Nothing Untoward: Stories from "The Pumpkin Pie Show"

by Clay McLeod Chapman

(Applause Books). In Rest Area, Clay McLeod Chapman offered a view into the lives of Southern Gothic monstrosities. Now, the 40 tales of Nothing Untoward delve into the depraved minds of those madmen and women who drift along the periphery of humankind. Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, these stories explore the domestic horrors of the everyday, finding terror within our own households. Haunting and hilarious, these sharply tuned diatribes are more than simple horror stories in the traditional sense. These offbeat psychological portraits are presented from the perspectives of the very monsters themselves. The heroes of these tales are murderers, loners, and drifters. Spanning over 20 years of the rigorous storytelling session "The Pumpkin Pie Show," the tales collected here are to be read out loud or to yourself, if you're brave enough. The oral tradition is alive and well with these stories, captured on the page for you to share around the campfire, or flip through in bed late at night. These are ghost stories for people who don't believe in ghosts, haunted by their own crumbling minds and wounded hearts. A perfect mixture of tongue-and-cheek gallows humor, psychological terror, and character-based storytelling, Nothing Untoward: Stories from "The Pumpkin Pie Show" focuses on the darker side of domesticity and won't let go.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

336 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Books. Children's books. Comic books. Film.

Reviews

[Stay]

"Thats the problem with these boys, sis. They give up before us girls are finished, leaving us with a need they can’t fulfill. Am I right?"

Short stores can be hit or miss. There’s always a few that throw off a collection taking it from good to just plain meh. That’s not what we get here. Every single story fucks with you in every way possible. Clay! You mad man! This collection is why he’s one of my favorites!

[Jo]

Excellent short story collection. Even better live.

[Carolyn]

This story collection at times irked me, it made me feel the deeper profounder meanings of parenthood as well as the oddness of love that is deep and love that is toxic as hell.. The threads of artistic expression to teach such depth makes even the gory beautiful in eye of love. Plus it was very entertaining.

[Ashton]

Reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk at times