Everything That's Underneath

by Kristi DeMeester

Everything That’s Underneath, Kristi DeMeester’s debut powerful horror collection, is full of weird, unsettling tales that recalls the styles of such accomplished storytellers as Laird Barron and Tom Piccirilli.


Crawl across the earth and dig in the dirt. Feel it. Tearing at your nails, gritty between your teeth, filling your nostrils. Consume it until it has consumed you. For there you will find the voices that have called from the shadows, the ones that promise to cherish you only to rip your body to shreds.


In Everything That’s Underneath, Kristi DeMeester explores the dark places most people avoid. A hole in an abandoned lot, an illness twisting your loved one into someone you don’t recognize, lust that pushes you farther and farther until no one can hear yours cry for help. In these 18 stories the characters cannot escape the evil that is haunting them. They must make a choice: accept it and become part of what terrifies them the most or allow it to consume them and live in fear forever.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Weird Fiction, Fantasy, Short Story Collection, Anthologies

ebook

First published August 29, 2017

About the author

Kristi DeMeester is the author of Beneath, published by Word Horde, and Everything That's Underneath by Apex Books. Her short fiction has been included in Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror Volumes 9 and 11, Year's Best Weird Fiction Volumes 1, 3, and 5, and Stephen Jone's Best New Horror. Her short fiction has also appeared in publications such as Black Static, The Dark, Pseudopod, as well as several others. In her spare time, she alternates between telling people how to pronounce her last name and how to spell her first.

Reviews

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Kristi DeMeester's book Beneath earlier this year and I was so impressed! I was eager to read something else so I jumped at the opportunity to read this collection of short stories.
I kept a journal by my bed and recorded some reoccurring themes, words and moods that are threaded throughout this collection as a whole entity and then I will highlight some of my favorite stories.
Here are some words that describe the kind of terror Kristi builds:
Organic, raw, visceral, earthen, tangible, threatening.
Elemental, biological, familial.
Something about these stories reminds me of hidden, organic terrors growing right under our beds or the floorboards of our houses--like evil mushrooms or spores. I can't really explain it and I wish I was a wordsmith like the author so I could really dig in and push the images in your face so that you'd understand what I experienced with this book.
Each story brings diversity to the author's book of skills. I believe she could literally explore *any* topic, no matter how mundane or simplistic and craft it into something that sinks into the marrow of your bones to unsettle you at a core level.
Some of the stand out horrors in this book were:
The title story, Everything That's Underneath
The Beautiful Nature of Venom (because I have a very real phobia)
Worship Only What She Bleeds
The Marking
Daughters of Hecate (scared me to DEATH last night!!!)
And the last four stories were all stand outs-all favorites.
There are themes of loss, themes of Mothers & Daughters, generational dysfunction or "curses", themes of love, even toxic love, femininity, sexuality, blood...I could go on and on, the words on the pages have been literally sewn into my mind's reserve. The things that scare Kristi DeMeester, the things she thinks about, are now the same things that effect me. This book opens new doors of fear.
You need it.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been hearing a lot of positive chatter about Kristi DeMeester's work lately, so I was eager to give her a try for myself, and I definitely wasn't disappointed! I'd say Everything That's Underneath is a healthy mixture of horror and speculative fiction: while some pieces were perfectly creepy, others were confusing and immersive—the kind of stories that you finish and have to clear your head for a moment because you're not sure what you just read, you just know you really liked it.

That night, she locked their bedroom door. Outside, the creature moved up and down the hallway. She did not sleep.

I happily gave every single story in this collection at least 3 stars, but most of them were 4-5 star reads. While I'm tempted to give a rundown for each story, some of them would be too hard to describe without spoiling them, so I'll just list my favorites:

→ Everything That's Underneath:
The title story follows a couple reeling from the husband's recent MS diagnosis, which lends an eerie, sorrowful feel to the entire story as the wife and narrator is forced to find a balance between helping her spouse and not interfering with his autonomy. He decides to take on a new project of carving a door for their home, but the longer he works the wood, the more terrifying his behavior becomes.

→ All That is Refracted, Broken:
A girl's younger brother wasn't supposed to live, but he did, and she loved him very much, despite the fact that he refused to look at her unless he could look at her reflection in a mirror. The ending to this story actually stunned me, and I've got chills just remembering it right now.

→ December Skin:
A brother is forced to go to terrifying, dreadful lengths to save the world from the monster his sister has become. This, like so many other stories in the collection, is equal parts creepy and tragic—my very favorite combination.

Overall, Everything That's Underneath is a fantastic collection of stories and was a perfect introduction to DeMeester's work. It's piqued my interest enough that I can't wait to read more from her, and I highly recommend picking this one up!

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Sometimes, things are meant to be lost. There are things you aren’t supposed to go looking for.”

A collection of 18 weird and unsettling tales!

*sigh* This was disappointing for me. I had heard such great things about this collection but stories that are very ambiguous and unclear are just not to my personal taste... but if those kind of stories do appeal to you, then I would highly recommend this one!

