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The Ones That Got Away

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 85 ratings · 20 reviews

These thirteen stories are our own lives, inside out. A boy's summer romance doesn't end in that good kind of heartbreak, but in blood. A girl on a fishing trip makes a friend in the woods who's exactly what she needs, except then that friend follows her back to the city. A father hears a voice through his baby monitor that shouldn't be possible, but now he can't stop list...more

Paperback, 251 pages

Published November 30th 2010 by Prime Books (first published November 16th 2010)

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Mar 17, 2011 Richard Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review was originally published at The Nervous Breakdown:

The Ones That Got Away (Prime Books) tiptoes into the darkness, luring us deep into the woods, up into crawlspaces, and to distant islands, where the people, the sacrifices, the losses are our own, our universal fears come to life. You’d think that once he surprised me, once Dr. Jones pulled that old trick where you watch the left hand while the right hand does something else that I’d be prepared for more misdirection, watching the wo...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Pearce Hansen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've been hearing good things about Stephen Graham Jones for a while, but this is the first of his books I've actually bought and read. It won't be my last.

I've been reading for over fifty years. Taught myself to read at five (Green Eggs & Ham, of course). For reasons you might not expect, I became a bookworm. I read EVERYTHING. Even when I was homeless squatting in a burned out basement, I still had a stack of books to read by candle light. A eductaed myself on a combination of American Pul...more I've been hearing good things about Stephen Graham Jones for a while, but this is the first of his books I've actually bought and read. It won't be my last.

I've been reading for over fifty years. Taught myself to read at five (Green Eggs & Ham, of course). For reasons you might not expect, I became a bookworm. I read EVERYTHING. Even when I was homeless squatting in a burned out basement, I still had a stack of books to read by candle light. A eductaed myself on a combination of American Pulp and the Western Canon, without which I'd be a functional illiterate.

I digress into 'me me me' territory because I'm the kind of reader that no longer has patience with the mediocre. Time is a premium at my decrepit age. I've read the greatest words ever written, and if you don't get busy within the first paragraph -- well, I'll be catching a cab home with my mad monsy, so as not to walk all that way in my high heels.

Stephen brings the juice. His pacing is invariably spot on perfect, without a trace of artifice. His language is visceral, evocative, and unforced. He is fearless as a writer, and you'd better be as a reader if you intend to crack his pages.

He drags you down with him into the deep waters, further into the abyss than you'd ever counted on when you started. You end in stark places with him -- but there's alway a sense of deja vu when he lets go of your hand and you're standing alone in a place as familiar as it is hellish.

He's particularly good at conveying the surreal jumbling of reality a mind undergoes when under soul snapping stress -- the PIXELLATION of mentation you experience under severe enough trauma. Stephen has obviously been to the edge in his life, and it indelibly stains his writing.

The man is good, and writes in a graceful, comfortable tone that comes across more like a good friend spinning a yarn rather than a writer per se. His craftsmanship, however, is impeccable despite its naturalness.

I'm glad I discovered him, and I recommend Mr. Jones to anyone who insists on good writing in their books. (less)

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Feb 17, 2011 Fred Venturini rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

Story collections are like golf shots . . . if you run into a crap story, the next one could be the redeemer, so it keeps you interested start to finish. You run into a stinker of a novel, you're screwed for 300 pages, you know? But in reading the latest from Stephen Graham Jones, The Ones That Got Away, I'm reminded that it is still possible for a collection make me say, "Seriously, this next one cannot be better than this one. No way." And then delivers again. And again. And again.

I wasn't th...more Story collections are like golf shots . . . if you run into a crap story, the next one could be the redeemer, so it keeps you interested start to finish. You run into a stinker of a novel, you're screwed for 300 pages, you know? But in reading the latest from Stephen Graham Jones, The Ones That Got Away, I'm reminded that it is still possible for a collection make me say, "Seriously, this next one cannot be better than this one. No way." And then delivers again. And again. And again.

I wasn't this giddy or delighted reading a stack of stories since I was 10 years old, mopping up King's Skeleton Crew, crapping my footie pajamas to "Survivor Type" and "The Jaunt."

Jones slam-banged me right out of the box with the very first story, "Father, Son, Holy Rabbit," about a stranded father and son who continue to eat a "magical" rabbit over and over again to stay alive. I was thinking about that story for days, and it has all the makings of a lifetimer for me, where I'll be sixty talking about that story to someone, probably my grandkids, who will laugh when I try to explain what a payphone was.

Bookending the collection is "Crawlspace," which, if you think a telepathic infant sounds creepy, wait until the guilt of our narrator's infidelity starts to get the best of him. The final page is unsettling.

Special thanks to the story "Raphael" for just existing. Wow. This one accomplished a rare feat in my reading exploits . . . there are two pages that just made me stop and reread them on the spot, then I finished the story, then read the whole thing again.

There's another story where the title itself can give you nightmares. Two words for you: "Meat Tree." Think about that.

