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For Emmy
Sometimes no matter how vigilant you are, you can't keep loved ones save.
Dana McCluskey and her father know very well that there can be dangers around every corner. They wanted to keep Emmy safe. --- But it is impossible to see some dangers coming. And there are those corners that you'd never see, out-of-the-way places just beyond our grasp where loved ones can get very lost - and the danger there is very real indeed.
Dana McCluskey and her father know very well that there can be dangers around every corner. They wanted to keep Emmy safe. --- But it is impossible to see some dangers coming. And there are those corners that you'd never see, out-of-the-way places just beyond our grasp where loved ones can get very lost - and the danger there is very real indeed.
- GenresHorror
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Mary SanGiovanni
81 books481 followersMary SanGiovanni is the author of over twenty books in horror and supernatural thrillers. Her fiction has appeared in periodicals and anthologies for the last decade. She has a Masters degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, Pittsburgh, where she studied under genre greats. She is currently a member of The Authors Guild, The International Thriller Writers, and Penn Writers, and was previously an Active member in the Horror Writers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 6, 2023
For Emmy is a short cosmic-horror novella adjacent to SanGiovanni's Hollower trilogy. It's a very moving, well-written story, about a young girl who goes missing in the bookstore her family owns, narrated by her older sister. The ominous number of missing persons who remain unfound lurks in the background and builds a strong contrast to the warm opening surroundings, and the tension builds as the father is suspected and they begin to lose hope. When it begins to look like things are darkest, they become light, and just when you think it's going one way the rug gets pulled out from you quite abruptly and it goes somewhere else... It's a dark and bleak story, but very suspenseful and captivating. Good stuff for a dark and stormy evening.
August 18, 2020
Guarda la VIDEORECENSIONE
Dietro di noi, Emmy rise, e il tono freddo e privo di divertimento sembrò alieno e terrificante quanto la cosa-tentacolo
Credo che il vecchio Howard avrebbe apprezzato questo racconto di Mary SanGiovanni. "Per Emmy" parla di una bimba scomparsa nel nulla, di dimensioni parallele e di creature innominabili dal sapore lovecraftiano. La trama funziona e la narrazione scorre fluida.
60 pagine di genuino horror.
Dietro di noi, Emmy rise, e il tono freddo e privo di divertimento sembrò alieno e terrificante quanto la cosa-tentacolo
Credo che il vecchio Howard avrebbe apprezzato questo racconto di Mary SanGiovanni. "Per Emmy" parla di una bimba scomparsa nel nulla, di dimensioni parallele e di creature innominabili dal sapore lovecraftiano. La trama funziona e la narrazione scorre fluida.
60 pagine di genuino horror.
January 7, 2019
I enjoyed this novella up until the end.
Without giving anything away, I will just say that I could not envision the main character taking the action that was taken. It just didn’t seem justified.
Read it and see if you see what I mean, and if you agree.
The writing and characterization are spot on as is usual with this writer. The end just bothered me.
Without giving anything away, I will just say that I could not envision the main character taking the action that was taken. It just didn’t seem justified.
Read it and see if you see what I mean, and if you agree.
The writing and characterization are spot on as is usual with this writer. The end just bothered me.
August 18, 2013
People disappearances, Lovecraft type monsters, supernatural dimensions and deep psychological fear is what Mary Sangiovanni explores in this very real, emotional and supernatural work - For Emmy. The setting is at your local bookshop. Our cast, a single parent man raising his 16 year old daughter, Dana and his 4 year old daughter, Emmy. The story is told through the eyes of Dana already a grownup and reliving the memories of her younger self and her days at the bookshop with his father and sister. The book begins with Dana telling us about the horrible statistics of disappearances in the US. She tells us about some unbelievable cases and mysterious cases of unexplained disappearances. But more important, her feelings permeate throughout the narrative because this is all due to the terrible things that happened to Emmy. Sangiovanni's writing brings out that fear of losing someone close, someone you love. I couldn't but think of my own children while I was reading the story and how terrifying it is to think of the dangers that lurk out there. Halfway through the story you get the feeling that something terrible must have happened to Emmy for Dana to be writing this down for others to read. This is where the story takes a turn from the all too real day to day fears of caring for a young child to a dark, grim supernatural ending. Emmy is only 4 years old which makes the subject even more intimate, more real - at least for me it was.
The second half of the story brings the supernatural element into the story. The question that Sangiovanni presents through the eyes of Dana, is one that many of us may have asked before. Are there other dimensions? Are there doors between our reality and these dimensions? Is Evil lurking in the dark recesses of these extra dimensional places? Did Emmy leave through one of these portals? Or was she taken through it? What happens to the lives of those left behind? These and other questions are presented with the fear and horror the you can imagine will terrify the lives of those who miss someone without explanation.
The story is a delightful example of psychological fear with a supernatural spin off, but what makes it exceptional is that this story is not about the disappearance of Emmy, it is about what happen to Emmy after that and how Dana and her father deal with the consequences of the events transpired at the bookshop. The ending was both shocking and unexpected. This is horror at its best. I hope you enjoyed this short review of For Emmy. It is indeed a terrifying story with deep psychological fears and a twist of good Lovecraft horror in the mix. A must read!
The second half of the story brings the supernatural element into the story. The question that Sangiovanni presents through the eyes of Dana, is one that many of us may have asked before. Are there other dimensions? Are there doors between our reality and these dimensions? Is Evil lurking in the dark recesses of these extra dimensional places? Did Emmy leave through one of these portals? Or was she taken through it? What happens to the lives of those left behind? These and other questions are presented with the fear and horror the you can imagine will terrify the lives of those who miss someone without explanation.
The story is a delightful example of psychological fear with a supernatural spin off, but what makes it exceptional is that this story is not about the disappearance of Emmy, it is about what happen to Emmy after that and how Dana and her father deal with the consequences of the events transpired at the bookshop. The ending was both shocking and unexpected. This is horror at its best. I hope you enjoyed this short review of For Emmy. It is indeed a terrifying story with deep psychological fears and a twist of good Lovecraft horror in the mix. A must read!
January 22, 2021
Siete pronti a terrorizzarvi?
Molte volte accadono cose a cui non sai dare una spiegazione, sfuggono alla logica e sono completamente fuori dalla tua conoscenza. Ma sai per certo che sono reali perché le hai vissute. Da quel momento niente sarà più come prima.
Dana, la protagonista, ricorda un evento particolare avvenuto quando aveva 16 anni e che l'ha completamente sconvolta: la scomparsa della sorellina Emmy.
Mesi di ricerche estenuanti e senza risultati. Di Emmy non c'è alcuna traccia. Ormai lentamente si affievolisce la speranza di rivedere la piccola di casa quando improvvisamente, dopo quattro mesi, Dana e il padre, la troveranno nello stesso punto in cui hanno cercato per tutto questo tempo.
Tutto fa pensare che il peggio è passato...
Purtroppo non sarà così.
Emmy sembra diversa. Non è piu la bambina solare e spensierata di prima, anzi è aggressiva, urla... È irriconoscibile.
Troppe cose non tornano. Dana inizia a fare delle ricerche e scopre che altre persone sono vittime della stessa sorte della sorella e ,molti di loro, non fanno più ritorno.
Un continuo olezzo di ozono accompagnerà l'arrivo di qualcosa di orrendo e indicibile.
Dov'è stata Emy per tutto questo tempo?
Cosa è successo?
Un crescendo di tensione fino alle ultime pagine. L' unica cosa che vorrai fare sarà scoprire la verità.
Molte volte accadono cose a cui non sai dare una spiegazione, sfuggono alla logica e sono completamente fuori dalla tua conoscenza. Ma sai per certo che sono reali perché le hai vissute. Da quel momento niente sarà più come prima.
Dana, la protagonista, ricorda un evento particolare avvenuto quando aveva 16 anni e che l'ha completamente sconvolta: la scomparsa della sorellina Emmy.
Mesi di ricerche estenuanti e senza risultati. Di Emmy non c'è alcuna traccia. Ormai lentamente si affievolisce la speranza di rivedere la piccola di casa quando improvvisamente, dopo quattro mesi, Dana e il padre, la troveranno nello stesso punto in cui hanno cercato per tutto questo tempo.
Tutto fa pensare che il peggio è passato...
Purtroppo non sarà così.
Emmy sembra diversa. Non è piu la bambina solare e spensierata di prima, anzi è aggressiva, urla... È irriconoscibile.
Troppe cose non tornano. Dana inizia a fare delle ricerche e scopre che altre persone sono vittime della stessa sorte della sorella e ,molti di loro, non fanno più ritorno.
Un continuo olezzo di ozono accompagnerà l'arrivo di qualcosa di orrendo e indicibile.
