Aiken

Fascinating collection of stories that bears revisiting. Of course, the first two tales one should read are Mr. Arcularis and Silent Snow, Secret Snow. As for the rest, they run the gamut from infidelity (reflecting Aiken's proclivity for straying from his spouse), to murder, religious intolerance, and many other facets of humanity's darker side.
The tone of many of the tales is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's surreal style. As you make your way from one story to the next, you wonder how reliable the narrator is, whether any of what is related really happened the way it was told- in short, very odd, but interesting ways to tell stories are presented in this collection.
To be fair, some of the stories seem to be unfinished, or maybe could have been resolved more satisfactorily in more capable hands- for after all, Aiken's main talent was as a poet.
But be that as it may, I am now going to go back and read some of these stories again, for I am still puzzled by many of them...… (mehr)