King called his men's magazine stories that populated Night Shift and Skeleton Crew "screamers." Well, Jones takes the screamer mentality and deploys it full force, with an ability prod you along with sentences that are sharp enough to cut. Twisty and startling, the stories don't finish up in predictable "screamer" fashion many times . . . they just worm their way into you, make themselves at home, and you'll feel like your balance is off for a few days. You find yourself wanting a little extra sunshine, maybe a long shower. This effect is achieved largely through the use of childhood as a gateway to the horrors within the collection, and the close attention paid to who the horror happens to as opposed to how.

The story notes are a treasure trove for anyone interested in fiction, the author, or just loves having insight into these excellent stories. Better than that crap bonus material you find DVD's, that's for sure.

You want me to sit here and gush about every story? Just go out there and buy this book. Like, now. (less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Matthew Vaughn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, general-fiiction, reviewed

So everyone knows Stephen Graham Jones is the man, right? This guy can write stories in his sleep that for anyone else it would take years. Oh, you don’t know SGJ? Do you need something of his to introduce you to his writing? The Ones that Got Away may be the perfect place to start, provided you can handle it.
Featuring thirteen stories most of which were originally published between 2005 and 2010. These stories seem all over the place, and to label them as just horror stories would be an injusti...more So everyone knows Stephen Graham Jones is the man, right? This guy can write stories in his sleep that for anyone else it would take years. Oh, you don’t know SGJ? Do you need something of his to introduce you to his writing? The Ones that Got Away may be the perfect place to start, provided you can handle it.
Featuring thirteen stories most of which were originally published between 2005 and 2010. These stories seem all over the place, and to label them as just horror stories would be an injustice. But they all share the common thread that they are excellent. It’s rare that you can pick up a collection of short stories and really enjoy every single story. Even the weakest story from this collection could be the best short you read all year.
I don’t want to individually go into each story, so I’ll just hit on a couple of my favorites.
Till the Morning Comes is a disturbing little tale about a boy forced to share his room with his little brother when his uncle comes to live with them. There are things in his uncle’s room that he sees that keep him awake at night, and things that he hears. One desperate night he sends his little brother into their uncle’s room because he’s too scared to go himself, and that act will change the whole family.
So Perfect reminded me of the old movie Heathers with Christian Slater and Wynonna Ryder. And for whatever reason it also made me think of Jawbreaker with Rose McGowan and Rebecca Gayheart. It’s the story of two pretty popular girls who find a new dieting technique, and the prank they play on one of their loser classmates.
And finally there’s the story that closes out the collection, Crawlspace. Partly it’s about the relationship with our narrator and his best friend Quint; partly it’s about the narrator’s struggle with his infidelity. But there’s also Quint’s obsession with proving his newborn son is telepathic, and that he can cause him to wake up crying simply by reading horror novels. This story in itself could have been a novel, or a novella at the least. It’s very engrossing. The characters are interesting and Jones’ writing is top notch.
Reading this collection I found myself deeply involved in each story, and just as deeply disappointed when they came to their conclusion. This book is perfect for any fans of SGJ work, or anyone wanting to check him out for the first time.
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Sep 13, 2011 M Griffin rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the stronger single-author collections I've read in the last few years. Well-written, nice variety, engaging voice. I strongly recommend this and will have to pick up other books by Jones.

One of the stronger single-author collections I've read in the last few years. Well-written, nice variety, engaging voice. I strongly recommend this and will have to pick up other books by Jones.

The book collects thirteen stories published in a variety of venues ranging from more obscure journals and ant...more One of the stronger single-author collections I've read in the last few years. Well-written, nice variety, engaging voice. I strongly recommend this and will have to pick up other books by Jones.

One of the stronger single-author collections I've read in the last few years. Well-written, nice variety, engaging voice. I strongly recommend this and will have to pick up other books by Jones.

The book collects thirteen stories published in a variety of venues ranging from more obscure journals and anthologies to the more prominent such as Cemetary Dance. In his story notes at the end, Jones offers entertaining and casual insights into the conception and crafting of each story, and in some cases talks about different versions of the story that existed along the way before he found a way to tell what he wanted told. I love this kind of stuff! It reminds me of the story notes that were always part of Harlan Ellison's collections, which I looked forward to as much as the stories themselves. Jones seems to have such a humble attitude and likeable personality I imagine most readers will enjoy these bits, even those not looking for insight into the craft of writing.

I've always preferred horror fiction with a greater emphasis on character and story than on monsters and gore. Sometimes, though, horror fiction with literary aspirations takes this too far, and downplays the horrific aspect so much the end result is not horror at all, but a vague, low-key sort of ennui. This collection manages that balance perfectly, with plenty of gruesome details and chilling scenes that never become gratuitous or cause eye-rolls.

The first story, "Father, Son, Holy Rabbit" is exemplary. It's a beautiful, sensitive story of fatherly love for a son, yet it's also a tale so gruesome and disturbing as to cause nightmares. Despite its brevity, this story carries a serious payload.

