Holy smokes this is dark and beautifully wrought. It’s going to stay with me, definitely. This is up there with dark literary writing like Joyce Carol Oats.
I think the quotes really shift the interpretation of the story for me from horror to tragedy. Because is mental illness horror? Is this mental illness? Is it demonic? Without the quotes I’m not sure. And the uncertainty is what drives fear for me.
But with the quotes my interpretation is that mental illness was and is still being defined by misogyny and superstition, it was and is still being exploited (I’m assuming the Latinas’ goal was to exacerbate Gloria’s paranoia so they could steal the house.). With the quotes, this story is a heartbreaking tragedy, but it’s not scary. It is, though, so so sad.
Either way, it’s so well written that whatever way you meant it, I love it and it’s going to be in my head for a long while. Really well done.
Thank you so much HG, I really appreciate such detailed and thought-out comments as these. It's particularly interesting what you say about the quotes because as I said elsewhere I use them as guidance to tone, so their conflicting meanings encourage the ambiguity and uncertainty.
Certainly it's my feeling that whether the situation is brought about by a truly supernatural occurrence or an episode of mental illness, misogyny is at the heart of it, and so the things that are done are in a sense justified no matter how terrible. But unlike you, I don't feel that the Latina women are conspiring to steal the place, but rather that it's being liberated or returned. After all, the land is probably - or could be considered - their land ancestrally.
Having said all that, I don't have a schematic way of interpreting this, since I work mostly from instinct and dream and so my own thoughts on this are just another interpretation really. Once again, thank you so much for your thoughts, it really counts for so much.
Ok this helps, because I was struggling with how to interpret the Latina women. I could see where they could be taking advantage of Gloria’s mental illness, but that also seemed a little off, I guess tonally. But I love that I wasn’t sure! My favorite pieces always involve ambiguity. Honestly, just such a good story.
My feeling on that is that the sense of menace and dread attached to them is part of the protagonist's growing sense of being persecuted (whether a demonic thing or a delusion - my thought is that it's existential regardless). Her 'liberation' or at least release into action (agency is a key thing in all stories I think) comes in regarding them as hermanas rather than enemies.
There's also a hint that Gloria's husband is an exploiter of their menfolk, employing migrant workers in unsafe conditions. Making him ripe for revenge (though I made him as faceless and nameless as possible).
Thanks for engaging in this discussion, it helps me no end to see how it can be seen and interpreted.
This is a magnificent dark opera! It is, as Honeygloom has said, so very sad. And it is frightening and as disconcerting as a hall of mirrors. To be in Gloria’s mind is to be drowned, or suffocated by nightmare. The husband is so casually awful. The Latinas, for me, are cognizant of something beyond madness and are ready to take the steps needed to purge that darkness. So excellent!
Thanks so much Liz, your sense of it chimes quite a lot with my own interpretation of what it means. I feel that the Latina ladies restore not so much the house but the protagonist's psyche in some way that's partly ritual and partly just basic common sense. The house is self, self is generated in procreation, autonomy can be threatened by many forces, and so on...
I can't really talk of authorial intention because this is one constructed mostly from instinct and dream fragments (which is why the quotes are there, like scaffolding, to keep it thematically on track so it doesn't drift away on fanciful nightmare.)
Once again, thank you for your thoughtful appreciation.
Thanks for your kind comments CB, particularly with regard to the quotes which were the only bit I was really doubtful about. When I write the piece I use them as scaffolding to keep themes in place, but after it's done they seem perhaps superfluous.
so much! this is a really serious piece of work in my opinion (for whatever that's worth). stylistically, the way you brought in the external sources was so eerie and contributed to the feeling that we never really know what's going on-- is ancient wisdom more or less powerful than psychology? in this story, who's to say? You pulled off a feat here, transcending the taboo by writing a strong story that doesn't go for cheap shots. the horror is extreme but it's carefully earned.
Thanks so much for that appreciation, I feel very humbled by it. You'll have guessed that it was my intention to create a kind of mythological fable with a real world social application.
The use of sources is part of that, though I must confess that I made up one or two of the quotes.
I read in trepidation, lily-livered overwrought thing that I am, but there was nothing to churn my guts or send nightmares. This is beautiful and light touch horror of a very sophisticated kind. I'm glad they're all getting to live happily ever after. We'll, most of them ...
Thanks a lot for that comment. Indeed there's a difference between goresplatter and dread/taboo. I know this well from my wife who can take any amount of absolutely transgressive stuff in her stride but will ick out at a splash of blood ('sang i fetge' in her lingo).
My aim here was to take very taboo material - there's nothing more taboo in certain quarters than what happens at the end - and craft a kind of mythology of liberation around it. Dunno if it worked but that's what it's sorta about anyway.
Yes! Exactly that. It's a highly feminist tale. Ain't it great when the girls get together?! I also liked the refusal to go Black and White on villainy: these aren't mega rich people, they had a mortgage, he apparently works. Smart. Privilege, eh? Which of us can truly say, "not us"?
But note that his work also consists of putting undocumented migrants in unsafe conditions. My feeling is that 'he' is not evil or wicked, simply mindlessly compliant in the system. It's not the amount of cash you have that determines your privilege, in my view, it's what's in your mind and conscience and how that actually plays out in real world outcomes.
But all these are just my interpretations, no more valid than anyone else's - I worked on this so much from instinct/dreams/reveries that I can't say I ever had a conscious intent to do with any of it.
Holy smokes this is dark and beautifully wrought. It’s going to stay with me, definitely. This is up there with dark literary writing like Joyce Carol Oats.
I think the quotes really shift the interpretation of the story for me from horror to tragedy. Because is mental illness horror? Is this mental illness? Is it demonic? Without the quotes I’m not sure. And the uncertainty is what drives fear for me.
But with the quotes my interpretation is that mental illness was and is still being defined by misogyny and superstition, it was and is still being exploited (I’m assuming the Latinas’ goal was to exacerbate Gloria’s paranoia so they could steal the house.). With the quotes, this story is a heartbreaking tragedy, but it’s not scary. It is, though, so so sad.
Either way, it’s so well written that whatever way you meant it, I love it and it’s going to be in my head for a long while. Really well done.
Thank you so much HG, I really appreciate such detailed and thought-out comments as these. It's particularly interesting what you say about the quotes because as I said elsewhere I use them as guidance to tone, so their conflicting meanings encourage the ambiguity and uncertainty.
Certainly it's my feeling that whether the situation is brought about by a truly supernatural occurrence or an episode of mental illness, misogyny is at the heart of it, and so the things that are done are in a sense justified no matter how terrible. But unlike you, I don't feel that the Latina women are conspiring to steal the place, but rather that it's being liberated or returned. After all, the land is probably - or could be considered - their land ancestrally.
Having said all that, I don't have a schematic way of interpreting this, since I work mostly from instinct and dream and so my own thoughts on this are just another interpretation really. Once again, thank you so much for your thoughts, it really counts for so much.
Ok this helps, because I was struggling with how to interpret the Latina women. I could see where they could be taking advantage of Gloria’s mental illness, but that also seemed a little off, I guess tonally. But I love that I wasn’t sure! My favorite pieces always involve ambiguity. Honestly, just such a good story.
My feeling on that is that the sense of menace and dread attached to them is part of the protagonist's growing sense of being persecuted (whether a demonic thing or a delusion - my thought is that it's existential regardless). Her 'liberation' or at least release into action (agency is a key thing in all stories I think) comes in regarding them as hermanas rather than enemies.
There's also a hint that Gloria's husband is an exploiter of their menfolk, employing migrant workers in unsafe conditions. Making him ripe for revenge (though I made him as faceless and nameless as possible).
Thanks for engaging in this discussion, it helps me no end to see how it can be seen and interpreted.
This is a magnificent dark opera! It is, as Honeygloom has said, so very sad. And it is frightening and as disconcerting as a hall of mirrors. To be in Gloria’s mind is to be drowned, or suffocated by nightmare. The husband is so casually awful. The Latinas, for me, are cognizant of something beyond madness and are ready to take the steps needed to purge that darkness. So excellent!
Thanks so much Liz, your sense of it chimes quite a lot with my own interpretation of what it means. I feel that the Latina ladies restore not so much the house but the protagonist's psyche in some way that's partly ritual and partly just basic common sense. The house is self, self is generated in procreation, autonomy can be threatened by many forces, and so on...
I can't really talk of authorial intention because this is one constructed mostly from instinct and dream fragments (which is why the quotes are there, like scaffolding, to keep it thematically on track so it doesn't drift away on fanciful nightmare.)
Once again, thank you for your thoughtful appreciation.
A chilling tale. And the historical references were a nice touch to give the darkness a sense of reason, of being. I agree with EJ, you delivered!
Thanks for your kind comments CB, particularly with regard to the quotes which were the only bit I was really doubtful about. When I write the piece I use them as scaffolding to keep themes in place, but after it's done they seem perhaps superfluous.
you promised us dark and you delivered. exquisite descriptions and characters. horrifying and compelling. spooky season indeed.
Thanks so much EJ - I wonder if you'd say it has any kind of resonance beyond mood and atmosphere...
so much! this is a really serious piece of work in my opinion (for whatever that's worth). stylistically, the way you brought in the external sources was so eerie and contributed to the feeling that we never really know what's going on-- is ancient wisdom more or less powerful than psychology? in this story, who's to say? You pulled off a feat here, transcending the taboo by writing a strong story that doesn't go for cheap shots. the horror is extreme but it's carefully earned.
Thanks so much for that appreciation, I feel very humbled by it. You'll have guessed that it was my intention to create a kind of mythological fable with a real world social application.
The use of sources is part of that, though I must confess that I made up one or two of the quotes.
a russian doll of unreliable narrators. perfect for horror!
I read in trepidation, lily-livered overwrought thing that I am, but there was nothing to churn my guts or send nightmares. This is beautiful and light touch horror of a very sophisticated kind. I'm glad they're all getting to live happily ever after. We'll, most of them ...
Thanks a lot for that comment. Indeed there's a difference between goresplatter and dread/taboo. I know this well from my wife who can take any amount of absolutely transgressive stuff in her stride but will ick out at a splash of blood ('sang i fetge' in her lingo).
My aim here was to take very taboo material - there's nothing more taboo in certain quarters than what happens at the end - and craft a kind of mythology of liberation around it. Dunno if it worked but that's what it's sorta about anyway.
Yes! Exactly that. It's a highly feminist tale. Ain't it great when the girls get together?! I also liked the refusal to go Black and White on villainy: these aren't mega rich people, they had a mortgage, he apparently works. Smart. Privilege, eh? Which of us can truly say, "not us"?
But note that his work also consists of putting undocumented migrants in unsafe conditions. My feeling is that 'he' is not evil or wicked, simply mindlessly compliant in the system. It's not the amount of cash you have that determines your privilege, in my view, it's what's in your mind and conscience and how that actually plays out in real world outcomes.
But all these are just my interpretations, no more valid than anyone else's - I worked on this so much from instinct/dreams/reveries that I can't say I ever had a conscious intent to do with any of it.
Yes, he's complicit and asleep. Literally asleep!
And fuck you, predictive text that continually puts messed-up typos where obvious words are typed. AI will ruin us.
If typos are the most we need to worry about, we're golden...