Short story collection review - "Black Juice" by Margo Lanagan

I continue my exploration of short story collections with Black Juice by Margo Lanagan who is an Australian writer that came to Wellington earlier this year as a part of readers and writers week.  Unfortunately I did not get to see her speak but I heard a radio interview which can be found here that inspired me to read her books.  Black Juice is a two-time World Fantasy Award winner for Best Collection and Best Short Fiction.

The blurb on the back explains that:

“Each tale offers glimpses into familiar, shadowy worlds that push the boundaries of the spirit and leave the mind haunted with the knowledge that black juice runs through us all”.

I found this a fascinating and disturbing read.  Unlike “The Last Wish” (reviewed earlier) each tale was set in a different world with different characters.  The only similarity was that there was a feeling of otherness throughout the stories.

This collection is comprised of ten short stories of which two stood out to me.  The first being ‘Red Nose Day’.  This story creates a world in which clowns (performers) are at the top of the class system.  It alludes that these clowns abuse their social standing and destroy many young lives.  It follows the work of a sniper and his colleague and their sense of achievement in taking down these menaces.  This is a must read for anyone who has a childhood fear of clowns or just finds them plain creepy.

Another story that stood out was ‘Singing my Sister Down’ this short story has been published in magazines and collections a number of times.  It has also been made into a play.  It is the heartbreaking tale of a young women’s execution by tar pit.  This is a long and drawn out execution as it takes many hours for ‘Ikky’ to sink and suffocate.  The heartbreaking and heart-warming part of the story is that her family join her, spread out on planks so they do not sink, and picnic and sing until she goes down.  It is an interesting exploration of the psychology behind public executions and the idea that public executions are a form of entertainment.  This story can be read online here and I highly recommend it.

This collection of stories is not for the faint hearted.  I found that I got something different out of each story and although the were some stories that affected me more deeply I enjoyed all ten of them.  They are horrific and disturbing at times and explore the darker side of human nature.  But they also show the tenacity and resilience that is also a part of human nature.  That is why I loved this collection as it shows our darker side but also explores the way we can be strong and endure. I have already picked up her novel ‘Tender Morsels’ and I am thoroughly looking forward to reading it.

Four out of five stars from me.