The Eyes Beneath My Father’s House by Tyler Bell

This was a rich collection of character-driven stories. It is absolutely everything that I look for in a short story collection — along with some extra bonuses I didn’t even know I needed.

For starters, Bell is an incredible writer. The characters check the two main boxes of distinct and well developed. You empathize with the narrator of each tale as you see the world painted vividly through their eyes. 

The stories feature heavy environmental storytelling that transports the reader into each separate horror for a short time. You don’t feel like you’re reading exposition or learning about the tragedies that have befallen a place; you feel like you’re there living it. While it does make for a slower read, the level of immersion is one that is simply unrivaled in the world of short story collections.

With these three pillars already underway, I feel like I have a strong enough foundation to recommend the book wholeheartedly. I would feel amiss, however, if I didn’t also talk about the two most pleasant surprises to me upon opening this up.

One is the gorgeous illustrations. The cover is quite striking on its own, but the paperback features a black and white print at the beginning of every story with a watery, dripping art style reminiscent of Stephen Gammell.

The other is that, unbeknownst to me, these are all stories that were featured in the Westside Fairytales podcast. I actually discovered the podcast, which is still available online, through the acknowledgements page of this book. It’s fantastic, and a great way to check out some of these stories if you’re curious to read and or listen for yourself. (Though I would still highly recommend picking up the paperback if you can — the illustrations alone make it worth it!)

Review by Cat Voleur

Twitter: @Cat_Voleur

Website: cat.voleur.com