I’ll be honest this is not my normal fair, BUT I think Mr. Day may have converted me.

Bizzaro/horror is something that most casual readers don’t come across too terribly often and I’m always the sucker for an anthology of shorts. Each story in Now That We’re Alone is accompanied by a small illustration that was inspired by it, which was done by the artist, Luke Spooner.

The eleven stories of varying (horror)sub-genres embody a similar gruesome, but haunting vibe to them that most enthusiasts of the genre should enjoy. “Negative Space” and “Spoiling” for me were the most emotionally intimate and have continued to linger with their rather unsettling images. I wasn’t prepared for the truly chilling lines and scenes in here, but I think diving right in helped rather than dipping a toe in one at a time, I may have lost one instead.

What also stood out to me with this, was the afterword, where Day talks a bit about where each story came from and the inspiration about it. You don’t usually come across that kind of self-reflection and I for one, truly appreciate that. And as a fellow story-teller, this story of process in some ways can be even better than the story itself because it shows how our experiences give shape to our minds and memories. I feel like I understand him even better.

Overall, I was a huge fan of this and will need to keep an eye out for what Day does next. If you haven’t read anything by him before, be sure to check this out!