Some stories are stronger than others, as in any collection, but not one is less than good. I suppose "The Meat Tree" is the one I feel could be removed without weakening the whole. In every other case, Jones combines a vivid conceptual imagination with convincing characters and conveys the whole in an engrossing voice. The final novella ("Crawlspace," original to this collection) is some of the most gripping and anxiety-producing fiction I've ever read. It's hard to imagine a reader making it from the first story to the last without being impressed.

The book was a finalist for a "Best Collection" Bram Stoker award, but was matched-up against the potent and masterful Occultation by Laird Barron (who wrote the introduction to Jones's collection), and the book that won the award, Full Dark, No Stars by the world's most popular author (doing some of his best work here) Stephen King.

Some writers exhibit a single strength, but Jones has all the bases covered. His writing has an edge without losing accessibility, his stories address familiar tropes and concepts in a way that seems fresh, and he seems in every case fully in control of his world, its mood, and the effect it has on the reader. I recommend this book, and it has definitely convinced me to seek out other works by Jones. (less)

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Apr 03, 2011 Vince Liaguno rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reviewing the works of Stephen Graham Jones is a daunting task. Not because of any shortcoming or lackluster aspect that requires the careful deliberation of words but because the work, quite frankly, is so brilliant at times that it demands the most circumspect, most diligent of analyses. To put it another way: A review of Stephen Graham Jones’ work necessitates living up to the quality of the work itself. Anything less would feel…well, somehow unacceptable.

Indeed the thirteen tales that compr...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Orrin Grey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Holy crap! This is maybe only the second book I ever read that was too intense, too brutal, that I had to stop partway through it and read something else for awhile before picking it back up.

Stephen Graham Jones writes just brilliant, brutal stories here that, though obviously not true, all feel true, with the undeniable credibility of a good urban legend. Even the one about a werewolf fighting a killer whale. Even that one.

They're harsh, disturbing stories, and some of the only stories to ever...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Tonya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anthology, fiction, horror

This book is filled with half good stories and half duds. Perhaps if I hadn't recently read some heavy-hitting anthologies with stories I would love to re-read then this would have come off better. however, there aren't really any stories in here that lingered let along begged to be re-read, in my opinion.

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Oct 03, 2011 BiblioBabes.ca rated it 5 of 5 stars

BiblioBabe Kat loved this, and gave it a 10/10 - read her review here:
http://www.bibliobabes.ca/2/post/2011...

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Dec 26, 2010 Eric rated it 5 of 5 stars

Terrific as in terrifying. Terrific as in pretty great.

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May 03, 2012 Georgina Kamsika rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's a real mix of stories in this - all great, all candid views of reality with touches of horror that don't leave you.

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Mar 23, 2012 Kurt Dinan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Best collection I read this year.

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May 12, 2011 Nicholas Lubofsky rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is quite simply the best collection of horror short stories I have ever read. Fear, thy name is Stephen! But it's not Stephen King, it's Stephen Graham Jones!!

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Aug 15, 2012 Chau Nguyen rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.4, 5 to the more stellar stories and 4 for the rest.

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Mar 03, 2011 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-suspense, short-stories-novellas-essays, awesome-favorites

This is a delicious set of short horror stories. It makes me think of vintage Stephen King where on the surface everything seems just fine, but slightly underneath it -- bad things. Very. bad. things. Highly recommended.

23 Feb 11 - I read the first two stories in this last night. The only word I can think of is: Primal.

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Nov 16, 2012 Camilla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Strange and weird and unpleasant....

Just what I look for in horror... I had nightmares several nights while reading this book....
Technically, not something I want, but who knows why I love horror despite how affected I get... Anyway, the "good" stuff affects me - and this really did! Enough said...

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Feb 05, 2012 Benjamin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

I like short stories put together, it is not one long narrative. You can blast through one story set the book down then blast through another story at a later time. There was some really good story lines in the book. At the end of each story there was that twist that made it that much better.

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Jul 15, 2012 Brandon rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! It's so difficult to pick a favorite story out of it, so I'll pick my top four: "Lonegan's Luck", "So Perfect", "Monster", and, of course, "Father, Son, Holy Rabbit." All in all, this was an awesome collection of short stories!

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Nov 01, 2011 Derek Fenner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephen Graham Jones can really end a story. Keep the lights on though, and stay away from the windows.

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Jun 29, 2011 Gordon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Is there a button for six stars?

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May 18, 2013 Whitney marked it as to-read

May 11, 2013 Elizabeth Faragher marked it as to-read

May 06, 2013 Kimberly Pugh marked it as to-read

May 04, 2013 Bill Gordon marked it as to-read

May 04, 2013 Megan is currently reading it

May 10, 2013 Jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, short-stories

May 01, 2013 Matthew marked it as to-read

Apr 27, 2013 CC marked it as to-read

Apr 24, 2013 Angelique marked it as to-read

Apr 21, 2013 Ipsith rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones is the author of eight novels and two collections. Stephen's been a Shirley Jackson Award finalist three times, a Bram Stoker Award finalist, a Black Quill Award finalist, an International Horror Guild finalist, a Colorado Book Award Finalist, a Texas Monthly Book Selection, and has won the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction and the Independent Publishers Award for M...more

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