Sick Girl Screams by S.J. Townsend REVIEW

★Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for providing me with a copy of this book to review★

Sick Girl Screams is a dark short story collection written by S.J. Townsend. I discovered this book on NetGalley and was initially drawn in by the cover, which is reminiscent of the artwork of Junji Ito. To some extent, the cover itself gave me a vague clue regarding what to expect within this collection; dark and gruesome stories that would leave me feeling hopeless. I am a firm believer that those expectations were met, for the most part. There was a surprising lack of nihilism in some stories, yet it definitely didn't disappoint.

I was very pleased by the variety within this anthology, the blend of realism, science fiction and fantasy was smooth, and despite the drastic differences in content, the stories altogether felt cohesive and well structured. Townsend creates a real sense of place and character in these stories, a skill that I envy. I'll talk a bit about my favourites in a second. Some stories within this collection were very moving, depicting the bluntness of the female experience, and those stories were among my favourites.

I am not a science fiction reader, so I fear that some of the stories were wasted on me, at no fault of the author. Despite this, the body horror presented in those stories were particularly sickly. That being said, I did definitely expect a bit more in terms of body horror. There were stories that I felt were lacking, but there were also stories that definitely made up for it. I can't say I was a fan of every story, the science fiction ones in particular weren't to my taste (although that is definitely a matter of preference rather than quality).

My favourite stories from this collection had me hooked, and they left me wanting more (in a good way). There are such a great range of stories in this collection, but the following stood out as my favourites:

No Place Like Home: Strange things happen to a woman after a visit to her childhood home. This piece is both heartbreaking and gory in all of the best ways. As one of the first stories, it really packed a punch.

Dangers of Ill Prepared Shellfish: This story is a retelling of Venus and Mars' story, and deals with issues such as domestic violence, consent and forced marriage. I think this one is my favourite out of the whole collection. Its a horrifying yet beautiful story, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Beauty Parlour: This story follows a body modification salon, where people come to try and obtain the look of extinct animals. It's also set in a post-apocalyptic type scene, one where an ecological disaster has made it difficult to exist. Body modification is one of my favourite subgenres of horror, and it was a good read.

The Cool Kids: Following a man who reconnects with 'friends' from his school years, this story discusses peer pressure and fitting in. This story has a perfect mix of realism and body horror. Pretty disturbing stuff.

Hag Stone: A young man who cleans out his grandmothers house finds himself lost in the surrounding woods. I was really doubting this story at the beginning, and I was unsure if it would be up to my gory tastes. But it was, God it was.

Overall, this collection truly lives up to the name. The stories are delightfully sickly, and I would recommend them to any horror reader. As far as short story collections go, this is at the top of my list, sitting rightfully among the likes of Eric LaRocca. Of course, it is important to check the trigger warnings before you dive in, with topics such as child abuse, domestic violence, addiction and suicide among the many things discussed within these pages. If you still feel like you can stomach it, I highly recommend giving it a go. I gave this collection: ★★★★.

I hope this review has been informative, and I hope you give this collection a chance.

All the best,

Talia