Happy Goat Horror

Stay the hell out of the swamp — the backwater town of Lower Congaree recites it like an eleventh commandment.

Lower Congaree is a backwater of a backwater, a poverty-stricken South Carolina town where nail salons come and go, but the Marine recruitment center never closes. Swamp surrounds it, and strangeness stretches back as far as anyone can remember.

For the first time, Undertaker Books has collected Elizabeth Broadbent’s intertwined Southern Gothic stories, including her linked novella, Ink Vine. Swamp witches and standing stones, battered mansions and shoeless patriarchs, strip clubs and roadside diners—Lower Congaree blossoms with the otherworldly, the bizarre, the outcast and the outside of time.

Dark bleatings, my beautiful tribe. About two years back, I reviewed a novella from Elizabeth Broadbent called Ink Vine, which I adored. Now, Ink Vine is one of the stories included in this brand new collection, featuring other stories set in the same area. Let’s dive in!

A Mouthful of Roses

Heyward finds himself in the company of two mysterious and mischievous ladies, and he seems to be very intoxicated when they lead him somewhere….

This blends the fear of being out of control and unable to help yourself with some of the greatest, most beautiful yet horrifying imagery. Great opening story and an example of this author’s unique writing style.

To Sing is to See

I love this. It’s short and beautifully written, and about bats. I can not even begin to tell you how much I love bats.

Some Fall

A woman is in labour and knows she’s not going to make it. It’s crunch time and it’s either they both die or Lee, her love, has an unbelievably horrible decision to make. This story speaks of tragedy, but also courage and love.

Questions a Man Ought Not to Ask

Oh this is sad! Ella falls in love with Henry, but he knows the sheriff (her uncle) doesn’t like her. They seem to have a nice life together for a while until outside influence and internal fears come to the surface, threatening to ruin it all. It’s so emotionally evocative, I loved this one.

Babylon Burning

This feels like all out war. Fire, smoke, death, and misunderstandings and fear.

For Thine Is the Kingdom

Jubal refuses to help a woman who he knows is the mother of his grandkids, but he’s refusing to acknowledge it. She curses him because of the tragedy she’s suffering, and perhaps deservedly so….

A Living Pentecost

This is a very short one about a woman and her rage, essentially. Less than two pages long but powerful.

Folded in Light

This is horrifying and kind of lovely. Three people go into the swamp but it seems that only will come out, though it’s not motivated by what you might expect.

Ink Vine

Emmy is an exotic dancer who lives in a trailer with her toxic family, and her sexuality is a secret that she keeps from them. There’s a nearby swamp, and it’s a well-stated opinion in town that everyone ought to stay away from it because apparently people go missing there. Emmy ignores this and goes wandering there anyway because she finds it peaceful.

This is an absolute breath-taking, gorgeous story, and I’ve been obsessed with it since the first time I read it.

If you’d like to read the full review of this novella, you can find it HERE.

Swamp Girl

This is just a lovely. A girl is watched by something that lives in the forest, but it’s not threatening, just infatuated, in what feels like a wholesome way. There’s a sincere admiration.

So, some overall thoughts. You might find it odd that in a horror collection, I’ve used the words ‘lovely’ and ‘beautiful’ so often, but that’s the power of Elizabeth Broadbent’s writing. I don’t know if I’ve ever read another author whose work sinks its hooks into my heart so much. Her exploration and handling of certain themes is simply masterful and brings new angles and perspectives to the particular horrors she delves into. Easily one of the most skilled, yet underrated writers I’ve ever read, and I’ll never stop talking about her. Simply wonderful.

The stories are all connected, which was a cool surprise because I thought they might be set in the same area but completely disconnected. This made for even more interesting reading because this kept opening new perspectives that reframed the lens I looked at the previous stories through.

An easy recommendation from me if you’re a reader that really wants to connect to the material, explore some dark themes, but not come away feeling like the world is on fire at the end. If you’d like to check out the book (due for release on 6th March) or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:

INK VINE AND OTHER SWAMP STORIES

ELIZABETH BROADBENT

Bleeeeat!