Psychiatric illness, psychotic breaks, and general mental mayhem have always been popular topics in horror and dark literature. From Frakenstein’s mad obsession with reanimating the dead, to Hamlet seeing his father’s ghost and consequently getting most of the people around him murdered, to recent stories like Paul Tremlbay’s A Head Full of Ghosts, readers love being able to get inside the damaged minds of a good, twisted character.
What really shines in these stories is Burge’s ability to blur the story to a fine ambiguity, leaving the reader wondering whether the events actually took place as described. The opening story, “Sizzle,” and the fourth, “Permanent Detention,” are particularly good for this. Since horror often involves the supernatural anyway, we might expect events to have played out in certain ways, but then again, who are we to know what really happened?
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“Sizzle” and “White Hell, Wisconsin” are both a little predictable, but this is balanced by nice pacing. You might know where the stories are going, but you still enjoy the ride. “Blue Eye Burn” might be a little too happily-ever-after, yet this story has a delicate, realistic examination of a veteran’s PTSD, so the happy ending is more cathartic than Disney-influenced.
Plus, for those who like a behind-the-scenes look, each story ends with a breakdown of the inspiration/origin, as well as its publication history, so you get to read about the author’s thought processes in his own words.
However, BROKEN is a small collection. At five stories, it doesn’t have a lot of material, and even then, several of those stories are pretty short. Some might balk at the idea of paying 2.99 USD for a title like this—though it’s available on Kindle Unlimited, and only 4.95 USD for the paperback, so there are plenty of options.
That being said, it’s still a very enjoyable read, and those who enjoy psychology-infused short fiction would do well to pick up this book. They’re quick, hard-hitting stories that are sure to linger in your mind, so be sure to swing by Amazon and take a look.
