Reviews

Mama Bruise by Jonathan Carroll

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mehsi's review

3.0

So this was just weird and WTF. Haha, also still good to read, but at times I just had to step away and come back after a moment of thinking/back in the normal world. It is about a dog, and then specifically what the dog is. It was quite an interesting twist when we found out what the dog was, and we also got some explanation on why the dog was doing what he was doing which made both sense but also disturbed me. All in all, a pretty original story with a scary ending. I am still not 100% sure on my feelings, but they seem mostly positive if not very much weirded out.

rafacolog's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

moonpie's review

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3.0

It had begun weeks before, on the night they went to the opera. In the excitement of preparing for the special night out, they’d forgotten to feed the dog. During intermission, the man went to the refreshment stand to buy two glasses of champagne. Taking his wallet out of his pocket, he saw written in what looked like thick, purple magic marker on the back of his right hand the word LADDIE.

peripetia's review

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3.0

I kind of figured this isn't the kind of story a person who's afraid of dogs should read. I did anyway. And I was right.

antonism's review

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4.0

3.5 / 5

This story can be read for free here!
https://www.tor.com/2019/04/17/mama-bruise-jonathan-carroll/
Mama Bruise is a short story by Jonathan Carroll. It is very weird and spooky and at times it evokes some feelings of psychological fear. The plot is simple. A couple start experiencing some weird happenings in their home and ordinary life that initially are disregarded but eventually are given a plausible explanation according to one of our protagonists. The narration goes a bit back and forth in time but it is cleverly constructed to build up the weirdness and anticipation. The ending was cleverly inconclusive but scary. A very enjoyable short story if you're in the mood for weird and scary. Since it's free on the TOR website, I can't find any reason not to recommend it!
3.5 / 5

pine_wulf's review against another edition

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2.0

Never really got into it. It's a weird story about a dog. And based on the end, maybe it was supposed to be horror. The explanation didn't connect with me either. It seemed to me the woman believed it but that didn't really make it true.