A collection of short stories by

Mathew Gostelow

A good measure of great story telling happens when it stays with you, days after you read it, haunting your thoughts. This collection of stories is filled with these dark and often disturbing ideas. Often playful and stretching with inventive use of language, Gostelow pulls at the threads of reality, showing the reader how close we are to the whole thing unravelling. Horror lurks around every corner and every turn of the page. Some of the real highlights for me from this excellent collection:

For a while there, we were weightless

This is brilliant. A simple premise to a story that encompasses the weight of being human, etiquette and the things we do to rid ourselves of the horrors of the world. Without doubt my favourite story in the collection

Seas of static between stations

A beautiful story of a difficult relationship, emotive and challenging. The other worldly nature of this piece again grips you with its humanity, sorrow and our desperation for connections in difficult circumstances.

The zebra finch

A frightening tale, sinister and unexpected, some of these stories feel nightmarish, emerging from a world where things are twisted and don’t quite make sense.

The dark wood cold

 It is so great how they writer doesn’t explain away or justify the weirdness or the horrific things that may happen. It just occurs, he shows the outcomes, the feelings. Great horror doesn’t always over explain and this tale navigates that premise with skill and dexterity.

This is a collection I really enjoyed. The inventive and wildly different stories keep you on your toes and leaves you pondering these horrific twists for many nights to come. I look forward to reading more of Mat’s work in the future. Get yourself a copy – you won’t be disappointed