Lineup, The: 20 Provocative Women Writers (Book)
Edited by Richard Thomas
Contributors include Laura Benedict, Paula Bomer, Karen Brown, Shannon Cain, Kim Chinquee, Monica Drake, Kathy Fish, Amina Gautier, Tina May Hall, Nancy Hightower, Jessica Hollander, Holly Goddard Jones, Stacey Levine, Kelly Luce, Nina McConigley, Janet Mitchell, Ethel Rohan, Karin Tidbeck, Damien Angelica Walters, Claire Vaye Watkins
Published by Black Lawrence Press
Richard Thomas has an impressive résumé. He’s the author of seven neo-noir books, including the gloriously dark novels Disintegration and Breaker. The latter just dropped this month, and you should make every effort to secure a copy. His newest collection of short stories, Tribulations, will be out later this year. I’ve managed to get my greedy hands on an advance copy so expect a review here soon.
In addition to creating his own fiction, Mr. Thomas is editor-in-chief at the magnificent Dark House Press, which is responsible for a whole lot of creepy awesome that’s out right now, including two unsettling anthologies, Exigencies and The New Black. Mr. Thomas was the editor on both of those, as well as co-editor for the Bram Stoker-nominated Burnt Tongues from Medallion Press.
The man knows his stuff is what I’m saying. And that stuff is invariably smart, tenebrous, and edgy. That’s readily apparent in his latest editing project, The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers, from Black Lawrence Press. Mr. Thomas has put together an unbelievable, well… lineup, actually. These 20 women all have distinct, powerful voices; and this book was a joy to read. A twisted, perverse goddamn joy.
This thing is all about strong reactions. “Provocative” is in the title, and it’s definitely the name of this game. I wouldn’t classify any of these tales as horror. Not exactly. Many of them are horrifying. All of them are deeply dark, off-putting, and massively intelligent. They are forceful and subtle at the same time, subliminally grotesque and overtly disturbing.
Actually, other than “provocative,” “disturbing” may be the best word for these stories. They’re confrontational and unapologetic about their taboo-shattering power. Sex, loneliness, misery, birth, death, failed dreams, sickness, marriage… few aspects of modern life are spared. Our society tends to gloss over the things that pick apart our happiness. Richard Thomas has selected these authors specifically because they have zero interest in that bullshit. These women are explorers, and what they’re delving into are the stained boxes marked “Do Not Open” that most of us have hidden deep in our hearts and guts.
The best art challenges us, and The Lineup does just that. Each of these stories attacks our comfort levels and forces us to face the darkness, whether our own or that of the universe. It’s not about the triumph of the human spirit, nor is it about positive change. It’s so we can see. See what’s underneath the thoughtless, optimistic veneer we usually layer over everything. So we can see that, sometimes, things aren’t okay.
Granted, it’s also about a crazy insect exterminator who fist-fucks bug semen into willing women. Which is about as not okay as things can get. But that’s the point. Few of these stories even use gore or shocks to disturb the reader. The discomfort here goes much deeper, down to our atavistic core. These 20 women have a peculiar knack for digging their fingers into the sore spots of our shared humanity. And they’re unrelenting.
I’m not the kind of reviewer who picks three or four stories from an anthology to quickly summarize. Seems a little unfair to all the other authors. I mean, I did mention the bug semen thing, but how could I not? It was fucking awesome. Nonetheless, you’ll get nothing else from me. Experience it for yourself. If you dig sublimely dark fiction, weird, hard, and funky, please grab The Lineup. You won’t be disappointed. But you will be provoked.
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Book
Categorized:Reviews
