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 The Panic Hand by Jonathan Carroll
reviewed by XXXXX
Original appearance: Albedo one issue ??, date?
Jonathon Carroll is being marketed as a Horror writer. If his latest short story collection, THE PANIC HAND, is anything to judge by, his publishers are doing him a disservice. Although the wellspring from which his stories pour may indeed have a horror or fantasy slant, the finished article could be set beside the work of Raymond Carver or Martin Amis. His style is very much a literary one and if you are looking for fireworks, then you might give Carroll a miss.
His stories are thoughtful rather than terrifying. They leave you with a sense that something about the world is not quite right. But is it merely the author's invention or has he truly observed a difference in the fabric of reality that you had not noticed?
The cover of THE PANIC HAND should give you a good indication of whether you'll like the contents. It features a painting entitled 'Ostenders' by a young British artist called Ray Richardson. Take a good look at it. the painting was selected by Jonathon Carroll and the likelihood is that if you like it, if you are intrigued by its muddy colours, shadowy characters and Staffordshire Bull Terriers, then it's a good bet you'll like the stories inside which it complements brilliantly.
The title piece is about a train journey on which the narrator meets a lovely young girl and her stunningly beautiful mother, both of whom are enormously attracted to him, physically. Mr Fiddlehead tells the story of a childhood friend who is still around when he's really needed. But whose friend is he really? The Fall Collection concerns a dying man who invests his money in an extravagant wardrobe. Like most of Carroll's work it leaves you asking yourself questions. Do clothes make the man? Friend's Best Man is a bittersweet tale about a man, his dog, and the dying child they befriend. The child speaks to the dog - a fantasy the man indulges. Until the dog begins to tell her secrets she could not possibly know. My Zoondel is simply about a dog that can smell Werewolves. The Sadness of Detail is the delicious tale of an unhappy woman who draws memories. But for whom?
Each one of these stories is an absolute gem that will bear re-reading over and over again. They possess what many merely narrative tales lack, that quality of depth which gives them a life beyond the page.
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