Dov'è stata Emy per tutto questo tempo?
Cosa è successo?
Un crescendo di tensione fino alle ultime pagine. L' unica cosa che vorrai fare sarà scoprire la verità.
March 9, 2022
Anything set in a bookstore is going to be right up my alley. Then you add in a cosmic horror bent and I'm sold! Mary SanGiovanni packs so much story in this little book that you don't even realize you are transported to this world until it's done and your only wish is that you could be there longer.
For Emmy is all about loss, dealing with missing children, and a menace hiding just out of our sight. The way Mary ties these things together is nothing short than brilliant. It's already scary when a child goes missing right out from under your nose, but then when you realize it might be tied to some horrible being hunting for a snack, your terror level just elevates. And you add to it Mary's wonderful descriptions and heart to the characters it just makes you feel it all the more.
I particularly enjoyed how we get two sections describing missing people. They are little vignettes being told to us through the main character. The reason they've stuck with me is the purpose they serve and how it builds the world. The first time we get it, it's there to show us that a lot of people go missing and it can be quite mysterious. Then, the second time it's letting us know that maybe this isn't just a kidnapping or someone running, maybe this is something sinister. It's so good!
This won't take you very long to read so just go in and do it. You won't be disappointed.
For Emmy is all about loss, dealing with missing children, and a menace hiding just out of our sight. The way Mary ties these things together is nothing short than brilliant. It's already scary when a child goes missing right out from under your nose, but then when you realize it might be tied to some horrible being hunting for a snack, your terror level just elevates. And you add to it Mary's wonderful descriptions and heart to the characters it just makes you feel it all the more.
I particularly enjoyed how we get two sections describing missing people. They are little vignettes being told to us through the main character. The reason they've stuck with me is the purpose they serve and how it builds the world. The first time we get it, it's there to show us that a lot of people go missing and it can be quite mysterious. Then, the second time it's letting us know that maybe this isn't just a kidnapping or someone running, maybe this is something sinister. It's so good!
This won't take you very long to read so just go in and do it. You won't be disappointed.
February 8, 2021
è stato qualcosa di ASSURDAMENTE assurdo.
seriamente, una piccola novella di appena 50 pagine mi ha inquietata TANTISSIMO. e voi dovreste veramente leggerla perché ne vale la pena. poche pagine di un caos estremo, qualcosa di paranormale che si aggira sempre intorno a noi e alle nostre vite, sparizioni che, ancora oggi, avvengono in ogni parte del mondo.. vorrei veramente saperne di più.
sayonara (vado a leggere altre novelle dunwich)
seriamente, una piccola novella di appena 50 pagine mi ha inquietata TANTISSIMO. e voi dovreste veramente leggerla perché ne vale la pena. poche pagine di un caos estremo, qualcosa di paranormale che si aggira sempre intorno a noi e alle nostre vite, sparizioni che, ancora oggi, avvengono in ogni parte del mondo.. vorrei veramente saperne di più.
sayonara (vado a leggere altre novelle dunwich)
December 6, 2018
In 60 or so pages Mary SanGiovanni grabbed my heart and my mind and gave me one of my best reads in recent memory. Wow. This is a fantastic novella that I can’t stop thinking about. Usually I prefer novels and shorter works leave me wanting more. But this was the type if story I hope and wish for. You just need to read it to be reminded how talented the author is. I recommend this highly.
March 30, 2020
SanGiovanni takes the story of a missing child to a new level of creepy.
August 14, 2011
"…..I want a reason for babies born with cancer, for the endless supply of thoughtless cruelties both little and large we inflict on one another on an everyday basis, for old folks who are abandoned to die alone and unwanted and unloved.
I want an explanation, please, for all of the soul-sick, broken-hearted people who become so hollowed by their aloneness that they turn on the gas, eat the business end of shotgun, or find a ceiling beam that can take their weight. I want sense made of this. I want to know the reason why...and since none is forthcoming, either from above or those around me, I've decided to try and find an answer on my own. So far, the best - the only - way for me to work toward this is through writing horror stories."
Gary Braunbeck, To Each Their Darkness (Apex Publications)
Apologies for the long quote, but it's the first thing that comes to mind after reading Mary Sangiovanni's latest offering, a novella from Thunderstorm Books. Not only is For Emmy chilling, heartbreaking, and quietly terrifying, it works at something behind the scenes, reaching for explanations for the thousands of little tragedies that occur around us every single day, explanations that all too often can never be reached . It's this – and Sangiovanni's flawless prose – that makes her genre fiction more; insightful and chilling commentaries into the human experience, a musing about our possible experiences with something Other than human.
When Dana's McClusky's four year old sister Emmy disappears from her father's bookstore, she does so without a trace. With no evidence of foul play. No ransom note, no clues. For months, Dana and her widower father grapple with their shattered lives, wondering what happened to Emmy, where she's gone, how she got there, and if they'll ever see her again.
Wondering if, perhaps, it would be better not to know.
And then one day Emmy returns. To the same exact spot she disappeared from in her father's bookstore. Disheveled, muddied, slightly wounded and malnourished...and different, somehow. See, not all of Emmy came back. Wherever she went, something happened to her, draining her youth and vitality and spark, leaving behind a traumatized, emotionally-stunted, empty husk. A “not quite Emmy.” And even worse?
The thing that took Emmy away wants more.
As usual, Sangiovanni's handle of her prose and story is flawless. And, like precious few other horror writers – Ramsey Campbell comes to mind - she's able to harness the essence of Lovecraftian horror: fear of the unknown, the alien, the unsolvable, and harness it for her own uses, rather than creating homages or pastiches. And this isn't just a spooky, ghostly tale for fun and frights: there's a serious wondering here, about all the unexplained, tragic phenomena that occurs every day, a wondering if perhaps it would be better for us never to know the answers.
I want an explanation, please, for all of the soul-sick, broken-hearted people who become so hollowed by their aloneness that they turn on the gas, eat the business end of shotgun, or find a ceiling beam that can take their weight. I want sense made of this. I want to know the reason why...and since none is forthcoming, either from above or those around me, I've decided to try and find an answer on my own. So far, the best - the only - way for me to work toward this is through writing horror stories."
Gary Braunbeck, To Each Their Darkness (Apex Publications)
Apologies for the long quote, but it's the first thing that comes to mind after reading Mary Sangiovanni's latest offering, a novella from Thunderstorm Books. Not only is For Emmy chilling, heartbreaking, and quietly terrifying, it works at something behind the scenes, reaching for explanations for the thousands of little tragedies that occur around us every single day, explanations that all too often can never be reached . It's this – and Sangiovanni's flawless prose – that makes her genre fiction more; insightful and chilling commentaries into the human experience, a musing about our possible experiences with something Other than human.
When Dana's McClusky's four year old sister Emmy disappears from her father's bookstore, she does so without a trace. With no evidence of foul play. No ransom note, no clues. For months, Dana and her widower father grapple with their shattered lives, wondering what happened to Emmy, where she's gone, how she got there, and if they'll ever see her again.
Wondering if, perhaps, it would be better not to know.
And then one day Emmy returns. To the same exact spot she disappeared from in her father's bookstore. Disheveled, muddied, slightly wounded and malnourished...and different, somehow. See, not all of Emmy came back. Wherever she went, something happened to her, draining her youth and vitality and spark, leaving behind a traumatized, emotionally-stunted, empty husk. A “not quite Emmy.” And even worse?
The thing that took Emmy away wants more.
As usual, Sangiovanni's handle of her prose and story is flawless. And, like precious few other horror writers – Ramsey Campbell comes to mind - she's able to harness the essence of Lovecraftian horror: fear of the unknown, the alien, the unsolvable, and harness it for her own uses, rather than creating homages or pastiches. And this isn't just a spooky, ghostly tale for fun and frights: there's a serious wondering here, about all the unexplained, tragic phenomena that occurs every day, a wondering if perhaps it would be better for us never to know the answers.
October 11, 2014
FOR EMMY tells the story of a little girl who disappears, only to return mysteriously four months later. Little Emmy isn't the same, though. She has seen - lived - experiences beyond what the human mind can endure. Her sister narrates the frightening and heartbreaking trajectory of her journey from the pain of loss to the chilling terror of knowledge.
In FOR EMMY, SanGiovanni offers an ingenious solution to the question of where missing persons go. Not those who are kidnapped or abducted, but the truly baffling and absolute disappearance of people who moments before were as here as you or me. These lost ones leave behind shoes, shopping bags, halves of improbably bisected cars. They rarely return, and if they do, they are damaged wraiths of their former selves. SanGiovanni posits an intriguing theory that the places where we "zone out" represent thinning areas of what we call reality. What is beyond our reality, what can come through in those thin places? SanGiovanni gives a terrifying answer in FOR EMMY.
