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Invisible Fences
About the Do you see the point of the story, Nathan? We all cut parts of ourselves away, but we never lose them. Things stay with us—souvenirs with memories attached. We can't always choose what to keep, what to throw away. Nathan's parents devised cautionary tales for him and his sister—gruesome stories about predatory cars racing along the "Big Street" at one end of their neighborhood, or dope fiends lurking in the woods behind their house and ready to plunge hypodermics into the skin of foolish young trespassers. These stories served their purpose during Nathan's gullible childhood, essentially constructing an invisible fence around the yard and keeping the boy close to home where he'd be safe. Such barriers are not so easy to discard in later life. As an adult, Nathan no longer believes his parents' stories, and yet they still confine him. He lives cautiously, avoiding serious relationships, avoiding risk. But despite his efforts, something from his parents' cautionary tales threatens to creep beneath that invisible border…and the enclosed yard might not be as safe and secure as it always seemed…
165 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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326 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 24, 2019
Wow...not what I expected at all...wow!
This is the first thing of Norman Prentiss I've read and I was expecting a horror. It is not, the scare factor on scale of one to ten will be one, if that.
But the depth!
This is a difficult story to describe and I don't want to give anything away. It creeps inside your head and makes you think about all of your own invisible fences.
What does he mean with invisible fences?
It is all of those borders and fears that comes from your childhood - mostly from your parents - where you were warned not to do something, e.g. cross a particular road because it is too dangerous. And the author makes a very brilliant observation that we carry a lot of them into adulthood. Even though we may know they are nothing more than superstition and completely irrational, some will never be lost or overcome.
If you think the story starts off slow, just stick with it for a little while - it's not a long story. Soon you will find yourself inside your own head, thinking about those you are still carrying around.
I don't think everybody will enjoy this one - it is not light reading to switch your mind off, but this is a solid, deep, well-developed story. It may seem simple to some, but it takes a lot of talent to be able to write it like that.
I will be reading this author again in the future!
This is the first thing of Norman Prentiss I've read and I was expecting a horror. It is not, the scare factor on scale of one to ten will be one, if that.
But the depth!
This is a difficult story to describe and I don't want to give anything away. It creeps inside your head and makes you think about all of your own invisible fences.
What does he mean with invisible fences?
It is all of those borders and fears that comes from your childhood - mostly from your parents - where you were warned not to do something, e.g. cross a particular road because it is too dangerous. And the author makes a very brilliant observation that we carry a lot of them into adulthood. Even though we may know they are nothing more than superstition and completely irrational, some will never be lost or overcome.
If you think the story starts off slow, just stick with it for a little while - it's not a long story. Soon you will find yourself inside your own head, thinking about those you are still carrying around.
I don't think everybody will enjoy this one - it is not light reading to switch your mind off, but this is a solid, deep, well-developed story. It may seem simple to some, but it takes a lot of talent to be able to write it like that.
I will be reading this author again in the future!
May 16, 2016
It's taken me a while to write this review because it's not clear to me how to do it without spoiling everything. Since I don't want to do that, I will be brief.
This is a coming of age tale, (sort of), involving young Nathan, his sister Pam, the baby sister they both lost, and their parents, (each dealing with the loss of their daughter in a different way.)
In the end, Invisible Fences is a literary ghost story. It doesn't show its cards until near the very end and when it is done, you will be forced to fold yours. It's powerful, sad and realistic.
The title refers to stories, (or warnings), that our parents told us, which drew invisible lines, we as children, shouldn't cross. Don't go in the woods, there are drug fiends in there! You know, things like that.
Let's review-powerful, sad and so realistic that the I felt as if I could reach out and touch the characters- any one of them-they were that solid. I also believe that I will be thinking about them for a while.
I highly recommend this novella for fans of literary dark fiction!
This is a coming of age tale, (sort of), involving young Nathan, his sister Pam, the baby sister they both lost, and their parents, (each dealing with the loss of their daughter in a different way.)
In the end, Invisible Fences is a literary ghost story. It doesn't show its cards until near the very end and when it is done, you will be forced to fold yours. It's powerful, sad and realistic.
The title refers to stories, (or warnings), that our parents told us, which drew invisible lines, we as children, shouldn't cross. Don't go in the woods, there are drug fiends in there! You know, things like that.
Let's review-powerful, sad and so realistic that the I felt as if I could reach out and touch the characters- any one of them-they were that solid. I also believe that I will be thinking about them for a while.
I highly recommend this novella for fans of literary dark fiction!
July 29, 2016
This was a really great novella from Norman Prentiss with a lot of heart and depth of character.
Invisible Fences are meant to protect. For animals, they can keep them contained and safe from harm. For siblings, Nathan and Pam, they came in the form of life lessons from mom and dad. Sometimes, however, these fences can be cruel, like ghosts of the past masquerading as grease spots on the asphalt of our memory and suddenly they aren’t invisible anymore.
4+ Stars and Highly Recommended.
Invisible Fences are meant to protect. For animals, they can keep them contained and safe from harm. For siblings, Nathan and Pam, they came in the form of life lessons from mom and dad. Sometimes, however, these fences can be cruel, like ghosts of the past masquerading as grease spots on the asphalt of our memory and suddenly they aren’t invisible anymore.
4+ Stars and Highly Recommended.
February 5, 2017
Really enjoyed this quick read and the main reason was that I really did not know what to expect. The text had a few hints of the ending along the way, but still, I could not for the life of me see that coming. Well written and told, the story revolves around two siblings; the narrator, Nathan and his older sister Pam, starting out in their early years. The first two parts are essentially a good coming-of-age, with some dark inclusions and happenings, just as life is. The child characters work well and even if they do show some maturity for their age at times, they never turn into those precocious "5 going on 35"-characters that I really struggle with. The one objection I had was that I always question how a grown man can remember so many details of things happening at an early age - be it fiction or non-fiction - but if you read this one, you'll see how that objection of mine came to shame... Atmospheric rather than gory, a highly recommended quick read.
March 31, 2017
Miles above the normal sort of free ebook one might stumble upon on Amazon, this one won the Bram Stoker award for achievement in long fiction and deservingly so. This was my second experience reading Prentiss and a much more favorable one. A fairly straight forward story of a family told from the perspective of a young boy and later a man...with a ghost. A ghost doesn't appear until much later, but the readers are promised one and Prentiss delivers as a childhood secret repressed and forgotten asserts its spectral self (regret personified if this is to be viewed as a metaphor) into what is otherwise a perfectly normal simple life. There are, after al, so many ways to be haunted. The real star of the show is the writing, though, not so much the plot even, but the words themselves, the clarity, coherence, succinctness, effectiveness, emotional intelligence of every sentence. It just works really well and such a pleasure to read. Not sure if the page count listed in correct, this one sped by, just over an hour at most and well worth the time. Terrific story of psychological horror. Recommended.
May 15, 2016
Genres are funny things. They sort of remind me of the factions in that one book / movie with that one girl where you're either Dauntless or Timid or Grumpy or Sleepy. But you can't be more than one thing, right? I mean, that'd be crazy.
The publishing industry loves genres because it helps sell books, but I tend to find the lines blur a lot more than you'd think. Enter "Invisible Fences" by Norman Prentiss, which is categorized under the genre of "Horror" but which reads more like Literary Fiction. Not "boring" lit fic, btw; this is tantalizing prose with a story so deceptively simple that you don't even realize you're reading a ghost story until its conclusion.
The blurred lines of memory and reality converge upon an unassuming protagonist as we follow him from childhood to adulthood and, in some ways, back again. For a novella to touch upon so many thought-provoking themes and yet do so organically, is quite an accomplishment. Life, death, addiction, guilt, contentment, and the "invisible fences" created to keep us in our own little protected corners of the world. Prentiss weaves his tale with an unseen current that pulls you along without even realizing you've slipped into its clutches.
This was a gem of a novella, regardless of what genre you categorize it under. Definitely an author I'll be reading more of soon.
The publishing industry loves genres because it helps sell books, but I tend to find the lines blur a lot more than you'd think. Enter "Invisible Fences" by Norman Prentiss, which is categorized under the genre of "Horror" but which reads more like Literary Fiction. Not "boring" lit fic, btw; this is tantalizing prose with a story so deceptively simple that you don't even realize you're reading a ghost story until its conclusion.
