The growing closeness between Soraya and Mrs. Hattingh seems at first harmless, though this wouldn’t be a very good gothic novel if it stayed that way.
Author Archives: Elisabeth Ring
‘Before I Forget’ A Pleasantly Gentle Story of Forgetting
Before I Forget is a sweet, swift read that focuses on the emotions surrounding memory and self, though it shies away from some of the gnarlier aspects of end-of-life caregiving.
‘Captain’s Dinner’ Focuses on Legal Drama, Not Cannibalism
There’s a delicacy in writing about history. For one thing, having the benefit of knowing the end of a series of events from the beginning makes it easy for us to criticize the actions of those who lived it. It can be tricky, too, to not overlay the norms and expectations of today to thoseContinue reading “‘Captain’s Dinner’ Focuses on Legal Drama, Not Cannibalism”
Cozy Adventures Continue in ‘Brigands,’ Albeit With a Different Face
I confess I was reluctant to pick up Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree’s breakout 2022 novel, thinking it was over-hyped only to find it just as cozy and delightful as people said it was. Its prequel, Bookshops and Bonedust, expanded the fictional world by introducing readers to Fern, a bookseller who first convinced our hero,Continue reading “Cozy Adventures Continue in ‘Brigands,’ Albeit With a Different Face”
‘Murderers’ Blends Horror of Haunted House and Family Reunion
Murderers was just the kind of book that I didn’t want to put down and go to bed, while also being the kind of book you shouldn’t read at night when the house is dark and quiet and you’re the only one awake. In other words, perfect for spooky season.
New Story Out in Radon
My story “Like An Arm Outstretched, Reaching,” a piece of body-horror fiction I’ve been playing with for a few years now, is now published in issue 11 of Radon magazine. The editors have been fantastic to work with and I’m really proud of how it turned out. Give it a read!
‘Bug Hollow’ Gives Its Characters Nuance
It’s easy to draw heroes and villains from the members of this family, but nuance is more interesting than caricatures, and Huneven gives each character plenty of shades of gray with little narrative judgement.
‘Lost Souls’ Examines Love and Grief in Many Forms
Each seeker of these meetings into the afterlife represent relatable facets of grief, and love, letting the book, and reader, consider these emotions in many ways.
‘Doll Parts’ Blends Timelines, Narrators, and Genres
The mysteries and deaths and drama in Doll Parts are merely details to that time-worn tale of lasting, if not always active, friendship.
‘Heat’ Examines Food in Multifaceted Way
Food is nutritional, but it’s also cultural, spiritual, creative, historical, and meaningful in a hundred different ways. Geraldine DeRuiter reminds us with humor and heart that the way we interact with it is just as varied and meaningful, too.
Ring Reads 