Black Shapes in a Darkened Room

Opening with a quote from Murakami Haruki's novel Norwegian Wood, Marshall Moore's short story collection Black Shapes in a Darkened Room takes the reader into a realm where ghosts await the deaths of those who have wronged them; vicious men wear suits of raw meat; and deaf boys can heal with only a touch. Dark and disturbing at a visceral level, I found myself uttering, "Oh my God" a number of times as I read through the collection, especially such gems as "Enough Oxygen" and "The Glue Factory." However, while I recoiled at some gory bits that would please Clive Barker, it was Moore's attention to detail that truly disturbed me. The abusive mother's brutality in "Hurricane Season" both angered me and made me have to stop reading for a bit to let the imagery fade that was floating through my mind. One can literally feel the steam of the scalding bathwater and taste the fear of the children whom the mother has threatened to drown. Yet, although the stories are filled with death, the stories also have a macabre sense of justice. People mistreated during life get revenge in death. Vicious mean and women are killed and the killers, who the reader is cheering for, are not caught and brought to justice by the law. No, instead they have been able to kill their oppressors and are able to get on with their lives after the murders. It might seem a bit odd to call this refreshing, but living in a world where child abusers and wife beaters go unpunished, it is nice to see them suffer a bit of the torment they have caused others. While the story collection contains ghosts, tattoos made of the night sky, and dragons, well maybe on the last one, the collection also contains a number of other stories completely grounded in reality such as one concerning a young man who has grown tired of caring for his disabled father and another about a shut-in who is trying, or not trying, to get over a broken relationship. The collection is also filled with sex that is entirely of the homosexual variety, but the collection does not use this aspect as a crutch. The stories are powerful enough on their own so it seems like one is reading stories that contain characters who just happen to be homosexual instead of the story leaning on this aspect for the sell. Black Shapes in a Darkened Room is a very interesting collection that is definitely a cut above a good portion of fiction that is being released. If you want to read some stories that will terrify and intrigue you give this one a spin.

In "Black Shapes in a Darkened Room", the follow-on to his debut novel "The Concrete Sky", Marshall Moore brings his writing to a new level. Moore delivers to the readers what his fans have come to expect: an exploration of the darkest aspects of human nature, woven with a razor wit and a sly humor that somehow make it fun. But this collection goes beyond his previous works, delivering a wild array of ideas, each one probed, explored, and exposed with a laser focus. The short story format is a wonderful boon for readers, allowing Moore to present vastly more of the lucid and disturbing products of his imagination than the novel format ever could. The stories in this collection are haunting, stimulating, original, and utterly enjoyable - if you have the stomach for it. They'll make you squirm uncomfortably, wonder about human nature, snicker with guilty pleasure, and in the end will leave you with plenty to think about. Each one illuminates another hidden corner of the psyche, and showcases Moore's ability to give us touching but terrifying glimpses of the damaged souls that inhabit his tales.

"Black Shapes in a Darkened Room" is haunting, diabolical, and brilliant. One of the best collection of short stories one will find amusing, grotesque, and darkly illuminating. I enjoyed every page of this book and thensome. Authors like Moore are rare and hard to come by.