I’m a sucker for beautifully quotable writing in books, and if it was a case of me physically highlighting the sentences or sections that took my breath away, about 85% of this book would be covered in bright pink highlighter (that’s my fave highlighter colour) DeMeester’s writing has to be some of the most atmospheric and stunningly haunting prose I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I was floored at times!

It just kills me that so many of the stories bored the life out of me. Beautiful writing can only take me so far, I do need some kind of plot that I can follow and not be left scratching my head over. That’s not to say there weren’t some stories that I did really enjoy. The final story in the collection, To Sleep in the Dust of the Earth, was actually my favourite and the only one that received 5 stars in my individual rankings. It was so raw and heart wrenching. I’d highly recommend that one!

The stories overall are hauntingly dream-like and the general themes seemed to be mother/daughter relationships, illnesses, loss... but it became repetitive for me. Worth checking out though if you enjoy weird, dream-like horror that is beautifully written!

The stories scored an average out of 3.33 for me, so 3 stars feels like a fair rating!

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I want to thank my generous friend Kimberly for sharing this book with me!

All of the stories in this collection are infected with a darkness that creeps under your skin. All of them. This review would become a book in itself if I were to break down every story as I usually do with collections so I’m not going to do it this time. The other reason is the fact that many of the stories contain very similar themes and I’m lazy. Some of the stories are only two pages long but they all pack a punch. I absolutely cannot wait to read more of this writers work. Every single story, yep, even the two-pagers, is darkly atmospheric and has a beautiful earthy grit that I just loved.

I took copious notes but I’m going to ignore them for the most part and just spotlight a few stories so you can get the gist of the content. You really should read this yourself and not have it all spoilered for you anyway.

Everything That’s Underneath starts things off with a man named Benjamin who is creating something for his wife. Something solid. Something good. Something that allows something to creep in. That something knows her name . . .

This is a hell of a creepy story. I was sitting in a mechanic’s shop waiting for the inevitable bad news but was able to tune out all my worries once I started this strange little tale. Reading these stories feels like you've stepping into another world.

This quote from one of my favorite childhood shows, Tales from the Darkside, sums it up perfectly:

“...there is, unseen by most, an underworld, a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit...a dark side.”

All of the stories reveal a dark side, an underbelly of fear, decay, dirt, blood. The writing is lush, morbid, darkly dreamy and haunting and the scenes are often raw and messy.

The Fleshtival

A flyer promises “Pussy for miles” and it is coming to a town near two perverts. For $1000 bucks these two fools head off into the woods to get what’s coming to them. I had an inkling what was coming to Paul and I couldn’t wait for it to happen!

From Like Feather, Like Bone

“I try to ignore her, but she is crunching its bones, and the sound is like the ground cracking open.”

Wow, so much creepy despair in only 3 pages!

Daughters of Hecate

This is a tale of abuse, terrible mothers and the damage they inflict all wrapped in a bleak horrific tale. Mother/daughter relationships are a huge theme in this collection.

Towards the end I will admit that I was starting to fatigue from this collection because many of themes are so similar and dealing with loss and desperation and messed up relationships. I would suggest doling these out one story at a time in between other reads as opposed to gobbling them all up at once as I tried to do.

Highly recommend for dark fiction fans!

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
DeMeester seriously knows how to get inside my head. Something about her descriptions and word choices always connect with some weird part of my brain.

As the title suggests, the stories played with ideas about those intangible things that live under the surface of reality. Walking the line between literary horror and weird fiction, there was quite a range within this collection. Some of the stories were more emotional, while others were more visceral or abstract. Admittedly, some of the stories right went over over my head, yet overall I still enjoyed this uniquely creepy collection.

While not particularly scary, the stories were still fairly dark and twisted, often containing difficult subject matter. One of my favorite stories was The Marking. Most likely, this was the inspiration behind DeMeester's debut novel, Beneath which is one of my all time favorite horror novels. Some of my other favorite stories in the collection include:

- The Beautiful Nature of Venom (this one made my skin crawl!)
- To Sleep Long, To Sleep Deep
- Worship Only What She Bleeds

I would recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys reading intelligently-written short fiction. Particularly, this is a must read for fans of DeMeester's other work who, like me, just cannot get enough of her deliciously dark writing.

I requested an e-copy of this book from Apex Book Company

[Leo Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and horrific collection from a stunningly original new voice.

This is a kind of surrealism that's very difficult to pull off. I loved how the stories took off into these vague worlds of lush language and self-contained logic. Weird kings referred to in passing, things lurking in the darkness only half-revealed, strange forms of (in)justice doled out upon the unsuspecting or those that invite it as they lead themselves into temptation.

I also enjoyed the realistic cruelness of some of the characters, and of life. Above likeability or "rooting for", I just want something meaningful and true. I want resonation. And I sure got it!

One way in which this is achieved is through phrases like (paraphrasing, sorry I'm tired and can't find them again) "he smelled of ice" or "she spoke words I thought I could break in my hand." Does ice smell of anything? Has anyone ever thought that about spoken words? Precisely the point of the poetry, it seems! I got into the flow of it—it's part of DeMeester's authentic style and how the reader is taken into the story's netherspaces, into worlds in which they've never been before.