FOR EMMY is a thematic cousin to CHAOS, and indeed mentions the asylum referenced in CHAOS. FOR EMMY is satisfying as a standalone short, but I recommend buying both works. SanGiovanni dark universe communicates to itself between texts, and the combination is pure, immersive horror - and excellent reads for horror fiends!
In FOR EMMY, SanGiovanni offers an ingenious solution to the question of where missing persons go. Not those who are kidnapped or abducted, but the truly baffling and absolute disappearance of people who moments before were as here as you or me. These lost ones leave behind shoes, shopping bags, halves of improbably bisected cars. They rarely return, and if they do, they are damaged wraiths of their former selves. SanGiovanni posits an intriguing theory that the places where we "zone out" represent thinning areas of what we call reality. What is beyond our reality, what can come through in those thin places? SanGiovanni gives a terrifying answer in FOR EMMY.
FOR EMMY is a thematic cousin to CHAOS, and indeed mentions the asylum referenced in CHAOS. FOR EMMY is satisfying as a standalone short, but I recommend buying both works. SanGiovanni dark universe communicates to itself between texts, and the combination is pure, immersive horror - and excellent reads for horror fiends!
July 8, 2014
For Emmy is a beautifully written, haunting tale of loss. SanGiovanni's descriptive prose takes us into the mind of the narrator, Dana, and it is through her eyes that we experience the disappearance of her little sister, Emmy. It is also through her eyes that we experience the events that follow, which prove to be a kind of dark and unwelcome catharsis. The horror elements are expertly woven into this tale, presented with a subtlety that is so often absent from horror fiction these days but is nonetheless extremely effective. If you are up for a sweet, sad tale with some Lovecraftian overtones, you couldn't do much better than this novella from Mary SanGiovanni. In fact, I doubt you would find anything matching that description that is on par with this excellent book.
May 10, 2012
For Emmy is a poison pen letter to all those artificial fairy tale endings that never quite ring true.
For Emmy is a treat for travelers in dark places, a glimpse and a taste of a true talent swimming in dark waters.
This is not for the faint of heart. Mary SanGiovanni does not wear rose tinted glasses, but peers unflinchingly at the things that slither in the night behind black velvet curtains.
She’ll take you with her if you let her and show you what she sees. If you go with her you’ll be glad you did and rejoice in the shadowy corners of your soul that there is plenty more where this came from.
For Emmy is a treat for travelers in dark places, a glimpse and a taste of a true talent swimming in dark waters.
This is not for the faint of heart. Mary SanGiovanni does not wear rose tinted glasses, but peers unflinchingly at the things that slither in the night behind black velvet curtains.
She’ll take you with her if you let her and show you what she sees. If you go with her you’ll be glad you did and rejoice in the shadowy corners of your soul that there is plenty more where this came from.
December 25, 2012
On the fence. Yes, this is a sad tell of the missing, how many people go missing, how many return, and how they are changed if they ever return. It seems as if this is an important topic for the author as statistics were actually listed. Whether they are accurate or not is another story.
This is a simple tale of a missing little girl named Emmy and how the family that was left behind, lived and coped afterwards. The writing was solid with a paranormal twist. Just a tad bit better than alright.
This is a simple tale of a missing little girl named Emmy and how the family that was left behind, lived and coped afterwards. The writing was solid with a paranormal twist. Just a tad bit better than alright.
September 6, 2011
What I thought was going to be a simple tale about loss and family turned into a semi-supernatural thriller about those who come back. A fantastically written story that took me by complete surprise in the direction I thought it was going to take.
Mary really captures your emotions in this short tale, and completely messes with them. Great little book!
Mary really captures your emotions in this short tale, and completely messes with them. Great little book!
February 22, 2012
For Emmy is a short novella that tells the story of a young girl’s disappearance and, more importantly, what happens when she comes back. This story smacks ever so slightly of Stephen King’s From a Buick Eight, and I mean that in a good way. SanGiovanni once again puts her flair for the otherworldly on display and even throws a tiny tidbit out there for fans of her Hollower novels.
October 22, 2011
Nice story. Mary is a gifted story teller to be sure.
Want to read
November 24, 2012This looks very intriguing but is not available on Amazon. Does anyone know where it can be found?
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews