I give this 4 stars. An absorbing, wonderful collection of short stories that takes you into an alternative time and place and yet, you think, the situations could so easily apply to our everyday lives - if it isn't happening already! The best part for me was the author's writing style - simple and elegant, it commands your attention easily and there is absolutely no need to read things twice or thrice to make sure you understood. But I failed to mention something in my original review on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/707423943) and that was, this book was translated from Italian to English. So really, I failed to acknowledge the translator who in this case is Andrea Pakieser (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7265257.Andrea_Pakieser). Andrea did a brilliant translation and being in the translation business myself, I feel guilty for overlooking her. So ... kudos to Andrea. Now onto the review.
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A well written, intense, psychological short story
I have to say, this was a very good short story. I'm not a fan of short stories in general, but I was intrigued that this was a horror, and I was in need of some scary creepiness. That being said, Beneath the Willow imparts a psychological bang rather than a scare/shock/gore tactic which I appreciated. But geez, that under-the-bed scene made me freak a little! And I enjoyed seeing a story deviate from the normal scheme of vampire/zombie clichés (and boy have I been seeing a lot of them), playing with the emotions of our torn protagonist. When I picked up Bounty Hunter, I initially wondered whether it was going to be a slow read or if I was going to bounce and space jump with it like the description indicated. After reading the first few pages, I didn't have to worry. I knew I was going to like it. So much that I read it all in one sitting – well, actually that's a lie. I went out twice – once for a cappuccino so I could curl on the sofa with some white choc and cranberry cookies, and then some Vietnamese Bun bo nam bo – cos I was too lazy to cook and wanted to get back to reading. It's been so long since I stayed home on a Saturday to curl up and read, and Bounty Hunter did not disappoint.
Warning: Spoilers ahead! |