I want to pass this one onto a friend but will probably just end up keeping it so I can reread it.

I also enjoyed her novel Beneath. Ms DeMeester's subject ain't "stuff that's above", that's for sure!

Highly recommended!

[exorcismemily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There's so much more. Underneath our skin. Living and breathing and drinking in what it can. Waiting to be born. Waiting for is to gobble it up. There's power in that blood."


I really loved Everything That's Underneath. Kristi DeMeester's writing is absolutely stunning, and these stories are creepy. These are definitely atmospheric horror, and a lot of them are very dream-like. Many of them appear to be linked with recurring themes.

Last year I read Michael Wehunt's Greener Pastures, and Everything That's Underneath gave me the same feelings - both authors are incredibly gifted at taking everyday occurrences and making them dark and disturbing.

I think Kristi's strongest mother/daughter writing is very strong, and so terrifying. I am genuinely afraid of her mom 😂.

I loved the stories so much, so I've decided to list my top 5 because otherwise I would just list all of them - Everything That's Underneath, Worship Only What She Bleeds, December Skin Split Tongues, and All That is Refracted, Broken.

I highly recommend picking up this collection! I'm so glad I was introduced to it by the Nocturnal Reader's Box.

[Merl Fluin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are two standout stories in this collection: "Worship Only What She Bleeds", which I had already read in Year's Best Weird Fiction 5, where it was the highlight of the anthology; and "Split Tongues", which seemed to me to be the most lucid and best realised of the stories here.

I suspect that I would also have considered many of the other stories in this collection to be standouts if I had come across them in the midst of anthologies or magazine issues full of other authors' writing. DeMeester certainly has a distinctive voice, a feverish world view, and a small but intense palette of obsessions to work with. But those are also the reasons why this doesn't really work as a collection.

Read each of these stories on their own, and they'll feel dark and powerful. Read them all together in quick succession, and the limitations are soon revealed. The same images, scenarios, stock characters, even specific phrasings all keep reappearing. What should have been underworld darkness starts to feel like sludgy mud.

So my advice is: read this book, but don't read it all at once. Dip in and out of it, and read other things in between. Altogether it's less than the sum of its parts, but take the parts individually and you'll probably get more out of it.

[Benjamin Uminsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection was just not my cup of tea. DeMeester is a competent writer, on a whole though... I found these stories to be largely monotonous and repetitive in imagery and thematic exploration... "dirt in the mouth", bad mommies, and hungry inner darkness.

I have posted more specific comments about my thoughts on this collection here...https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Mind you, this collection was well received by a few folks in our group read.

*shrugs*

Wasn't for me.

[Scott Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am immensely into the way that the author attacks her stories. Her choice of language is very stark and gross and physical in the best ways. I will be keeping an eye out for more from her in the future!

[Mike Thorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kristi DeMeester’s Everything That’s Underneath reads something like a creative thesis on horror fiction's inherently allegorical potential. The story’s title speaks to the collection's persisting concerns. Namely, the book faces the menace undergirding polite society, and the unseen specters clawing at the outskirts of consciousness, even of reality itself (consider, for example, the title story, “Birthright,” and “Split Tongues”).

The author navigates lived-in, conflicted protagonists through plots whose threats are often shapeshifting, amorphous, and inscrutable. DeMeester demonstrates a mastery of withholding detail while doling out just enough information to pry her way under the reader’s skin. This is one of the most difficult tasks the horror writer faces: if we show too much, we risk deflating the tension, but if we show too little, we might seem like we’re bluffing or shying away from the dark stuff. DeMeester never misses the mark in this regard, depicting horrific presences that push against the thin membrane separating reality and that which is underneath.

The book displays an extremely impressive knack for character psychology, using heightened sensory experiences and drives as catalysts to confront supernatural forces. Consider the characters’ sexual lust propelling the narratives in “The Fleshtival,” “Daughters of Hecate,” and “Split Tongues,” or the yearning to undo loss in the title story and “To Sleep in the Dust of the Earth.” DeMeester is unflinching in her exploration of her characters' desires, which lends itself to a convincing sense of realism in their motivations and actions.

Driven by challenging thematic interests and a stunning prose style, this book ranks among the best dark fiction collections of the past ten years. Think S. P. Miskowski, Gwendolyn Kiste, Kathe Koja … yes, DeMeester is that good. This is the work of a major talent, and an absolute must-read for anyone interested in contemporary weird fiction.

[Mindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection. I’ll write more after I gather my thoughts.

[Otchen Makai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the imagery the author had with her writing in this book.
The stories all different and interesting, some seemed similar to one another.
A lot of good ones, a few so so ones, but over all a great book.
Can't say any of it was particularly scary, but creepy for sure on a few of them.
Bizarre, strange, and interesting? Absolutely.
For that, 4 stars seems like a legitimate rating for this book.

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF after Worship What She Bleeds (about 1/3 of the way through, plus I skipped ahead and read Birthright). Read a total of 8 stories, out of 18.

This collection just isn't for me. The stories are too short, there's little development of the characters/plot (with the exception of a couple stories), and the endings left me cold and disappointed. There were some good ideas here, but I wish she'd fleshed them out into longer short stories. One of the stories was TWO PAGES. I need a lot more than that to be satisfied.

I skipped ahead to Birthright because it was called a novelette in the front matter of the book, so I thought it would be more developed in its length. It wasn't, unfortunately, it was just more of the same over a few more pages.

I can respect the ideas behind some of the stories (others just made no sense from start to finish) but ultimately, I was disappointed that EVERY SINGLE STORY I read had a vague, unsatisfying ending. That's the main reason I'm DNFing the book.

[Stephanie (Books in the Freezer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I received this book free for review from Apex*

4.5

I was very impressed by this short story collection. There's something about the way DeMeester writes that has a dream-like quality to it. I found myself falling into this stories. I've always thought that "weird horror" wasn't my thing, but there was something about this collection that was different. Perhaps it was the way the stories were focused on human relationships (mostly mother-daughter and some romantic) with the other-worldly elements as the background that made it more approachable and interesting to me. DeMeester writes with such poetic language that at times could be so visceral and raw. I don't think this is necessarily "for everyone", but fans of dark atmospheric writing and ambiguity in horror will love it. Excited to read more from this author!

[Waffles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Such a good collection. So much dread and atmosphere. Buy this book if you care about weird horror.

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several years ago, I read Kristi DeMeester's novel BENEATH, and was absolutely blown away by her sense of mystery, the strange and weird, her worldbuilding and sense of myth, and her ability to invoke a creeping Otherness in her prose which stays with you long after you've stopped reading. Her short fiction collection is no different. Through stories ranging from horror, spec fic, dark mythic tales, and weird tales, DeMeester invokes a creeping unease in her depiction of cosmic horrors which wait in the dark, ready to feast on our pain and misery. And that's what elevates her work above genre conventions. She writes tales not only brimming with strange cosmic Otherness, but also tales of regret, guilt, longing, secret pain, and loneliness. This is a must read for fans of weird fiction which is relevant and about the human condition.

[Nathanimal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish this, but I read enough of the stories to know I should go read something else. Some interesting imagery in here, though.

[Mike D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutly loved this book from Kristi DeMeester and Apex Book Company!

In terms of the genre, these shorts can best be described as The New Weird. One of my favorite types of horror this genre relies heavily on real life events or settings and turns them on their head with elements of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Kristi's DeMeester's mastery of the minutia is the true hero here. Despite the unsettling subject matter these stories all feel real and uncannily normal. As if they are ripped from our everyday lives and contorted until we can barely make out the original circumstance.

The prose of this book has a musical quality to it that you will hear as much as read. In Everything That's Underneath everyday relationships and events are put to this weird litmus test. There is nothing fantastical about the friendships, romance, adversarial associations or perverse partnerships however they ring true which makes them even more troubling as they reveal there horrific secrets. Taboos from incest, cannibalism as well as societal problems like mental illness, homophobia, rape and misogyny are all melded with the supernatural and the reader is left wondering just who the real monsters are. Multi-layered and at times allegorical this is a feast for the soul.

A master of the human condition and its relationships, this collection is darkly disturbing and surreal. Each story takes a societal concern, human condition or moral question and couches these mundane things in the terrifying and deeply strange. No story better exemplifies this than The Marking. This complex tale details the strange and sometimes parasitic nature of mother and daughter. No relationship is quite as intricate as that of mother and daughter. At times fraught with anger, misunderstanding and love it is difficult to dissect. This story does just that however, but in a decidedly Lovecraftian way. Co-dependence never looked so weird but felt so normal.

An absolute must read for any fan of short horror fiction, even more so if you like the Weird variety!

[Sarah Budd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything's That's Underneath is the debut short story collection from Kristi DeMeester, and about time too. For years she has been gracing the pages of all the top horror magazines such as Black Static, Apex, Shimmer, Jamais Vu, Nightscript, Lamplight, Shock Totem, Gamut Three Lobed Burning Eye and many, many more.

"There's so much more. Underneath our skin. Living and breathing and drinking what it can. Waiting to be born. Waiting for us to gobble it up."
From Daughters of Hecate.

I would describe this as quiet unsettling, sometimes beautiful horror that is very skillfully executed. These are stories about dark desires, of broken people and relationships. In this book you enter a dark world of seeing everything that is beneath the cheery constructed veneer of our society. In these tales you'll come across broken people with broken dreams trying to gravitate towards a brighter future.
Kristi DeMeester has a great style of writing, her stories are really intriguing and mysterious remaining so long after you have read them. She certainly keeps you in the dark with her tales, she'll show you what's going on, but you'll never really let in and given an explanation, you're merely an onlooker which heightens the unease and terror. She has a magical ability to make the unreal seem very real.

This is a really astonishing collection, I truly loved each tale in this collection but for me Daughters of Hecate was my personal favourite, it's the scariest thing I've read in a long time! I also really enjoyed the novelette Birthright too. This is an author I'm going to keep a close eye on for she is an author clearly on the rise!

Thanks so much for Apex for giving me a free copy in exchange for a honest unbiased review!

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There so much we can’t see. Everything that’s underneath. Hiding. But it wants us to see, to pull it out from where it’s sleeping and make it beautiful again.”

This is a collection of short stories by Kirsti DeMeester designed to make you anxious and think about what lies beyond the surface. In this collection the focus is on the emotional attachment mother’s have with their children. They tell visceral tales which show the bond that can’t be broken and sometimes one which destroys. Centred around everyday ordinary lives, DeMeester turns them into something dark with influences of magic and religion.

To say these stories weren’t strange in the disturbing and unsettling sense would be an understatement. There were many which left be thinking “what just happened?!” Some of these include the title story “Everyhing that’s Underneath”, “Like Feather, Like Bone”, “Split Tongues”, “Daughters of Hecate”, “Birthright”, “So Sleep In The Dust Of The Earth”, “December Skin” and “All That Is Refracted, Broken”

This is a strange and disturbing collection of stories which deal with raw matter like the earth and beyond as well as human beings. It makes the reader feel intense as the dreamlike nightmares are told. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking to not sleep at night 😈

[Britny Perilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Heads up, I received a free digital copy of this book from Apex Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. *

Darkness is a hard thing to capture. Beyond the basic descriptions of fear and the physicality of what has surrounded us, everything is a free-for-all. We all see our worst fears in the dark and it's going to be different for each person. With that said, I admit that this collection took me longer to read than I thought it would. This wasn't a binge read for me and I could only manage to go a few stories before I had to put the book down. That isn't a bad thing though, because while I struggle to call DeMeester's stories "scary," I can tell you that they are very unsettling and sometimes made me feel a little nauseous, which is kinda awesome if you think about it. When was the last time that you had a gut reaction to something you read?

Of course, I had favorites (I'll list a few later) and ones that were just okay, but all of the stories carried a sultry unsettling tone that made you feel a little bit dirty and naughty for reading. Somehow, DeMeester implicates the reader in the dark horror that takes place on the page by the very act of continuing to read. As if it could be our fault for letting these things happen, and for enjoying watching it unfold when we could just stop reading and everyone in the collection would be safe for a little while longer. I did think/hope after a while that there were some stories that were interlaced with one another because there were images and symbols that thread their way through the whole collection. However, even though there were some repetitive symbols, I think it has more to do with (maybe) the strong presence of female-oriented horror and body-horror than of interconnected stories. I loved that I can tell that these stories focus on the feminine side of horror, which I promise you are no less scary or dark or weird. There was a lot of focus on the different abuses and horrors of relationships of all kinds, the fear of the power of pregnancy, fertility, and death, the sexy, sultry draw of darkness, and the pain and power of sex. I could talk all day about it, but I'll leave you with that taste so you can go read it for yourself.

Overall, this is a great collection of stories that aren't afraid to get down in the dirt and give a certain beauty to the screwed up things that we do as people. A perfect read for anyone who likes dark weird fiction and horror, but also a good book for readers just looking for something that will crawl under your skin and stick with you for a few days. Some favorites of mine to check out are:
- The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him
- Like Feather, Like Bone
- The Tying of Tongues
- The Lightning Bird
- The Dream Eater

[SandraGJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy smokes, this collection is amazing. Beautiful, haunting, eerie and dreamy. This one kept me up past my bedtime for several nights.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Audra (ouija.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a short story collection that shows cohesion even though the stories are all distinctly separate, living in their own dark worlds. DeMeester's short tales have that kind of versatility, where they are interested in unpacking similar themes but never follow the same fanged rabbit down the same twisted hole twice.

Many of these stories, some just a page or two, some closer to twenty pages, center around the idea of transformation, of the liminal quality of the body and the different ways it might be consumed, broken, corrupted, or altered. Sometimes this is a triumphant change, sometimes it is unwanted.

That liminality, that disorienting threshold to transformation that DeMeester has mastered in these stories, often seemed a metaphor for how women's bodies and selves are not quite theirs to inhabit but rather the world's to use or enact violence upon. Here, women take control, becoming the ones who inhabit, who consume, who enact violence.

I loved the intense darkness of the stories and the startling (though strangely beautiful) descriptions of body horror were quite effective. The book is not overtly terrifying, but is unsettling and carries a certain dread that weighs you down as you read—very intense and wonderful.

I definitely recommend this unique collection. I can't wait to read her novel, Beneath!

[Thomas Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book opens with the title story, ‘Everything That’s Underneath’. A husband undertakes a the seemingly innocuous job of constructing a door from scratch, much to his wife’s confusion. She doesn’t see the need for the door, but he seems set in his ways and uses the new hobby as a way of dealing with some recent bad news. But, using multiple senses, DeMeester creates an atmosphere of unease, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. We know something isn’t right almost from the start, but DeMeester does an excellent job of enticing us along with a sense of trepidation and dread until the awful truth is revealed.

In ‘The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him’, we find a world where the moon has shifted into an unnatural orbit and the perpetually dark sky seems to be screaming. But this is only mentioned in passing as Twain meets a strange woman on the street outside the apartment he shares with Nathan. The real horror is in how Nathan has changed from a loving husband to a lust-driven party animal who just wants to experience as much pleasure as possible before the seemingly impending apocalypse. But he gets more than he bargained for. DeMeester has developed a reputation for examining the horror that lies in human relationships and she delivers with this story, while also giving it a weird and cosmic twist.

To ‘Sleep Long, to Sleep Deep’ also examines the horror of a relationship, beginning with one man’s obsession with an untitled book full of dark and macabre illustrations. When his lover begins to feel the draw of the text, friction develops in this sultry and brooding tale. The ending is very unsettling and definitely has a lasting impression on the reader.

In ‘The Fleshtival’, low-level dealer Paul and his flatmate Jake hear of a private party in the woods where women shall fulfil any sexual desire of their guests, as long as the price is right. Scrounging all of the money they can, the two Casanovas drive to the woods to experience their wildest desires. But they get more than they bargained for. A very creepy and weird take on the old saying: be careful what you wish for.

Although one of the shorter stories in the collection, ‘The Beautiful Nature of Venom’ certainly packs a punch. Told in first person, we witness a brief sexual encounter between two strangers. But the narrator describes the feeling of spiders beneath her skin, and her every response to her partner’s touch is described using the movements and reactions of the spiders. At times sexy and disturbing, the imagery is extremely effective and will get under the skin of the reader. Indeed, this seems to be a common trait of the stories within the collection; through DeMeester’s language and vivid imagery, they all get under the skin. The title of the book could relate to how deeply affecting the stories are, as well as referring to the horror that can lie beneath the everyday relationships that the author is so clearly adept at exploring.

In ‘Like Feather, Like Bone’, the narrator discovers a young girl beneath her porch, eating a bird. This is another commonality with the all of the stories in the book; DeMeester is especially skilled at writing a strong opening sentence or paragraph. In this instance, the event is immediately weird, but also immediately gripping. The reader can’t help but be compelled to read on. In this case, through talking with the little girl and discovering the reason for eating the birds, the narrator recalls the horror of past tragedy and comes to a horrifying conclusion.

‘Worship Only What She Bleeds’ is a very strange story concerning a young girl who claims she can hear blood coursing through the walls of her house, pouring into the ground every night. Her mother ridicules the idea, but the girl refuses to be convinced. She can hear the sound of the blood, can smell the awful smell. DeMeester has crafted a very weird story here, with a sinister undercurrent that leaves the reader on edge until the horrifying finale.

‘The Tying of Tongues’ explores one young girl’s curiosity when a stranger wanders into her village, “…her bloodied skirts trailing behind her…”. Anya’s mother tells her that to bleed into the Earth is this woman’s curse for selling her soul, for she is a witch. This only intrigues Anya further, and she is drawn to the woman, by the power she possesses over others, but also by her beauty. Anya is different from the other girls of the village, as she does not seek a man to marry. Perhaps in the witch she sees a different way of life. This is a great study of the character, a young girl yearning for change and freedom. DeMeester does an excellent job of telling her story.

In ‘The Marking’, Violet suffers from bruising, has done ever since she was a child. It used to happen only once or twice a year, but recently they have been occurring once a month. The reason for the bruises is vague at first; all we know is that it has to do with her mother and it is often exacerbated when she eats. So, she has been starving herself. But this does not stop her mother from visiting in the dead of night, crawling on all fours and “feeding” on her daughter. This is a delightfully creepy tale about mothers and daughters and how complicated the relationship between the two can often be. Using the supernatural element makes it an entertaining and chilling read, but there is something deeper here.

In ‘The Long Road’, we meet Danny and his dad, living near a marsh that is home to something more than regular pond wildlife. Danny’s dad drinks water taken from the marsh and hints at what may live there, as well as what may live inside of him, a monster or monsters that whisper dark secrets to him. It seems he wants to share it with Danny, but Danny is more interested in getting as far away as possible. Finally, he meets someone, Sarah, and they settle down. But Sarah has demons of her own and when the story reaches its tragic conclusion, Danny will find himself on the long road, back to his dad and the horrors that await. Yet another great example of DeMeester’s skill at examining human relationships and the way we handle grief.

Taking inspiration from the mythology of the Southern regions of Africa, ‘The Lightning Bird’ tells the story of Gable, who begins to turn into a bird after her mother dies. The old women of the village expect her to take over her mother’s responsibilities as a healer but, instead, Gable begins to transform into the lightning bird, an entity from African witchcraft that feeds on blood and is often associated with a witch and will attack a witch’s enemies, calling into question Gable’s mother’s true colours.