The blurred lines of memory and reality converge upon an unassuming protagonist as we follow him from childhood to adulthood and, in some ways, back again. For a novella to touch upon so many thought-provoking themes and yet do so organically, is quite an accomplishment. Life, death, addiction, guilt, contentment, and the "invisible fences" created to keep us in our own little protected corners of the world. Prentiss weaves his tale with an unseen current that pulls you along without even realizing you've slipped into its clutches.
This was a gem of a novella, regardless of what genre you categorize it under. Definitely an author I'll be reading more of soon.
September 4, 2014
What a great read. Norman Prentiss is impressing the hell out of me!
This is the story of Nathan and his family. The first 90% just reads like a memoir and then stuff gets real weird. Completely unexpected and one that leaves you scratching your head for many pages as you wonder, why is this a horror novel.
Touching, honest and very good!
This is the story of Nathan and his family. The first 90% just reads like a memoir and then stuff gets real weird. Completely unexpected and one that leaves you scratching your head for many pages as you wonder, why is this a horror novel.
Touching, honest and very good!
November 26, 2016
4.5 stars.
We are all afraid of something: heights, spiders, strangers, ourselves... I think for most people fear comes from experience, real life levels of aversion therapy. But some, some seem to be born afraid of their own shadow; it is as if there hasn't been a single safe place for them since they left the womb. For yet others, fear has been conditioned into them by other people and those other people are usually the ones who are supposed to be the safest place of all--our parents. Nathan is a product of his upbringing. The stories his parents telling him doing more than just keeping him from crossing a busy street or playing where he shouldn't. They lay the foundation for phobias he will carry with him into adulthood.
Not all fear is unfounded. However, in my experience, it's usually the things that take us by surprise that hit the hardest. The things that creep up on us while we are busy trying to secure our life from every other conceivable danger. Invisible Fences is a story of fear. It's a story of conditioning. It's a story about ghosts. Perhaps more 'literary macabre' than actual horror, this dark little novella is sure to satisfy both those who love the dark and those who simply don't want to feel alone in their neuroses. This was the first book I read from Norman Prentiss and still one of my favorites.
We are all afraid of something: heights, spiders, strangers, ourselves... I think for most people fear comes from experience, real life levels of aversion therapy. But some, some seem to be born afraid of their own shadow; it is as if there hasn't been a single safe place for them since they left the womb. For yet others, fear has been conditioned into them by other people and those other people are usually the ones who are supposed to be the safest place of all--our parents. Nathan is a product of his upbringing. The stories his parents telling him doing more than just keeping him from crossing a busy street or playing where he shouldn't. They lay the foundation for phobias he will carry with him into adulthood.
Not all fear is unfounded. However, in my experience, it's usually the things that take us by surprise that hit the hardest. The things that creep up on us while we are busy trying to secure our life from every other conceivable danger. Invisible Fences is a story of fear. It's a story of conditioning. It's a story about ghosts. Perhaps more 'literary macabre' than actual horror, this dark little novella is sure to satisfy both those who love the dark and those who simply don't want to feel alone in their neuroses. This was the first book I read from Norman Prentiss and still one of my favorites.
May 6, 2015
A great portrayal of childhood that doesn't really become a horror story until the very end. Successfully treads the line between what you think happened and what really happened without having the reveal feel like a cheat.
June 29, 2011
4 AND 1/2 STARS
Invisible Fences reads like a timeless classic. Flawed but honest characters populate the story in a world that feels all too familiar. Childhood loss of innocence is balanced with the joy of exploration and the imagination of youth. The reader is sure to recognize some of the personalities within - whether they are family, friends, or people they knew from their neighborhood. It is this realistic tone and sensitivity that gives added weight to the final revelation, and is sure to satisfy both the horror fan along with the casual fan of fiction.
This is a heartbreaking yet beautiful tale, where the pieces of the puzzle connect in more ways than one. A couple areas of description were a bit confusing, but most is pitch-perfect. Author Norman Prentiss has clearly written an absorbing and inspired story, and one that I think will be discussed, read, and appreciated for many years to come. Invisible Fences is a worthy addition to publisher Cemetery Dance's Novella collection. Highly recommended.
