately monstrous. I particularly liked the last one, Miss O’Hare, told as a man remembering a childhood experience with an old family of vampires in his small town.
Then I tore out the transmission by switching gears to read Vacation by Jeremy C. Shipp. I got this because I’m subscribed to his Bizarro Bytes (they’ve all been great, but the Halloween Special was particularly cool– he sent out 4 stories, 2 new!), and there was a buy this, get that offer. He has a new novel out as of last week, Cursed, so I thought, “Hell, I’d better read the first one to see if I want to buy the second.”
Long story short, I do.
Short story long, it’s called bizarro for a reason. Vacation reads, like Shipp’s shorter works, like a dream from which you can’t wake up. Sometimes a nightmare, but the line is blurry when you’re asleep, and it’s just as blurry when you’re reading this. I think the most important point is that it’s not just a string of strange occurrences in an alternate world that’s all too easy to imagine as our own, but it also has a lot of very important things to say. My own bias toward those things probably helped me like this book, but even if you disagree with the underlying metaphor, it’s worth a read.
The only real weak spot is that there are places where it starts to read like a list of aphorisms knocking society, but the characters and plot are so interesting it’s hard to care. In particular, the writing kept me going through those (very short) patches. It’s sort of like Joyce (for the voice– the train of the MC’s thought and how the natural cadence of it is reflected throughout the work) meets Orwell (dystopian something-something– can’t say much more without spoilers) meets a Manic Street Preachers song. If the first goal of a novel is to be, as James said, amusing, this one manages. But it’s also more than that, which is a real accomplishment. The bizarre is a cover for reality, kind of like our dreams. But it’s also very real and brutal and kind and honest.
I mean, it’s true: You can live your whole life on Vacation. Most people do.
Herman the bull and Tracey the sheep//transgenic milk containing human protein//their bacteria cheaper than baby food//attention, today it’s a cow, tomorrow it’s you
Manic Street Preachers – Me and Stephen Hawking
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Now playing: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Elvira Madigan – Allegro maestoso
via FoxyTunes
“Bloody Irish” is a delightful title. Does that means there’s a big book of Polish vampires out there? Hungarian or Czech is also acceptable ; )
Books of folklore from different parts of the world – hmm, must add that to my Xmas wish-list!
I reviewed Vacation for HorrorScope – different only begins to cover it. If you’re interested: http://ozhorrorscope.blogspot.com/2009/06/review-vacation-by-jeremy-c-shipp.html
I love The Turn of the Screw and I agree, it’s not the ghost that’s scary.
Nat, I’m positive there must be one for Hungarians (who have Bathory!) and the Czechs. Polish… I don’t know. But I want to, now. Yeah though, the title made me laugh.
BT, I think I remember reading that review before– all well said, sir, as usual!
Danielle, right on, man. Right on.
Turn of the Screw…isn’t that the one with the big machine that destroys psychic–wait.
Sorry. Wrong book. I hardly remember Turn of the Screw. Maychance I read it again.
You’ll love Cursed. It’s beyond Vacation.
Ha, Aaron! But yes, if you do read it again, let me know what you think. Because seriously… THERE ARE NO GHOSTS.
I’m done now. Really.
Jodi, mmm now I’m even more excited!
I’m thinking of an elided love child here… Henry James Joyce… Oh god… No ghosts and no cogent dialogue… gasp! Its a winner in my book!
Oh Nicolas, the horrors your brain could unleash on the world. This must be in our blood.
… Henry James Joyce. Definitely a winner. No ghosts, no cogent dialogue, and let us not forget no plot. (In long form. In short form, great plot!)