This book of short stories is a dive into the twisted depths of the disturbed human psyche. Each tale peels back the layers of the mind of one individual who is twisted further, either by self, circumstances or the manipulation of other warped characters, towards an act that would be considered insane except that we have ridden along and followed the completely logical route that got us all there.
The storylines start with the unlikely and sometimes fade into the realms of dream and the surreal. PTSD, perversion, futuristic virtual-reality games, a metaphysical contortionist, and the sinking of the Titanic all play their parts. Settings are creative and vividly imagined.
Mr. Gregory is an expert writer of dialogue especially in the dialects of rural America. He brings each character to life for us with speech, actions, and above all inner thoughts. All of them slither through the throes of some dark passion, whether it be religion, sex, or power, with little attempt to escape.
Especially fascinating is the finale, the story of an evangelical atheist television clown, who we never see (no spoiler here: he is murdered on the first page) and his twelve-year-old murderer (we don’t see him till the end).
Gregory has certainly done his research, which is not always a good thing, as he often makes his point and then keeps making it in a rather preachy way.
These stories are all variations on the same theme, and each follows its path with the same clinical tone, allowing for less emotional variety and building of suspense than the reader would prefer.
A fascinating exploration of the diseased mind of humanity, best enjoyed in small doses,
Four stars.