Read 2020 - 36 - You'll Know When You Get There by Lynda E Rucker

 

This old house is not settling for anything. This old house is

maybe waiting, and possibly thinking, and could be

sleeping even, but never settling.

This book saved my sanity.

On a weekend when the Coronavirus was taking over the UK, tap dancing on my mental health, and causing most people distress, I lost myself in this wonderful collection.

The stories contained within You'll Know When You Get There by Lynda E. Rucker, reflect old masters such as M.R. James, Shirley Jackson, Robert Aikman. The collection opens with The Receiver of Tales, which is possibly my favourite story in the collection. An artist, a writer, a need to collect stories. I loved  reading the story notes and finding the inspiration for this particular tale.

The nightmarish The House on Cobb Street is told from the viewpoints of Vivian Crane and a collection of articles. It is tense, affecting, and haunting. Who is this who's coming? is a well-written and affecting homage to M.R. James. Having watched the BBC series, Ghost Stories for Christmas, several times, the images in this story were so familiar and well drawn.

We have come to Carcosa. In The Queen in the Yellow Wallpaper, the protagonist and her husband move to an isolated house - Carcosa - to look after her husband's sick sister. A house that is as sick and as affected as it's owner.

Finally, there is a warmth to The Haunting House, a story about a place that haunts across time and space. A wonderful ending to an outstanding collection. 

I stole this book from the Bestwick's collection (it is signed to him). A 24th July 2016 train ticket provided the bookmark.