I was wandering the used bookstore, as you do, and made a beeline for the mystery anthologies section. I was in the middle of reading a weighty tome (And the Band Played On) so I thought I’d mix it up with lighter fare. I bought Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives, edited by Sarah Weinman. It turned out not to be your standard mysteries, but more in line with what the book calls “domestic suspense.” And it was superb.
The book is a collection of twelve short stories written by such luminaries as Patricia Highsmith and Shirley Jackson. Much in the vein of those authors, most of the stories are ominous and laced with dread. They are suspenseful, but not mysteries that rely on cut-and-dried plot to move them along. They are very character based and feature women living on the edge, whether it’s an impoverished woman searching for a place to call home, a teenage runaway who returns to her family only not to be recognized, jealous adversaries, vengeful murderers, and mysterious nannies. There is one story that features a little boy, but otherwise the main characters are all women.
One of the things I liked best about these stories is that you are really allowed to see things from the woman’s point of view. Whether they are killers or runaways, old ladies or young girls, you are fully in their world. When a character does something heinous, you understand, if not condone (though in some cases the reader does condone!)
I thoroughly enjoyed these creepy stories. I suppose you would call them literary if you’re into such labels, but I just call them great.