Les Femmes Grotesques

December 19, 2022
“When one encounters the fantastical, one must go all in,” Dalpe writes. Honoring that credo, Dalpe aims for the jugular with this visceral and bold debut collection that lives up not just to its title but to the greats of weird fiction. From a beautiful literary telling of rebirth and a cosmic entity seeking a new home, to disturbing creatures and multiple twists on classic horror tropes, these eighteen tales will transport readers on a deliciously twisted journey while continually upending all expectations. Characters navigate regret, passion, greed, and terror while exploring ominous houses, a family curse, and wicked entities hiding in plain sight. Each story opens up a fresh and unsettling world where horror lurks both within the shadows and in the heart of humanity.
The women of Les Femmes Grotesques are complex. Dalpe unapologetically ravishes the feminine flesh to expose the raw gristle of the female character. From Prim, the lonely and mysterious woman who lives in the woods, to Agnes, a reality TV host starved for higher ratings and looking for answers regarding her missing brother, Dalpe illuminates these women’s deepest needs and most devilish desires. These are messy characters: volatile villains and profound heroines; at times, the line between the two is blurred, brilliantly, the sharp and lucid prose inviting readers to arrive at their own conclusions.
No word is wasted. The stories start with masterful opening lines that quickly hook readers and promise dark thrills: “Her body lay crumpled in the alley stairwell, limbs akimbo.” Delicate, evocative imagery of the varied settings paints calm and serene landscapes in contrast to the stark horror elements, which include both the fey and the everyday, like the embrace of a man who “simply wasn’t built to be tender, his every movement was a threat, purposeful or not.” Themes of resilience, death, reawakening, and love will stick with readers long after the final page.
Takeaway: Readers who love the macabre will relish this hypnotic short story collection.
Great for fans of: Shirley Jackson, V. Castro’s Mestiza Blood.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

December 1, 2022
Dark houses, ravenous creatures, and malevolent entities appear in this collection of unsettling tales. The 18 short stories herein dabble in a variety of horror genres. In the story "Folded Into Shadows," Agnes Tiller hosts the reality TV series Haunted Renovations. Her latest episode covers a Victorian home that some have entered but never exited, including her older brother. Unseen evils pop up in other stories as well, such as "Dark Inheritance," in which a woman named Emeline learns that her feeling that something is incessantly following her may be a threat in itself. Other scary things in this book don't always keep themselves hidden. "The Horror on Sycamore Lane," for example, unfolds in a seemingly picture-perfect town. However, there are signs that Bob, one of its residents, is physically abusing his wife, Barbara, and something else in their Cape Cod-style home may prove deadly. While the stories' ambiguous details steer clear of precisely defining creatures and entities, some seem familiar--not unlike werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. There's also little doubt as to what these sinister things are doing, from hijacking bodies to enacting graphic, visceral assaults. As it turns out, not all these nonhuman characters are malignant; quite a few throughout this collection will garner readers' sympathy, as they're merely trying to survive or live in peace. The same is true for humans, as not every one of their horrific or bizarre deeds stems from malice. Even the terrible death that opens "Those Beneath, Devour," is the result of a string of unfortunate choices.Dalpe's grim tales carry a strong tone of foreboding. Many characters find themselves drawn or led to things, as if they're inescapable. Creepy homes call to them; strange people push them toward their apparent fate; and in the case of the woman in "The Drowned Siren," a ghost of the sea becomes a relentless obsession. Although the author doesn't shy away from violent imagery, most stories simply imply savage turns, even when they involve things that bite. In other instances, the visuals are simply unnerving, as in the knockout "Rig Rash." This tale's narrator aims to settle in Sanctuary, a town that's just struck oil. All seems fine until a foul-smelling, oily substance oozes out of seemingly everything--including, most frighteningly, living things. The book's sublime descriptions zap all kinds of sights to life: a long driveway like a "sloping serpent," tree branches resembling "tentacles, or reaching arms, or a hundred snakes," and a crowd of nameless faces "painted red and blue from [a police cruiser's] flickering lights." Other stories feature more familiar horrors; more than one deals with domestic abuse, and loyalty to friends or family drops several characters into harrowing circumstances. In "The Guest," scenes of everyday life preface a simmering horror, as when a seemingly innocuous university professor's prolonged stay at the narrator's childhood home coincides with a harsh winter and an inexplicable sickness that pervades the household--much like the terror throughout this entire collection. A host of disturbing and entrancing short stories.

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