Literary Horror discussion
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Mapping the Interior
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Buddy Read for August-Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
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I'm enjoying this so far, especially the opening sections. The rural southern gothic backdrop is nicely done; the voice of the narrator is well developed, and things are kept relatively open-ended. I like the slightly awkward, edgy quality of Jones' prose. He has a certain cadence that can be a bit too predictable in some of his short stories, but the first third or so of Mapping the Interior has an attractive flow.I'm getting a little bogged down in the middle though. There's less of the intensity and openness of the earlier sections.
Just finished this a few hours ago. I found it uneven (the opening was very strong but then it bogged down in the middle and I'm not sure how I feel about the close) but still good enough to recommend to almost any one interested in weird fiction. I'll wait a day or two to digest it and give any other readers here a chance to catch up before I comment further.
I'm not a fan of the ending either...
A ridiculously virulent bronchial infection has me down right now so I haven't had a chance to gather my thoughts about this and write up anything here (beyond the ubiquitous stars). My apologies. I do intend to come back to this thread with something a bit deeper than "I liked it". While waiting for me to get my rear in gear, you may want to check out this review from World Literature Today: (Minor Spoiler Warning if you click the link): https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/...
I think the author makes some good points but I also wonder if he isn't reading too much into the book, creating the text he wants it to be rather than the one it is. As I finished this story, I actually thought that this might be better as either a shorter, tighter, much more ambiguous piece or a longer, more detailed, socially focused novel. I feel like the WLT reviewer is seeing the latter in his head, wishing it into being. I'd love to know what others who've read the book think of this review.
Randolph wrote: "It seemed more like an old school horror read, a la 1980s..."What are some 80s horror novels that you would compare it to?
Marie-Therese wrote: "A ridiculously virulent bronchial infection has me down right now ..."Sorry to hear that. Hope you feel better soon.
That World Literature Today review, whew.
So is this buddy read over? Will there be another?
Kat wrote: "So is this buddy read over? Will there be another?"Sounds like Randolph, Marie-Therese and I have all read the book by this point. Feel free to propose another. This started as an ad-hoc thing with Marie-Therese and myself, when we noticed the same books on each other's to-read list.
I just received the book in my Nocturnal Readers Box. Dang. I could have participated with you guys. I read The Least Of My Scars by this guy. Oh my lord it was psychologically scarring. Needless to say.......I loved it. Let me tell you, its not for everyone, but any book that disturbs me in such a way deserves accolades lol.
Randolph wrote: "Do it anyway. The thread will remain open and I for one will still monitor it. Possibly even comment.Anyone can start a buddy read anytime. My one bias is I prefer it relates to Literary Horror i..."
Okay. Thank you. :)
Kat, please chime in on this! I plan to go a little deeper into my reading experience of the book soon-just been too busy with offline activities to organize my thoughts.
I will definitely chime in. Stephen Graham Jones is an amazing author for one thing. I just finished a King book, so I will be starting on this now.
I was so mad at the sheriff's deputy, that when the mom did what she did(trying not to give spoilers here), I was pleased lol.
I really enjoyed this one. The selfishness of the main character at the end was heartbreaking. His poor beother. Jones has this way of abruptly "pulling the rug out from under" the reader at the end of his stories. Every story that I've read of his has had me pondering the implications for days.
This book has been described as both a ghost story and a coming of age story and features a young Native American protagonist (a rarity in horror fiction, where Native Americans more often feature as props than main characters). To read an excerpt from the book go here: https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/7/154...
If you have a Kindle, this is just $3.99 right now. I'm reading this version and it displays well. Like all Tor releases, this is DRM free. The book is available in all the other usual formats as well.
We hope you'll join us in our read. Feel free to use this thread to post your thoughts on the book, or just on Stephen Graham Jones' work in general. Happy reading!