I loved the character work that Woolf employs, and the societal commentary and examination of mental health is brilliant! However, I wasn't a fan of the rambling stream-of-consciousness style in which it's written; I'm sure others will disagree, but it's just not a style I generally enjoy altogether. I recommend the Listen With Audrey audiobook edition specifically, as there is substantial extra material giving a lot of historical context and information on the author herself that greatly helped my understanding. There are some unfortunate references to POC, as well, but this is almost inevitable, sadly, given the time period, and in many other ways, this was an extremely progressive book. I was also not super clear on if it was just the characters themselves viewing them in that light, so perhaps I'm misjudging Woolf's perspective on that matter as well? Overall, I'm glad to have finally read such an influential author's work.
Horrible writing - full of stale prose, clichés, unlikeable/undefined characters, and was extremely predictable to boot. The setting didn't feel authentic at all; read Phantom of the Opera instead.
This is a thrilling scary story with a pretty original concept as far as I can tell; I really enjoyed it! The author has a real skill for creating tension and developing characters even within such a limited page-count. I wish he expanded on the creature a bit more, but I am interested in reading more of his work.
This was hard to get through, despite being so short. It was all over the place; the main character is completely forgettable, the character who she's interviewing has an interesting history with the creature, but rambles on and on about baseball, and the Swamp Thing references bring nothing to the table except unfulfilled potential. I love the idea of eco-horror (and Swamp Thing!), but this lacked the scares, and missed the mark entirely.
For fans of the found-footage horror genre, this short story encapsulates an urban legend of a horrifying creature seemingly tied to a creepy old bridge in a forest. There is some suspense in the beginning, but it begins to drag/become repetitive, and culminates in what I found to be an unsatisfying conclusion.
A more mature take on the monster-under-the-bed trope, Ankle Snatcher was a fun concept, but fell short for me. Primarily, the later half and ending lacked a clear execution. I think a higher page count would have been a good idea, as to add more depth (and more scares) to the latter half of this scary story. Also, not great depictions of women, albeit, in a limited character roster.
Unsettling, traumatic, and imaginative, this was an awesome horror short story. In my mind, some of the best horror comes from complex, grounded characters, who are struggling to adapt to unrealistic, fantastical or supernatural forces; this is well accomplished here. The ending hits you hard and fast, and the suspense and uncertainty plays out with great pacing. My only small nitpick would be to have tied in the raccoons/animal death a bit tighter with the plot, as it feels a bit too dependent on shock value.