What do you think?
Rate this book
Tumble
When Miranda starts finding several of her son's objects in the dryer, she is desperate for a rational explanation. After all, he died nearly a year ago. These things shouldn't be here. But when all reason fails and her obsession over these artifacts begins to grow, she's forced to consider more unthinkable alternatives. Either some unseen force is trying to communicate with her, or she's flirting with madness.
27 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2014
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Allison M. Dickson
54 books302 followersAllison M. Dickson is the author of several well-reviewed independently published novels and short stories covering everything from horror and sci-fi to suspense.
Her major debut thriller, THE OTHER MRS MILLER, is due out from Putnam on 7/16/19! Learn more at her work at allisonmdickson.com.
Her major debut thriller, THE OTHER MRS MILLER, is due out from Putnam on 7/16/19! Learn more at her work at allisonmdickson.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 8, 2014
I am hooked.
I am a brand new Kindle owner. Having read the hardcover of Strings, I knew I wanted more AMD material first thing...and it didn't disappoint! This girl's stories take you for a seat-gripping ride. I see big things coming for her. I am a FAN!
I am a brand new Kindle owner. Having read the hardcover of Strings, I knew I wanted more AMD material first thing...and it didn't disappoint! This girl's stories take you for a seat-gripping ride. I see big things coming for her. I am a FAN!
October 31, 2014
Short Take: I’ll be sending the author my therapist’s bill.
**Note: I was given an advance copy of this story for review purposes.
Allison M. Dickson must be stopped. I’ve followed her works for nearly two years now, and her powers are only growing. Sooner or later, world domination is inevitable, and I shudder to think of what she will do then.
Tumble is the perfect example. It’s a short story. Oh, you may ask, how much damage can an author do in 8500 words? The answer, my friends, is PLENTY. Bah, you scoff (that is how you scoff, right?), it’s only a story, and not a very big one at that, surely it can’t inflict much damage to your psyche or emotions. And you would be so very, very wrong.
Miranda is a housewife who is going through a quiet kind of hell. It’s coming up on the 1-year anniversary of the death of her son, Aaron, who died of a hideous, prolonged illness when he was thirteen. Her husband, Tru, has dealt with the loss mainly by avoidance. He’s always at work or some community activity, leaving her alone with their two-year-old son, Sam much of the time.
It’s bad enough, trying to be a mother to a child who’s still mostly a baby, while dealing with crushing grief. But then something very strange begins to happen when Miranda is doing laundry. Some of Aaron’s things start coming out of the dryer with the rest of the clean clothes, despite the fact that she had long since packed away, donated, or thrown out everything of Aaron’s.
Knowing that Tru will never believe her, Miranda begins obsessively watching the washer and dryer, documenting every item that goes in and comes out, even buying a Nanny Cam to make sure that every bit of evidence is saved.
And it is.
Tumble is a genre-buster. It’s a horror story, no question, and the ending is as terrifying, sick, and shocking as anything I’ve read before. But it’s also a story of a family collapsing in on its grief, of the black hole of loss that sucks in everything that matters. When I read the part about the comic book artist, I actually teared up.
And that’s why Allison M. Dickson can not be allowed to continue writing. I’m sorry, I understand that she’s immensely talented, and that not having any new AMD stories would probably leave a hole in the world of literature. But my heart just can’t take the trauma she can inflict when she chooses.
Eventually, everyone will read her works, and we’ll all be crushed into emotionless shells of the people we were. There will be hushed conversations by people with pale faces and watery eyes.
“Hey, did you read the new - “
“Yeah, man. Yeah. It was intense.”
“And the part where she….”
“Dude, don’t talk about it, ok? It was rough.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I don’t know if I can sleep tonight.”
“Me either. Call me if it gets too bad. We can watch The Exorcist or something to calm down.”
I fear for the future if she continues. Horror is one thing, bring on the ghosts and gore, but when you take a scary story and use it to utterly break the reader’s heart, nothing good can come of it. That kind of power can’t go unchecked. Mark my words, this is the beginning of the end of life as we know it.
The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and a Valium)
**Note: I was given an advance copy of this story for review purposes.
Allison M. Dickson must be stopped. I’ve followed her works for nearly two years now, and her powers are only growing. Sooner or later, world domination is inevitable, and I shudder to think of what she will do then.