‘The Dream Eater’ concerns a woman and her daughter living in isolation, cut off from the rest of the world by the field that surrounds their cabin. We never really figure out what is happening beyond the field, the story confined to the cabin. And the encroaching grass. Every morning they awake to find that the field has moved closer to their home, and so too the things moving within the field, filling them with dread. The mother insists that, as long as they take their daily pill, they will be okay. But the girl has been lying about taking the pill, saving them for her mother. She is too consumed by the grass and the vague dreams she has about what lies within.

‘Daughters of Hecate’ begins with main character, Birdie, awoken by a terrible recurring nightmare about something crawling from her mother’s mouth at her funeral. She believes there is blood on her fingers, but she never has a cut or any source of blood. She thinks back to her college roommate, Livia, and her fascination with witchcraft. Livia owned a book, Daughters of Hecate: Reclaiming the Crone, and when she showed it to Birdie one night, she had drawn crude depictions of witches in haunting poses. When they awoke the next morning, the drawings were gone and Livia claimed to have no knowledge of them. In the present, she visits a psychiatrist to discuss her dreams, and goes into detail about her troubled childhood, her difficult relationship with her mother, and the strange and terrifying things she witnessed her mother do in the middle of the night. Again, like so many of her stories, DeMeester has crafted a well-written tale of supernatural horror, while exploring the oftentimes difficult relationship between mother and daughter. She manages to keep the story moving while delving into the deeper horror of humanity.

A feat she manages again in ‘Birthright’, this time examining the relationship between two sisters and their absent mother. Told from Hayley’s point of view, we are immediately given a glimpse of the sibling rivalry she has with her younger sister, Mina. Mina mentions seeing a woman during the night, one with “…skin the color of the night.”. Hayley deflects her questions about this, but we see that she knows more than she is letting on. Then the story takes a dramatic turn as Hayley has to come to terms with the idea that maybe Mina is the chosen one. But chosen by whom? And for what purpose? And what effect will it have on the sisters’ relationship? An intriguing and creepy story.

‘All That Is Refracted, Broken’ tells the story of a boy, Paul, who should never have been born. Or so the doctors told his mother when she was pregnant, causing his father to leave, unwilling to stay with a “broken” woman, leaving her with an infant daughter and a possible miscarriage. But Paul is born and proves to be healthy in every way, except that he cannot look directly at his sister, the story’s narrator. The doctors have no answer, but then he discovers he can look at her through a mirror. Then he disappears, leaving his sister to ponder the strange theories he shared before. DeMeester explores the relationship between brother and sister while using the element of the weird as a backdrop to great effect. The ending is equally unsettling and moving.

‘December Skin’ follows sister and brother, Rory and Aaron, on the run from some dark secret and seeking refuge in a motel room. There are hints at the darkness that lurks within Rory, and Aaron seems to be the only person that can hold it at bay. But for how long? The love between the two characters is evident in the interaction DeMeester has written. And the ambiguous ending is very well done.

‘Split Tongues’ is told from the point of view of Brianne, a child of a broken home who spends most of her time with her mother, but who visits her religious father every other weekend. Her parents separated when her mother caught her father being a little too friendly with one of Brianne’s classmates, but then he found refuge in the church, and eventually spoke in tongues. Brianne doesn’t mind too much, only because Alec Mitchell attends the church and she has unholy thoughts about him. But then she begins experiencing strange dreams about the church and choking on a piece of tongue.

In ‘To Sleep in the Dust of the Earth’, we find narrator Willa and Lea hanging out in a spooky, abandoned lot that most of the kids claim is haunted. Here they meet Beth, another young girl with an extraordinary ability to find things that have been lost, beginning with a ring that belonged to Lea’s mother, but also any number of things. Eventually, Willa and Lea put this ability to the test by intentionally hiding things, only for Beth to miraculously appear with it. The story falls them as they mature, leading to a frightening encounter between Beth and a horny teenage boy, as she tries to return something he has lost. Finally, Willa loses something that can never be returned. Or can it?

The collection is eighteen stories strong and, while many share similar themes and similar situations, each perfectly exemplifies DeMeester’s masterful storytelling. She has quickly established herself as a leading light in the Weird fiction genre and this collection will only add weight to this argument. DeMeester has crafted stories that may well begin in a familiar setting, but soon take a wrong turn and head down an alley of weird horror until the reader can almost feel her words squirming beneath their skin. And fans of Weird Horror will welcome the under-skin invasion. But they may well take issue with the nightmares that follow.

[Feli · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a hole in the bottom of the world," her mother panted, writhed under that gaping mouth.
"You know that moment right before you fall asleep? That moment where you can feel yourself falling? All that solid earth beneath you suddenly dropping away into nothingness? That's the hole opening. [...] These are the small ways we die, Violet. Every day, another part of us rotting. Bags of meat and bone." The Marking, Kristi DeMeester

Kristi DeMeester presents us with 18 short stories which definitely are weird, bizarre and full of horror. Most of those stories were published before, but there are some original ones to this volume.

The stories which impressed me the most were:
- Daughters of Hecate: this story was really creepy and well written
- Birthright: the longest story which allows to really get into it and the characters
- All that is Refracted, Broken: children, who shouldn't have been born are always the creepiest...
- To Sleep in the Dust of the Earth: this story simply broke my heart, I cannot tell more

All stories are really well written and I like DeMeester's writing style. Sometimes it is clear and understandable and then there are parts where you just don't know where you are if it's a dream or reality or both. Plus, DeMeester can switch from beautifully written paragraphs to a really gross language when one isn't prepared for it.

Some recurring themes of the book are loss, diseases and mother-daughter relations. Those are interesting topics but are repeated quite often which was a bit too much for me sometimes. The repetitions even started to annoy me eventually: when starting the next story after a few sentences I sometimes thought ‘oh, not again…’: mother-daughters, belly filled with child (or not), drinking and feasting from another... It’s not just the recurring themes but also the same choice of words over and over again.
BUT after a few pages, most stories became quite interesting and unique.

Further, I had some problems with the stories that just are about 3 pages long.. no chance to really get into them. Those are more like snapshots of a story or an image, but the general atmosphere gets in line with the rest of the book.

I always like it when authors share some thoughts of their stories. Unfortunately, those author's notes aren't included in this book, which would have been a great addition to the stories.

This collection certainly left an impression and I will remember it long after having finished it (same with Wehunt's collection Greener Pastures, of which I was strongly reminded while reading this book).

I am torn between given 3 or 4 stars: there were some issues I can't ignore but then again it was so good that I simply good not just give it 3 stars. So I guess it's something in between, maybe with a tendency to 4 stars. If you are open minded for this kind of storytelling I would highly recommend this collection.

[Michael Benavidez · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I think it's important to state that I was given this book as a gift, and as such, I knew absolutely nothing about the book. There was no blurb to describe it on the back, and not wanting to screw with my expectations, I didn't bother to read any reviews or figure out what it's about. I only knew it was short stories because of the quote at the top of the book. That was all.

And to say that these are short stories is an understatement, many are over and done with within 5 pages (though as you go on into the book, some do get longer). And yet, for being so short, these stories stay with you. They are raw, tortured things, with a way to inject visuals that only a painter could probably create. The stories have a way of connecting with the reader through its characters, who aren't two dimensional bodies readied to be given hell.
There's really too many stories to go through to discuss each, but they are all unique. The stories tackle so many different topics, that for as short as they were, it did take me some time to finish, needing to sit back and think about what I just read before moving on to the next one.
I don't even know how to label this book. It wouldn't be fair to label it as horror, though most of the imagery is within that realm, and fantasy wouldn't cover the broad range of what's captured.
The stories are of hurt, hurting, missing, needing, hopeless, and maybe I'm a bit off on this one but somewhat hopeful. Not all, mind you. But at the end of some stories you're left thinking that despite how gruesome and visceral this is, that there may be hope for them, and in turn for us. Maybe that's just me. Who knows.
It is important to note that since the topics range so wide, I would tread cautiously, as some may be triggering.
But if you can, give it a read.It's a very beautiful, emotional book that mashes what we feel with the world of today, and the environment, everything is very earth and spiritual bound and it makes for some wonderful highlighted phrasing.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to rate or review this collection, very difficult. On the one hand her writing is beautiful, and I could've highlighted every third or fourth sentence as examples. On the other, somehow it became too much after reading a few of the stories; whatever the equivalent of flowery is for grotesquery, her writing is that. It started to feel really emo. On top of that, while some of the images in this collection will probably haunt me, the stories themselves were...kinda samey, after awhile. There were definitely some four to five star ones in here, but they've blurred (and I only just finished) and merged with the rest. I'm left with just impressions; there's an awful lot of plants growing down throats, eating of dirt, a lot of mouths in general; mothers and daughters and their relationship subverted. A lot of gross sexual stuff (must we always, horror?), a lot of tasting blood and flesh. By the end I was wishing she'd dial it back and let the stories breathe, to be honest; they felt smothered under phrases meant to shock that just sounded a bit juvenile. I think 3.5 overall, but I also think that's because I put it down for a few days and read other stuff; collected, the stories are too alike.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

My personal favorite from Kristi DeMeester’s debut collection is Like Feather, Like Bone. It’s such an exquisite little bite of horror; grotesquerie neatly balanced by deft brushstrokes of compassion and grief.

There is something deeply unsettling at the core of each of these stories. As if everything we need to be solid and real-family, love, a home, even (especially) the earth beneath our feet-might break away like rice paper to reveal rot and terror.

There are stories here that I find myself returning to again and again, because they’re exceptional and because there’s something dark and new and terrible in them every time. The Marking, The Tying of Tongues, and To Sleep Long, to Sleep Deep are a few examples.

She has a visceral prose style and some of these words will worm their way into your bones. The Fleshtival… I could literally smell that dude the entire time I was reading the story. So, yeah, thanks for that, Kristi.

Lyrical and lush, this entire book is a dark delight.

Also, I have to give a shout out to the eerily beautiful cover art and design by Mikio Murakami. It perfectly suits these dark tales and practically tells some of its own.