IN THE FOREST OF FORGETTING by Theodora Goss (Prime Books, 2007)
Along this lane came a sudden gust of wind, detaching an oak leaf from its branch, detaching the spiderweb from its fence, sweeping them along with puffs of mist so that they tumbled together, like something one might find under a bureau: a tattered collection of gray fluff, brown paper, and string. As this collection tumbled down the lane, it began to extend upward like a whirlwind, and then to solidify. Soon, where there had been a leaf, and a spiderweb speckled with rain, there was now a plain but neat gray dress with white collar and cuffs, and brown hair pulled back in a neat but very plain bun, and a small white nose, and a pair of serious but very clear gray eyes. Beneath the dress, held up by small white hands so that its hem would not touch the sodden lane, were a pair of plain brown boots. And as they stepped carefully among the puddles, sending the mist swirling before them, they gathered not a single speck of mud.
-- from “Miss Emily Gray”
With this collection Theodora Goss has written with grace, style and wit modern fairy tales that are neither as grim as Grimms’ nor as relentlessly optimistic and cheery as Disney’s. Though she sometimes leans toward the former, of the sixteen stories only the story quoted above, “Letters from Budapest,” “Conrad” and maybe “A Statement in the Case” would fit comfortably in most horror anthologies. And yet there is darkness here because in these tales death is a constant companion.
"The Rose in Twelve Petals":
Sleeping Beauty retold, merging in the history and myth of Great Britain, and contrasting the beauty of myth against the drabness of quotidian life. Beautifully written and well-considered.
"Professor Berkowitz Stands on the Threshold":
Professor Berkowitz's ability to identify and appreciate the oddness of the perspective in the short, small body of work by a long gone writer earns him a chance to see the numinous, to experience the fantastic. But there is a condition.
“The Rapid Advance of Sorrow”:
“Sorrow: A feeling of grief or melancholy,” the narrator writes. It is also a city and its art seeps into the surrounding world, a cold art, an invasion of sorts, affecting the narrator and his love as the snows come. This would be interesting reading alongside some of the stories from Mark Samuels’
The Man Who Collected Machen.
"Lily, with Clouds":
Eleanor strides through her town with a sense of ownership and sure knowledge of what is right and appropriate. Her sister, Lily, neither right nor appropriate, has returned from the city to die. Eleanor is a bit scandalized by aspects of Lily’s life, but there is something different about Lily, who had never been in step with Eleanor or the rest of their family, and something haunting in the pictures Lily’s late husband painted of her.
"In the Forest of Forgetting":
A woman wearing a white, backless sheath enters a forest and meets a witch who removes her "lumps." Afterward the woman into flees the forest, where she meets more people who offer her different names, none of which quite suit her. More allegorical than the other stories, this seems to be about a cancer victim. My least favorite story, but the writing is still beautiful and the title is evocative.
"Sleeping with Bears":
A young woman's sister is married to a very charming bear with a good social standing. But why a bear? Something about this made me think of John Collier, and like Collier as whimsical and light as the description sounds the story proceeds with ruthless logic and ends with insight.
"Letters from Budapest":
If the State does not support your expression, your expression will be suppressed; if you persist, the State may raise the price. But what if you persist underground? The cost is not always money. The price of art may be more personal than money.
“A Statement in the Case”:
Someone has to care for the old ways.
“Death Comes for Ervina”:
Memories and expectations, some met and some not, flood Ervina when her friend and former lover, Victor Boyd, visits.
“The Belt”:
One possible post-script to, “They lived happily ever after.”
“Phalaenopsis”:
John’s journey, guided by an orchid and bolstered by the faith of Brother Martin.
"Pip and the Fairies":
This one starts from a premise similar to one strand of narrative in Gone Girl as we follow a young woman well-known as the model of a character in a series of children's books. But this young woman has lost her mother and the loss rekindles her desire for the fantasy world she remembers, the one her mother based her books on.
“Conrad”:
A young boy in big house, sick and under the care of his Aunt Susan and her very good friend, Dr.Stanton. He is convinced his aunt wants him dead and he is certain Nurse Gray is an extension of his aunt’s will. And yet, …
Though the internal evidence is thin, it is possible that “Conrad” connects to the following group of stories:
"Miss Emily Gray"
"The Wings of Meister Wilhelm"
"Lessons with Miss Gray":
The town of Ashton, North Carolina seems to share features with the small towns of Ray Bradbury's mid-west or Stephen King's Maine in that odd things happen there. These stories are spread out from mid-way through the collection, but offer us recountings of events in Ashton in the early part of the 20th century. The first introduces us to Miss Gray: Shortly after Genevieve wishes for more freedom, Miss Gray becomes her nanny. Wishes granted may still be not what you wished for.
In "The Wings of Meister Wilhelm" young Rose finds she is not a violinist, that the people closest to her are not always who she thought they were, and that a grand dream may be worth chasing even if it causes pain and loss.
In "Lessons with Miss Gray," Rose reappears in company with her friends Melody, Emma, and Justina. Being reporters this week isn't quite fulfilling enough. Miss Gray's ad in the local paper indicates it's time to become witches. Of course wishes have consequences, some of them unexpected and unwanted; but then life is like that, too.
I hope Goss is continuing her stories of Ashton. A sizable collection of them might still not be enough to satisfy my wishes.
This is a formidable collection, well-written and expansive, leaning toward the darkness of fairy tales without ever giving in to despair, and reminding us that while mortality includes suffering and pain, they may be mitigated by imagination and compassion and hope.
Other collections of similar interest:
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
In the Palace of Repose by Holly Phillips
Holiday by M. Rickert (second of two books discussed in that post)
