Recommended reading: 'Unbecoming' by Mike O'Driscoll

Filed by: Darren on May 16, 2007 at 7:14
Filed In: Books

Unbecoming and Other Tales of Horror is a rather excellent collection of thirteen short pieces linked by common themes - loss, decay, trauma, collapse - and a very definite common atmosphere - worry, unease, imbalance, dread - that makes for an entirely disturbing few hours' reading.

The fact that my few hours were split over a plane trip to and from Northern Ireland and a series of staccato sessions since has done nothing to lessen the powerfully unnerving impression the collection had on me. Personal favourites included the artfully crafted 'We Will Not Be Here Yesterday', the simple but powerful 'Shadows' and 'Sounds Like', which struck a note of sympathetic resonance... until the denouement.

These stories - indeed all the stories in Unbecoming - are crafted with the intention of unsettling rather than scaring the reader. They're not so much supernatural as unnatural, but they are no less 'horrorful' than a legion of lurching zombies or any number of eldritch monstrosities lurking in dark, dank cellars. You might not feel the urge to look over your shoulder or hide behind the sofa as you read, but you'll probably start wondering just what is going on in the deepest, darkest minds of your friends, neighbours, co-workers, family members...

I fully agree with the prevailing opinion that horror's most natural form of expression is the short story. Mike O'Driscoll - an otherwise quite charming and pleasant chap who lives an almost entirely psychosis-free life in rural Wales, I should point out - is one of the most natural and expressive exponents of that form who is writing in the UK today.

Fans of Ramsey Campbell, Conrad Williams, Nicholas Royle, Michael Marshall Smith et. al. take note: if you haven't got a copy of Unbecoming on your shelf then you've got a gap in your collection. Get in touch with Elastic Press, pronto, and they'll sort you out with a very reasonably-priced (£6.00 plus £1.50 p&p) patch.