Tumble is the perfect example. It’s a short story. Oh, you may ask, how much damage can an author do in 8500 words? The answer, my friends, is PLENTY. Bah, you scoff (that is how you scoff, right?), it’s only a story, and not a very big one at that, surely it can’t inflict much damage to your psyche or emotions. And you would be so very, very wrong.
Miranda is a housewife who is going through a quiet kind of hell. It’s coming up on the 1-year anniversary of the death of her son, Aaron, who died of a hideous, prolonged illness when he was thirteen. Her husband, Tru, has dealt with the loss mainly by avoidance. He’s always at work or some community activity, leaving her alone with their two-year-old son, Sam much of the time.
It’s bad enough, trying to be a mother to a child who’s still mostly a baby, while dealing with crushing grief. But then something very strange begins to happen when Miranda is doing laundry. Some of Aaron’s things start coming out of the dryer with the rest of the clean clothes, despite the fact that she had long since packed away, donated, or thrown out everything of Aaron’s.
Knowing that Tru will never believe her, Miranda begins obsessively watching the washer and dryer, documenting every item that goes in and comes out, even buying a Nanny Cam to make sure that every bit of evidence is saved.
And it is.
Tumble is a genre-buster. It’s a horror story, no question, and the ending is as terrifying, sick, and shocking as anything I’ve read before. But it’s also a story of a family collapsing in on its grief, of the black hole of loss that sucks in everything that matters. When I read the part about the comic book artist, I actually teared up.
And that’s why Allison M. Dickson can not be allowed to continue writing. I’m sorry, I understand that she’s immensely talented, and that not having any new AMD stories would probably leave a hole in the world of literature. But my heart just can’t take the trauma she can inflict when she chooses.
Eventually, everyone will read her works, and we’ll all be crushed into emotionless shells of the people we were. There will be hushed conversations by people with pale faces and watery eyes.
“Hey, did you read the new - “
“Yeah, man. Yeah. It was intense.”
“And the part where she….”
“Dude, don’t talk about it, ok? It was rough.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I don’t know if I can sleep tonight.”
“Me either. Call me if it gets too bad. We can watch The Exorcist or something to calm down.”
I fear for the future if she continues. Horror is one thing, bring on the ghosts and gore, but when you take a scary story and use it to utterly break the reader’s heart, nothing good can come of it. That kind of power can’t go unchecked. Mark my words, this is the beginning of the end of life as we know it.
The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and a Valium)
November 10, 2014
Short Read
This is a sad and quick read. I felt it lacked the creepiness of the other writing I read from Allison M. Dickson. When I read the end notes I understood a bit more. Maybe this story wasn't timed right for me, as I sit here in the Midwest watching the 17 to 20 inches of predicted snow pile up, only adding to my own seasonal depression. Despite my rating, it is well written and takes the reader to a place they don't want to go.
This is a sad and quick read. I felt it lacked the creepiness of the other writing I read from Allison M. Dickson. When I read the end notes I understood a bit more. Maybe this story wasn't timed right for me, as I sit here in the Midwest watching the 17 to 20 inches of predicted snow pile up, only adding to my own seasonal depression. Despite my rating, it is well written and takes the reader to a place they don't want to go.
December 4, 2014
Wow. Loved this one. Dickson is one of my favorite authors and I truly get excited when she releases anything. This one was up there for me. Possibly one of my favorite of her short stories. It's her ability, once again, to capture human nature. And to touch on things that other authors avoid like the plague. And top it off with a twist I never saw coming. Very well written and heartbreaking.
November 29, 2014
What i love best about this story is, at the beginning Allison leads you down a path, then there is a divergence down another. All of it is riveting, enthralling, concerning, entertaining . . . the ending is, well, just read it, you won't be sorry.
December 14, 2014
"Tumble" is a disturbing and dark, amazing piece of short story fiction by Allison M. Dickson. Ms. Dickson does such a good job of writing her protagonist, a troubled mother grieving a child who died, that you will question along with her just what is real...
March 3, 2015
If anyone knows how to write a creepy short story, it is Allison M. Dickson. Tumble is the story of a woman who is mourning the loss of a son from cancer and who is trying to get her life together so she can properly take care of her toddler. Her husband is distant and now things that she has gotten rid of from her deceased son have begun appearing in the dryer. If you have liked any of her other stories, this one is a must.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews