Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan

But each time it was too small, too losable, too easily destroyed.’’ ‘’I made you house after house after house. It would be impossible to include every story here but allow me to refer to the ones who will haunt my mind forever. The entire volume is a work of Art, a Gospel of dark fairy tales that reveal an honest, surreal and oh, so real image of women’s lives. Fear of not being able to find our steps in a world that lifts up signs of warnings and orders in every step of the way. Fear of not following the norms imposed by each one of our societies, fear of being unable to be ourselves. Both come from the way women have been treated and ‘’categorized’’ throughout the ages, traps that we have yet to exterminate once and for all. The Child, where a strange, dark and very realistic depiction of motherhood permeates each story, and The Past, the most frightening of all our daily demons that keep us company.įear and uncertainty are two major themes. The House, our shelter and, sometimes, our prison. The collection is divided into three parts that, to me, represent three of our greatest fears. In her new exquisite book, an author finds shelter in Iceland, and in the process of writing, uncovers thoughts and feelings relevant to the stories within the story in a brilliant framing device that elevates Things We Say In The Dark to the highest level of literary quality. ‘’Such secrets you would need to swallow. It’s just us within a semi-familiar darkness. And what about that moment when a certain thought crosses our mind: our house seems a strange cage when the occasional power- cut takes place.

What is it about darkness that makes it easier for us to confess and entrust our deepest fears and thoughts to others and, let us not forget to ourselves? Surely many of us fear it but confession is easier when the lights are out. We are afraid that the lock on the door will not hold.’’ We are afraid that we can’t make it leave. We are afraid that the thing we fear is already inside.

We are afraid that someone will come into our house when we don’t want them to.

Haunted houses, home invasions, axe murderers lurking in the attics and chasing us into the basements. One subject that comes up again and again in horror, both new and classic, is houses.

Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan