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American Darkness
Violence, conformity, bigotry, zeal, and shallowness. These are all things that plague our world despite all of this progress we’ve made as human beings. These are the same themes that can be found in the disturbing and oftentimes disgusting modern day tales found in this short story collection, American Darkness.
How do you talk down a bullied student who wants to burn his school to ashes? What are the right words to say when composing a letter to an abusive best friend? Is a stiff alimony payment really worth going off the grid for? At what point does vigilante justice trump the justice served by a corrupt police department? The dark side of humanity can be found in many places. Where will you find yours?
How do you talk down a bullied student who wants to burn his school to ashes? What are the right words to say when composing a letter to an abusive best friend? Is a stiff alimony payment really worth going off the grid for? At what point does vigilante justice trump the justice served by a corrupt police department? The dark side of humanity can be found in many places. Where will you find yours?
ebook
First published April 25, 2014
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About the author
Garrison Kelly
11 books37 followersGarrison Kelly has been writing creatively since January 2002 and made it official with an English degree in 2009 from Western Washington University. He is mentally disabled with schizophrenia and autism. Mental illnesses are a favorite topic of his to discuss when writing, as are leftist politics, violent situations, anti-bullying politics, heavy metal music, and the occasional shy guy love story. Garrison’s favorite writers include, but are not limited to Carl Hiaasen, Lilian Jackson Braun, Brett Battles, and Susan Cain.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2016
I'm not one for short stories, but I found myself unable to stop reading as I went from one horrifying tale to another. This is NOT horror--instead, it's a look at the terrible things people can do to each other. It's morbid and dark and heck, but the stories will have you riveted. Just make sure to watch Princess Bride or Much Ado About Nothing to wash away the grim, gloomy outlook on life you'll have after reading this. NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!
May 24, 2018
If you're looking for a collection of short stories where everyone is pissed off all the time, look no further. Each story certainly delves into the darkness of humankind, showing how unreasonable and crazy some people can be. Though most of the characters are over-the-top and violence is the word of the day, there is usually a happy-ish ending in store. Be sure to listen to some angry screamo while reading this one!
September 26, 2014
Review Summary: This is quite a graphic collection of very short stories. At times explicit imagery and descriptions that deliberately set out to shock. But at the same time Garrison’s short stories make you think.
Some confronting diary-like essays written to highlight psychiatric anomalies that cause suffering or an impaired ability to function in ordinary life, often far outside what is ‘normal’ society.
The author advises that he himself has been diagnosed with multiple psychiatric disorders and that alone makes these stories an interesting read.
Rating: 50%
Review in a bit more detail:
I received this novella for free in exchange for an honest review.
I’m at a bit of a loss to write a review about these stories, as generally they are all quite short (most only a few pages) and often the subject matter (many consistently dark and humourless) is, like the telling, poles apart.
Reading these stories was difficult, as often I felt a dream-like state was being described. Hugely-improbable circumstances chopped and changed on the page; again it’s why I felt I was reading about someone’s dreams that invariably jump from one unusual circumstance to another. One example was where a crime was committed; and later that same day the criminal had been sentenced and sent to jail.
I have to congratulate Garrison, firstly for having the courage to write and put his work in the public domain, and secondly to write about often taboo subjects as he does.
Having said that, the chaotic nature and essay-like quality of the stories themselves had me in mind of a high schooler who was trying to shock their teacher into taking notice, or seeking a confrontation perhaps? American Darkness is genuinely difficult to read. But I think that is because as readers, we tend to try to visualise and understand the world we enter when we turn the pages of a book; we try to enter the psyche of the characters and relate to them. I could not understand Garrison’s world, nor relate to any of the characters and that made it hard to follow his writing.
Garrison, like the rest of us, needs to keep writing and to continue to dedicate time and effort to improving.
Pete Diggins
26 September 2014
Some confronting diary-like essays written to highlight psychiatric anomalies that cause suffering or an impaired ability to function in ordinary life, often far outside what is ‘normal’ society.
The author advises that he himself has been diagnosed with multiple psychiatric disorders and that alone makes these stories an interesting read.
Rating: 50%
Review in a bit more detail:
I received this novella for free in exchange for an honest review.
I’m at a bit of a loss to write a review about these stories, as generally they are all quite short (most only a few pages) and often the subject matter (many consistently dark and humourless) is, like the telling, poles apart.
Reading these stories was difficult, as often I felt a dream-like state was being described. Hugely-improbable circumstances chopped and changed on the page; again it’s why I felt I was reading about someone’s dreams that invariably jump from one unusual circumstance to another. One example was where a crime was committed; and later that same day the criminal had been sentenced and sent to jail.
I have to congratulate Garrison, firstly for having the courage to write and put his work in the public domain, and secondly to write about often taboo subjects as he does.
Having said that, the chaotic nature and essay-like quality of the stories themselves had me in mind of a high schooler who was trying to shock their teacher into taking notice, or seeking a confrontation perhaps? American Darkness is genuinely difficult to read. But I think that is because as readers, we tend to try to visualise and understand the world we enter when we turn the pages of a book; we try to enter the psyche of the characters and relate to them. I could not understand Garrison’s world, nor relate to any of the characters and that made it hard to follow his writing.
Garrison, like the rest of us, needs to keep writing and to continue to dedicate time and effort to improving.
Pete Diggins
26 September 2014
May 3, 2016
Garrison Kelly is well known amongst members of the WSS group on Goodreads, and as such the level of violence and mindless silliness that run through many of these stories wasn’t unfamiliar to me (some of the stories I had actually read before). He has an uncanny knack of taking elements of society and showing the worst parts of them, though in some instances he also takes the worst parts of society and gives us a warm fuzzy ending in his tales. There aren’t as many funny stories as I hoped for, what with the focus here being on, of course darkness, but there are light moments, including unexpected romances and some kitten cuteness. And the stories are dark, though largely grounded in reality, with some of my favourites including ‘Horse Code’, ‘Boyfriend Stealer’ (man that guy’s wife over-reacts!), and ‘Sixty Is The new Ninety’.
The only bad thing I’d have to say about these stories is that some of them end a little too abruptly. I know they’re short stories, but these still need an ending, even if it’s a clearly stated cliff-hanger. A prime example would be ‘Twice The Cuteness’, a tale about a two-faced (literally) kitten that is mistakenly given to an animal abuser. The story ends with the woman who gave away the kitten telling her colleagues she is retiring, where this could have been an inspiring tale with her co-workers talking her out of it, which I believe they did outside of the story. One story had a huge mistake, ‘Blunt Force Trauma’, where the mugger is said to have died, then on the next page there’s a report saying he was arrested. And other stories such as ‘Ambush Alert’ had a highly unfair ending, which annoyed the hell out of me, but I guess that’s what Mr Kelly is trying to point out – life in America is just not fair.
The only bad thing I’d have to say about these stories is that some of them end a little too abruptly. I know they’re short stories, but these still need an ending, even if it’s a clearly stated cliff-hanger. A prime example would be ‘Twice The Cuteness’, a tale about a two-faced (literally) kitten that is mistakenly given to an animal abuser. The story ends with the woman who gave away the kitten telling her colleagues she is retiring, where this could have been an inspiring tale with her co-workers talking her out of it, which I believe they did outside of the story. One story had a huge mistake, ‘Blunt Force Trauma’, where the mugger is said to have died, then on the next page there’s a report saying he was arrested. And other stories such as ‘Ambush Alert’ had a highly unfair ending, which annoyed the hell out of me, but I guess that’s what Mr Kelly is trying to point out – life in America is just not fair.
July 23, 2014
I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Readers who enjoy edgy, dismal and angry writing will like this collection of stories. The author writes with raw emotion and what he deems as harsh truth. There is no hope or redemption. I found the stories depressing and could not finish some, as the subject matter was too violent and disturbing.
I recommend the author include an 18+ rating since violence, profanity, crude behavior and disturbing content abound in each story.
With regret I give this short story collection 2 stars.
I recommend the author include an 18+ rating since violence, profanity, crude behavior and disturbing content abound in each story.
With regret I give this short story collection 2 stars.
November 23, 2025
Once again, I'm fresh out of fucks to give, so I'll give my own book five stars. Maybe I'll stop doing this when my fucks come back, but that's a long way down the road.
July 28, 2014
American Darkness is a challenging read in that it is filled with many of the horrible truths that plague humanity. While the writing style is sound, the subject matter is at times so relentless in its darkness that I have to say that this work is not for the faint of heart. While some of the tales offer hope for the future, or a chance at redemption, overall the work is bleak and moody. In short, if you are looking for a book to lift your spirits, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place.
And yet, this is the author's intention - to highlight our faults as a society, to explore these dark and unsettling themes that many will choose to avoid. No doubt this work, and this voice, has a listener out there, but for this reader, it became something I was unable to enjoy. Perhaps that speaks more about me, the reader.
I think the author paints some great imagery, but I found it too difficult to become invested in this.
And yet, this is the author's intention - to highlight our faults as a society, to explore these dark and unsettling themes that many will choose to avoid. No doubt this work, and this voice, has a listener out there, but for this reader, it became something I was unable to enjoy. Perhaps that speaks more about me, the reader.
I think the author paints some great imagery, but I found it too difficult to become invested in this.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews