Things We Say in the Dark

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He fell into a dreamy hush, holding her and once more closing his eyes. The only signs he remained awake were the feathery motions of his fingers as they wove into her hair, gently coiling them into loose knots. It was almost childlike, the way he did it. So pure. So devoid of any intention other than to soothe. The stories in Things We Say in the Dark are described as ‘feminist’, and largely stories told by women, telling of things that scare women. In Logan’s world, these things don’t have to be as big as ghosts, seances or bogey-men, although sometimes they are. Rather than press him, Corrin instead chose to giggle to herself, beaming brightly while she masked her concern.

Review: Things We Say in the Dark, by Kirsty Logan Review: Things We Say in the Dark, by Kirsty Logan

Kirsty Logan is the author of three novels, three story collections, a memoir, two chapbooks, a 10-hour audio play for Audible, and several collaborative projects with musicians and visual artists. Her books have won the Lambda, Polari, Saboteur, Scott and Gavin Wallace awards. Her work has been optioned for TV, adapted for stage, recorded for radio and podcasts, exhibited in galleries and distributed from a vintage Wurlitzer cigarette machine. She lives in Glasgow with her wife, baby and rescue dog.

Though he didn’t speak, she felt his answer. Tension squeezed at his chest, pulled his mouth taut, and left more wrinkles over his brow than she would like. She knew what this meant. Underneath such layers of horror, Logan traces other, more internalised, less talked about matters that cause women fear: children and childlessness, loving and being unloved, houses filled with people that close in on us, empty houses devoid of love. Language: English Words: 106,117 Chapters: 12/12 Collections: 69 Comments: 1,489 Kudos: 7,302 Bookmarks: 3,116 Hits: 256,885 Kirsty Logan is a professional daydreamer. Her first story collection, The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales, won the Scott Prize, the Polari First Book Prize and the Saboteur Award. Her first novel, The Gracekeepers, won a Lambda Literary Award and was selected for the Radio 2 Book Club and the Waterstones Book Club. A Portable Shelter won the Gavin Wallace Fellowship and Things We Say in the Dark, a collection of feminist horror stories, was optioned for TV. Her short fiction and poetry have been translated into Japanese, Spanish, Italian and Chinese, adapted for stage, recorded for radio and exhibited in galleries. She lives in Glasgow with her family. The day after his infamous victory at the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter disappears without a trace.

Kirsty Logan | Things We Say In The Dark

There are definitely lots of things to admire here. Logan’s prose is always readable, but it’s punctuated by moments of linguistic beauty, with vivid and evocative imagery peppered throughout. Some of these disturbing tableaus are sure to linger in the mind. The stories themselves are mostly contemporary, but there’s a timeless quality to the themes being explored. Namely, the domestic fears of everyday life – particularly those that haunt young women. Logan takes the things we’re told by society to aim for – the gorgeous home, the perfect family, the successful life – and spins our apprehensions about them into what reads like a series of fever dreams, as though she has literally documented her nightmares in the form of a dream diary. What if our houses aren’t the safe spaces we always imagined? What if you find the experience of pregnancy and childbirth horrifying rather than beautiful? How would you cope if your child wasn’t healthy or happy? What if you wished you’d never become a parent at all? What if you can never escape the horrors of your past? These fears and more are explored in claustrophobic, hypnotic ways by employing a dash of fairy tale, a twist of the supernatural, and a generous pinch of magical realism.Streng genommen handelt es sich um einen Kurzgeschichtenband und obwohl viele der Erzählungen auch für sich allein funktionieren, sind andere eher Vignetten, die in ihrer Gesamtkomposition ihre volle Wirkung entfalten. Die Themen sind so eng miteinander verbunden, dass es sich mehr wie ein großes atmendes Gewebe anfühlt, in dem alles ineinandergreift. Die Geschichten bedienen sich teils bekannter literarischer Schauermotive, klopfen diesen aber den Staub ab und verbiegen sie zu neuen Überraschungen. Dabei entsteht der wahre Horror oft erst durch das stille Weiterdenken über das Ende der jeweiligen Erzählung hinaus oder durch die Reflektion auf die Realität. Viele der Geschichten beschäftigen sich z. B. mit Einsamkeit und Gewalt an Frauen – womöglich die wahren Schauergeschichten unserer Gegenwart. Part 3 The Past is more about literal, specific fears, although I didn’t quite understand some of the more experimental stories. The stories in Things We Say in the Dark are described as ranging from 'chilling contemporary fairytales to disturbing contemporary fiction.' The premise behind the collection is to examine fears. The blurb comments: 'Some things can't be spoken about in the light of day. But we can visit our fears at night, in the dark. We can turn them over and weigh them in our hands and maybe that will protect us from them. But maybe not.' For Logan, the expansive night allows a kind of freedom difficult to hold onto during the daylight, but it also serves to make the more creepy elements stand out. Logan has used quite typical tropes at times - abandoned buildings, a séance - but rather than becoming clichés, she makes them all her own. I couldn’t believe it,’ he whispered in the dark of their tent. His chest slowly rose and fell with each hushed breath. Corrin, meanwhile, trailed her fingers along the shelf of his collar bone, feeling for the firm grooves of his naked skin. “He told me he was proud of me and smiled. I never thought…” Also, neither Hermione nor Draco had any personality except liking each other. I love the pairing and Can read them in random professions and points in time and even the most random AUs, but I need them to be fleshed out. Even if they don’t exactly act very canon.

Things We Say in the Dark - oreosoreos - Fire Emblem: If Things We Say in the Dark - oreosoreos - Fire Emblem: If

She inched closer, planting a playful kiss between his brows. “Anything,” she answered. Her mouth grazed against the curls that fell over his eyes, so she brushed it away with his hand still clasped over hers. She breathed him in as she kissed him, tasting vaguely like metal and honey. She never understood how that came to be, but she never questioned it. Corrin was more than happy to savor the surprising fullness of his lips, hungrily letting her mouth wander down to his jaw. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. It was very much like him, she thought, deliberate and equal when he gave. It was that fatherly instinct in him, spurred by habit and reflex to care for and indulge all of her. hello here I am again clogging the Corriander tag and with unoriginal smut no less. I apologize for my brainrot and hope it pleases. Thank you! This collection of short tales can definitely be classified as belonging in the horror genre, and yet they are unlike anything I have ever read there. No ghostly apparitions appear and no monsters lurk in the shadows, but uneasiness creeps steadily throughout each tale and it seeps out from inside of reader and characters alike, where the true fears reside.

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KIRSTY LOGAN WAS SELECTED AS ONE OF BRITAIN'S TEN MOST OUTSTANDING LGBTQ WRITERS by Val McDermid for the International Literature Showcase in 2019 Read more Details Now this is one strange collection of stories (for example, a woman starts to live with her head inside a dolls house.). The book functions as a series of self-contained stories, but there is also an overarching narrative where many stories are proceeded by an italicised account by a writer who is creating these tales in an isolated Icelandic location. While each story works just as well in isolation, I enjoy how this gives an added layer to the book for someone who reads them all sequentially. At first the author of these short reflective pieces seems to be Logan herself, but then it becomes clear it’s another creation and the dilemma of this (untrustworthy) fictional author is as eerie as the plight of many of the stories’ characters. I was already a fan of Kirsty Logan’s work, which explores the dark and fantastical, through her previous novels, as well as hearing her perform at events, such as when she read her wonderfully titled short story “Girls are Always Hungry When all the Men are Bite-Size” which also features in Things We Say in the Dark. Since then, I have been excited to hear more of Logan’s horror – her new collection does not disappoint. Despite all her pleading, there was a roguish smile on her lips, her mouth hanging open as she gasped for the cool air misting around her. It felt too good, she thought. Just his hand, deftly massaging her clit until her legs were completely sprawled out for him. “Xander…”