Invisible Fences reads like a timeless classic. Flawed but honest characters populate the story in a world that feels all too familiar. Childhood loss of innocence is balanced with the joy of exploration and the imagination of youth. The reader is sure to recognize some of the personalities within - whether they are family, friends, or people they knew from their neighborhood. It is this realistic tone and sensitivity that gives added weight to the final revelation, and is sure to satisfy both the horror fan along with the casual fan of fiction.
This is a heartbreaking yet beautiful tale, where the pieces of the puzzle connect in more ways than one. A couple areas of description were a bit confusing, but most is pitch-perfect. Author Norman Prentiss has clearly written an absorbing and inspired story, and one that I think will be discussed, read, and appreciated for many years to come. Invisible Fences is a worthy addition to publisher Cemetery Dance's Novella collection. Highly recommended.
March 17, 2016
Although this novella was published by Cemetery Dance, it reads more like contemporary or literary fiction than horror, at least until the last 20 pages or so. That said, the preceding pages are absolutely vital in setting up the conclusion.
The first half of the story looks at the childhoods of siblings Nathan and Pam. It’s set in a small town in the early ’70s, and it’s kind of a coming of age story, heavy on foreshadowing. In parts it brings to mind Stephen King’s classic The Body. The kids are alone much of the time, their parents absent for one reason or another, whether physically or mentally, because of a certain traumatic event. Like The Body, it’s an honest portrayal of childhood (Nathan is 6 at the outset, and Pam is 9). Sometimes there’s a sense of wonder, sometimes things are cruel and unfair. Mostly it’s all character development, and it peaks with a walk through the woods that’s simple on the surface, but loaded with tension and subtext.
Cut to the second part and Nathan and Pam are adults, coming to terms with the past and going through the particular trials that adulthood brings. There’s an overwhelming surge of nostalgia here, darkened by the little tragedies inherent in everyday life. At some points it’s hard to keep reading because you care so much for the characters. By the climax it’s apparent why Prentiss wrote this story the way he did. All the pieces fit together perfectly. As simple as it might seem at first, there’s a lot going on here, especially between the lines.
When it comes down to it, the whole thing is about, as the title suggests, the invisible fences we construct to protect ourselves from pain, whether it’s physical or from memories we don’t have the strength to carry. It’s hard to go into more detail than that without giving too much away.
Rest assured, though, that this is a finely crafted and haunting story. The thing is, even fans of quiet horror might find themselves giving up on it before the payoff. It’s horror of the most subtle variety, and that horror only makes itself clear in the final quarter. I urge you to pick it up, though, and stick with it. It’s very well-written and ingeniously structured, with a large dose of literary sleight of hand (the ending is the kind that makes you want to start again right away, to see all the details in a new light). Invisible Fences is well worth a purchase.
originally posted at http://www.horrornovelreviews.com
The first half of the story looks at the childhoods of siblings Nathan and Pam. It’s set in a small town in the early ’70s, and it’s kind of a coming of age story, heavy on foreshadowing. In parts it brings to mind Stephen King’s classic The Body. The kids are alone much of the time, their parents absent for one reason or another, whether physically or mentally, because of a certain traumatic event. Like The Body, it’s an honest portrayal of childhood (Nathan is 6 at the outset, and Pam is 9). Sometimes there’s a sense of wonder, sometimes things are cruel and unfair. Mostly it’s all character development, and it peaks with a walk through the woods that’s simple on the surface, but loaded with tension and subtext.
Cut to the second part and Nathan and Pam are adults, coming to terms with the past and going through the particular trials that adulthood brings. There’s an overwhelming surge of nostalgia here, darkened by the little tragedies inherent in everyday life. At some points it’s hard to keep reading because you care so much for the characters. By the climax it’s apparent why Prentiss wrote this story the way he did. All the pieces fit together perfectly. As simple as it might seem at first, there’s a lot going on here, especially between the lines.
When it comes down to it, the whole thing is about, as the title suggests, the invisible fences we construct to protect ourselves from pain, whether it’s physical or from memories we don’t have the strength to carry. It’s hard to go into more detail than that without giving too much away.
Rest assured, though, that this is a finely crafted and haunting story. The thing is, even fans of quiet horror might find themselves giving up on it before the payoff. It’s horror of the most subtle variety, and that horror only makes itself clear in the final quarter. I urge you to pick it up, though, and stick with it. It’s very well-written and ingeniously structured, with a large dose of literary sleight of hand (the ending is the kind that makes you want to start again right away, to see all the details in a new light). Invisible Fences is well worth a purchase.
originally posted at http://www.horrornovelreviews.com
November 18, 2015
This is a great book for opening a discussion about genre. I didn't read it for a reading group, but it would work well for that. Is it a horror story? Not necessarily, though it's definitely a ghost story, and there are some chills to be had. Surefooted, it straddles the borderland between the short story and the novel, as all novellas must, and the length works in its favor. The expansiveness of a novel would have been too much for the intimacy of Prentiss's narrative, and as a short story, more intensity would have been demanded of it. As a novella, Invisible Fences is a knockout, and it's a worthy addition to the Cemetery Dance line. Nothing is thrown away here, which is sometimes brought home with startling results. Behold as Norman Prentiss casts his lyrical spell.
Want to read
February 17, 2017This book is an Advance Uncorrected Proof signed by Norman Prentiss.
April 27, 2015
This is a difficult story to rate. I spent a good portion of it scratching my head, not because it's confusing or anything, but because I kept thinking "What's the point?". For the most part, INVISIBLE FENCES feels less like a story and more like a memoir. Then you hit the ending and discover a new dimension to the narrative, a dimension that satisfactorily ties up all the loose ends and takes the story to another level. Finally, I understood why this novella was published by a horror imprint like Cemetery Dance. I had sorta lost interest in INVISIBLE FENCES about halfway through, but the ending made me appreciate it a whole lot more in retrospect. Also, Prentiss' prose is fantastic, so I can see why this won a Bram Stoker award.
August 8, 2013
Four and a half stars.
This is one of those stories that transcends genre. While there is plenty of suspense and a touch of the supernatural, this is more of a character study of a family. It is beautifully structured to involve the reader and its novella length is perfect. Chalk down Norman Prentiss as an author to watch.
This is one of those stories that transcends genre. While there is plenty of suspense and a touch of the supernatural, this is more of a character study of a family. It is beautifully structured to involve the reader and its novella length is perfect. Chalk down Norman Prentiss as an author to watch.
February 5, 2017
Growing up in the Fifties and Sixties, my parents always warned me about places in our neighborhood I shouldn't go to. Sound familiar?
If so, you need to read read Prentiss' " Invisible Fences." Sometimes the invisible fences of our youth come back to haunt us as adults.
If so, you need to read read Prentiss' " Invisible Fences." Sometimes the invisible fences of our youth come back to haunt us as adults.
March 1, 2011
The horror doesn't surface in this novella until maybe three-quarters of the way through, but it's a very compelling read with fascinating characters and events regardless.
January 25, 2015
This is nearly flawless. Prentiss accomplishes a heck of a lot in a short space. A powerful, pitch-perfect story.
November 18, 2016
Отново книга наградена с Стокър, този път за 2010. Абе, хора, защо не виждат кирилица тези призьори?
Норман Прентис е непознат за мен автор, но с този кратък роман успя да ме хване за гърлото. Чудесен пример за преливане на жанрове, от скучната „класическа” литература към хорър. Романът е книга за порастването, но такава която показва какво ще стане, ако нещата се объркат съвсем. Героите са развити в дълбочина, а стилът е перфектен.
Натан е съвсем обикновено момче, което живее със сестрите и родителите си в малко градче в Америка. Смъртта на по-малката сестра оставя дълбоки белези в душите на цялото семейство. Всеки се бори по различен начин с нея, откъсвайки се от останалите зад собствените си невидими огради, а животът продължава да тече уж нормално. Години по-късно един след друг си заминават и родителите, тогава на Натан му се налага да разбута собственият си тесен комфорт, заедно с вехториите в стария дом и да събуди няколко дълбоко заровени призрака от миналото.
¾ от книгата е точно това – нормална история за нормални хора, която дори много добре написана започна да ме дразни, но в последните двадесетина страници, авторът успява да обърне всичко, включително и мнението ми за книгата. С един майсторски обрат успя да ми докаже, че не е написал нито една излишна думичка в цялата новела.
Корицата кърти, чисти и извозва.
Тази мога да я препоръчам на всеки. Напрежението се градира бавно и неусетно, а ужасът удря неочаквано и безмилостно и заминава преди да се усетиш, оставяйки те да се чудиш дали си прочел гениална призрачна история или малко по-шантав съвременен роман без паранормални явления. Макар че наградата и издателството дават достатъчно насоки.
Норман Прентис е непознат за мен автор, но с този кратък роман успя да ме хване за гърлото. Чудесен пример за преливане на жанрове, от скучната „класическа” литература към хорър. Романът е книга за порастването, но такава която показва какво ще стане, ако нещата се объркат съвсем. Героите са развити в дълбочина, а стилът е перфектен.
Натан е съвсем обикновено момче, което живее със сестрите и родителите си в малко градче в Америка. Смъртта на по-малката сестра оставя дълбоки белези в душите на цялото семейство. Всеки се бори по различен начин с нея, откъсвайки се от останалите зад собствените си невидими огради, а животът продължава да тече уж нормално. Години по-късно един след друг си заминават и родителите, тогава на Натан му се налага да разбута собственият си тесен комфорт, заедно с вехториите в стария дом и да събуди няколко дълбоко заровени призрака от миналото.
¾ от книгата е точно това – нормална история за нормални хора, която дори много добре написана започна да ме дразни, но в последните двадесетина страници, авторът успява да обърне всичко, включително и мнението ми за книгата. С един майсторски обрат успя да ми докаже, че не е написал нито една излишна думичка в цялата новела.
Корицата кърти, чисти и извозва.
Тази мога да я препоръчам на всеки. Напрежението се градира бавно и неусетно, а ужасът удря неочаквано и безмилостно и заминава преди да се усетиш, оставяйки те да се чудиш дали си прочел гениална призрачна история или малко по-шантав съвременен роман без паранормални явления. Макар че наградата и издателството дават достатъчно насоки.
October 24, 2012
I started to give this book a lower rating because I found it painful to read. I can't say more without giving away the story of this beautifully-crafted novella ( and isn't it just wonderful that electronic bookselling is making it easy to sell and to buy novellas? They're just long enough to have the full buildup of suspense and just short enough to be free of anything but the things that are necessary.), and the story is where the real psychological punch in the face is to be found. So I'm not going to risk blowing it for you by talking further, except to say that you must not judge this story until you reach its very end.
December 31, 2014
2.5 rounded down, this one kind of bored me. I kept expecting it to be building up to an awesome ending like slower books usually do and I was disappointed with the ending when I got there. I don't regret reading it but it's forgettable.
April 1, 2015
This is possibly my favorite horror story. No monsters, no gore, just a solid story. If you're a horror fan, you gotta read it.
The writing is elegant.
Anything else I say here might give something away, so I'll shut up.
The writing is elegant.
Anything else I say here might give something away, so I'll shut up.
August 13, 2012
Suttle horror story, great family study, loved it.
July 31, 2017
Before reading this novella, I thought "Quiet Horror" was a realm to which only Charles L. Grant belonged. He's still a one-and-only (the atmosphere he creates is unique), but Norman Prentiss is an author who understands it well enough to do his own version of a Charles L. Grant story. Invisible Fences is it.
The title refers to those devices used to keep dogs in yards, using a collar and an underground perimeter line. The author expounds on the idea by telling us how parents create invisible fences for their children: don't cross this street because a car could run you over; don't go into the woods because the junkies shoot up back there; don't leave the yard because we don't trust the people who live down the road. Sometimes it's for our own good, but it's the self-inflicted fences we create that can do the most damage, like when we stop leaving the house after one of our children dies.
The story takes its time building up the narrator and main character, from the time he was around eight to the time when he's in his thirties. He tells us the story of his childhood and those fences, and despite the point sometimes eluding us, the story is strangely compelling. Prentiss has a natural style that draws us in, and he has an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue. It's disarming, all the more so when the ball finally drops and we understand the reality of what we've been reading. It's chill-inducing.
