Stpehen Graham Jones can do no wrong. His stories are always engaging, thoughtful, creepy, and heartfelt. Mapping the Interior is about a young teenager, missing and thinking of the father who died before he could really be known, who believes he saw his father coming through a doorway. From there, we learn more about this young man, his family, Native American culture, and superstitions. Jones dives into the characters' (particularly our narrator) conflicted feelings towards their ancestry. As our narrator, the man of the house, is haunted by the ghost of his father whose death severed their ties to the reservation.

In a way, this could be interpreted as a ghost story. It's about our narrator and his family being haunted by the trauma of their past. In another interpretation it could be thought of a coming of age story-with perhaps a little psychological horror on the side. We see our narrator struggle with the absence of his father, the need to take care of his mom and little brother. And that all takes an emotion toll that causes some of the events in the novella to take place.

However, Jones isn't completely clear about his intentions here. This is a multilayered story. Many interpretations could be made from this novella. It's a creepy, moving piece of work that should be widely read. ( )

This was a haunting story with a fair amount of depth to the story. At the same time, some of that depth and symbolism and psychology was too much. I don't want to say it went over my head but I know I missed it. At the same time, the emotion and the impact on me were there.

The story is about a Native American young man who sees the ghost of his father and who tries to determine why. Woven into that discovery is his culture and superstitions, his family's success and failures. As with all ghost stories, the story is about loss, about the past revisiting the present, about seeing the truth of what was in order to move forward. Intertwined with that story is the feelings and emotions and symbolism of the events. Sort of like how a song can stir up feelings independent of the lyrics. On one level all of that worked perfectly and impacted me. On another level, I feel like I missed significant parts, that there was more I should have seen and felt. I'm giving the story 4 stars but it's a round-up from 3.5. I'm still loving Jones and look forward to reading whatever book he writes next. ( )

So disconcerting but you just can't stop reading it. ( )

Stephen Graham Jones is one of those writers who isn’t afraid to leave you a little confused or disoriented in order to later hit you with some heartbreaking clarity, as is the case with the ending of this equally heartbreaking novella. Junior is a 12 year old Native American boy living in poverty with his mother and special needs younger brother after the death of his father, a ceremonial dancer who may or may not have been a good role model.

Needless to say, Dad is back, or so Junior believes because Junior is a sleepwalker, and maybe Dad's return isn’t real. As the kid literally maps the interior of their mobile home looking for evidence to prove Dad’s appearances aren’t a figment of his imagination, strange coincidences occur in relation to the maybe return of Dad, and Junior abandons the question of "if" with "why."

And therein lies the heart of the story. "Are the stories about the father who was never really a part of my life true? Would my life be different, better, worse if he hadn’t died? Am I my father's son? Will I become just like him in respect to his success? Or his failure?" This book is 110 pages long, and yet Jones manages to touch on these questions with a unique, cultural depth.

If you’re somewhat new to Stephen Graham Jones and haven’t picked up on his more recent, mainstream horror novels, then this is a great, short and fast paced read to wet your whistle. ( )

“I was twelve the first time I saw my dead father cross from the kitchen doorway to the hall that led back to the utility room.”

This is how Stephen Graham Jones opens his novella about a Junior, a young Blackfoot boy of 12, who is navigating a confusing and dangerous life with his now single mother and little brother.

He begins to hunt for his father in the house and to try to figure out how and why he is back...

Junior is clearly a highly unreliable narrator and the fact that he's dealing with his own sleepwalking, defending his little brother from bullies, protecting himself from dangers both external and internal, and the ghost of his father creates a disconcerting haze that hovers over everything we read throughout the story. There is a pervasive sense of confusion and disbelief while at the same time the traumas that Junior experiences are all too real.

SGJ has am incredible talent for writing about brutality and visceral horrors with great tenderness and care. As a reader, I never knew exactly what was going on, if it was to be believed, but I was wholly invested.

There are layers upon layers to be unwrapped with this story but at its core, for me, was a frightened young boy who had to grow up fast and needed to find his place in a world where so many young men, like his own father, don't make it. Make no mistake, though, this is horror. ( )