On the Edge of Twilight: 22 Tales to Follow You Home
- Book Review
Written by: Gregory Miller
Illustrated by: John Randall York
Published by: StoneGarden Publishing
Published in 2012, 178 pages
ISBN: 978-1600763410
While literary genres abound and there are superb books in each of them, the most interesting writing springs from the enchanted place where all genres meet. Gregory Miller’s work sits comfortably in the middle of that meeting point and On the Edge of Twilight: 22 Tales to Follow You Home, his latest release, is proof that adjectives like horrifying, creepy and supernatural can coexist with nostalgic, beautiful and innocent.
Miller’s prose is unique in that it’s both straightforward and elegant. The combination makes the stories powerful regardless of their length and ensures that the endings, one of the author’s fortes, have an impact on readers. Also, he manages to combine themes that would make no sense if the mix was attempted by a less talented writer. The range of subject matter in this collection is only matched by the skill with which the author blends nostalgia, humor and the uncanny.
Offering a synopsis of every narrative in the book would be a daunting task, so here are a few of my favorites.
Shells is one of those narratives that starts with something as normal as two kids playing on the beach and quickly spirals into a much darker, sadder place. The story is a perfect example of how Miller deals with reality in his work: nothing is what it seems and the veil can be removed at any moment.
The Subject, which takes place on Halloween, uses a shocked narrator to tell the story of an artist who fell in love with a strange woman. The narrator never meets his friend’s love interest, but what he learns about her when his friend learns about her real nature will forever make him thankful for his ignorance.
Seventeen is a narrative about lost love that morphs into a lesson about the value and beauty of allowing memories to remain untouched.
Time to Go Home tells the story of a man who tries to go back to a place where he was once happy. In a way, he succeeds, but a conversation with his dead grandfather helps him see things a different way. Surreal, entertaining and as bittersweet as short fiction gets, this story is bound to get a tear out of readers who cry with literature and films.
The Character brings together writing, obsession, suspense, and murder in a tale dark and weird enough to bring to mind The Twilight Zone.
Besides the stories mentioned above, there are many beautiful, scary, sublime, and grotesque things in On the Edge of Twilight. From a father-to-be who finds the courage he needs in books to an old lady who wants a child to feed the carcass of her rotting dog, this collection defines diversity.
The great Ray Bradbury once said Miller had a “bright future.” With the master of uncanny literature gone, Miller’s work becomes even more relevant. The author is not here to replace Bradbury, who’s simply irreplaceable, but his delightfully strange stories, wild imagination, and simple-yet-elegant prose make him the go-to author for those looking for literature than makes reality dissolve. Maybe they won’t follow you home, but the 22 tales in this collection will definitely stay with you for a long, long time.
Reviewed By Gabino Iglesias
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On the Edge of Twilight:
22 Tales to Follow You Home