Like Grant's In a Dark Dream, the story builds up toward its ending. Parts of it seem unimportant, and readers might find themselves questioning the point of it all; all I can say is "Hang in there." It will come.
I had already added Prentiss to my "authors to read" list, thanks to his short stories in the Dark Screams anthologies I read, but Invisible Fences reinforces that decision. I'm not sure if all of his stories have this quiet effect, but it only took two short stories and a novella to see how effective he is, so I'll be here for the long haul.
The title refers to those devices used to keep dogs in yards, using a collar and an underground perimeter line. The author expounds on the idea by telling us how parents create invisible fences for their children: don't cross this street because a car could run you over; don't go into the woods because the junkies shoot up back there; don't leave the yard because we don't trust the people who live down the road. Sometimes it's for our own good, but it's the self-inflicted fences we create that can do the most damage, like when we stop leaving the house after one of our children dies.
The story takes its time building up the narrator and main character, from the time he was around eight to the time when he's in his thirties. He tells us the story of his childhood and those fences, and despite the point sometimes eluding us, the story is strangely compelling. Prentiss has a natural style that draws us in, and he has an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue. It's disarming, all the more so when the ball finally drops and we understand the reality of what we've been reading. It's chill-inducing.
Like Grant's In a Dark Dream, the story builds up toward its ending. Parts of it seem unimportant, and readers might find themselves questioning the point of it all; all I can say is "Hang in there." It will come.
I had already added Prentiss to my "authors to read" list, thanks to his short stories in the Dark Screams anthologies I read, but Invisible Fences reinforces that decision. I'm not sure if all of his stories have this quiet effect, but it only took two short stories and a novella to see how effective he is, so I'll be here for the long haul.
April 7, 2020
A true haunting, one of ghosts and memories, wrapped in a tale of childhood and it's lasting effects, very well written and universally relevant despite the specific traumas of our own pasts.
November 22, 2016
I enjoyed this book. The author tells the tale of looking back, growing up and realizing all is not a it seems. For brother and sister, Nathan and Pam, things in life sometimes seemed simple and plainly laid out by their parents. There is something haunting Nathan's past though, something he doesn't even remember. He doesn't come to terms with it until years later and in an extraordinary and heart touching way. Great writing style and a wonderful story line make this a book to grab.
April 7, 2017
Good, solid storytelling
Americana tinged with amnesia. Comes on slowly then finishes strong. Some seriously creepy moments to spice up a family's journey through a crisis you can't see clearly until you get close enough to smell it.
Americana tinged with amnesia. Comes on slowly then finishes strong. Some seriously creepy moments to spice up a family's journey through a crisis you can't see clearly until you get close enough to smell it.
November 20, 2016
More of a coming of age story.. Nothing spooky.. Disappointing.
April 24, 2017
Haunting
I don't want to say very much about this story, it should be unwrapped by each reader, like a melancholy gift. Open it and see for yourself.
I don't want to say very much about this story, it should be unwrapped by each reader, like a melancholy gift. Open it and see for yourself.
April 27, 2020
Have you ever read a work of fiction that just blew you away? A book or story that made you swear you would read everything the author wrote? I made myself that promise after reading Norman Prentiss' book ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER. His writing is uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Funny how those promises slip away until you find yourself want to read something that will take you out of yourself even if only for a little while.
Norman Prentiss' mastery of language makes reading INVISIBLE FENCES both psychologically disturbing and beautifully enlightening. He takes the 'invisible fence' metaphor far beyond our initial thought of keeping a dog within the confines of a property without chain links or pickets. The main theme is about childhood memories and how they build a fence around adult behavior.
INVISIBLE FENCES is a book to be savored.
Norman Prentiss' mastery of language makes reading INVISIBLE FENCES both psychologically disturbing and beautifully enlightening. He takes the 'invisible fence' metaphor far beyond our initial thought of keeping a dog within the confines of a property without chain links or pickets. The main theme is about childhood memories and how they build a fence around adult behavior.
INVISIBLE FENCES is a book to be savored.
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