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You Know It's True
Twelve stories of truly dark fiction. Acclaimed throughout the underground horror world and having come seemingly out of nowhere, J.R. Hamantaschen built a reputation based solely on the quality of his stories. He returns to the short story genre and finishes what he started with his last collection of horror fiction, containing some of his most innovative, unsettling, and uncompromising tales
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 8, 2021
Once again, J.R. Hamantaschen strikes by releasing another collection of short stories, even though he previously said he wouldn't; thereby proving that the man cannot be trusted! However, he CAN write and here we are.
There were several stories that blew me away. Usually I would go into them one by one, but to be honest, I don't think anyone cares what my favorite stories were. (Though I absolutely adored HOUSE KATZ, because...cats!) Instead, today I'm going to talk about the writing.
Hamantaschen's writing style can be described as: wry, hilarious, witty-but dry, weird, strange, vivid, dark, and volatile. I like his work more than Ligotti's and Aickman's, but I have a hard time defining why. I think it's the humor- because it's hard to want to exit the world when you're laughing your butt off. Also, I think Hamantaschen's writing style is more accessible to most-again, maybe it's because of the humor, but it also has a current feel to it, whereas Ligotti and Aickman both feel more....remote to me. Hamantaschen is the here and now, along with Nicole Cushing, Christopher Slatsky, Gemma Files and many, many others.
Hamantaschen belongs to a new wave of dark fiction, weird tales, and writing that is beyond unsettling.
I say BRAVO to all of them and if you're not reading these authors yet, you should be!
*Thank you to the author for the paperback ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
There were several stories that blew me away. Usually I would go into them one by one, but to be honest, I don't think anyone cares what my favorite stories were. (Though I absolutely adored HOUSE KATZ, because...cats!) Instead, today I'm going to talk about the writing.
Hamantaschen's writing style can be described as: wry, hilarious, witty-but dry, weird, strange, vivid, dark, and volatile. I like his work more than Ligotti's and Aickman's, but I have a hard time defining why. I think it's the humor- because it's hard to want to exit the world when you're laughing your butt off. Also, I think Hamantaschen's writing style is more accessible to most-again, maybe it's because of the humor, but it also has a current feel to it, whereas Ligotti and Aickman both feel more....remote to me. Hamantaschen is the here and now, along with Nicole Cushing, Christopher Slatsky, Gemma Files and many, many others.
Hamantaschen belongs to a new wave of dark fiction, weird tales, and writing that is beyond unsettling.
I say BRAVO to all of them and if you're not reading these authors yet, you should be!
*Thank you to the author for the paperback ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
January 2, 2022
To start 2022 properly I had to finish something wonderfully uncomfortable and bizarre. Surprising and disturbing, and the author’s last short story collection, same as the previous one was. Although I have read his work before and therefore should have known better, I still sometimes got caught up in the painfully over-honest, insecure normalcy of the characters’ lives and forgot to brace for the inevitable drop. That drop might take the form of a porn and masturbation addiction, randomly-appearing holes in the ground through which stingers paralyze you while your body rots and liquefies for digestion, or a terrifying 10-year-old’s scary sleepover story.
Even before the drops, especially before the drops, none of these stories were safe for me to read. The author’s notes following each one, I think a first for him, even less so.
Even before the drops, especially before the drops, none of these stories were safe for me to read. The author’s notes following each one, I think a first for him, even less so.
June 21, 2021
(Originally published at carsonwinter.com)
You Know It’s True presents itself as a rather grand document. Here it is—the final collection from acclaimed indie horror author J.R. Hamantaschen. This has been a promise a long time coming, last seen in his collection A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe, where he suggested a desire to stop writing short fiction and start writing novels. You Know It’s True is Hamantaschen doubling-down on that suggestion, while taking his small but loyal audience on one more trip around his merry go-round of mean-spirited pessimism and self-loathing.
If you haven’t read Hamantaschen, that may give you pause. Surely, not even horror fans really want to read something so... proudly vile. But, Hamantaschen, who often frames himself as a provocateur, uses horror as a means of emotional exorcism (or ineffective therapy). Where some authors delve deeper into corporal extremity and blood and guts to chase their new high of increasingly shocking content, Hamantaschen plums emotional depths. He brings to the table an unapologetically depressive perspective that can be shocking and uncomfortable to the uninitiated. Hamantaschen’s characters find joy in killing bullies, committing suicide to the detriment of others; they keep lifelong secrets and their masturbation habits kill people. And while the characters don’t come around to turning the other cheek or learning to be happy, we are left with an unsettling portrait of real, damaged people uncajoled by good taste and Doing the Right Thing.
Thomas Ligotti is the go-to pessimist in horror literature and it’s interesting to see how Hamantaschen and Ligotti differ in their approaches. Where Ligotti creates characters that are so anxious they appear almost entirely alienated from reality, Hamantaschen’s characters are much more steeped in contemporary life. His characters chat and joke (relationships, and his eye for portraying them, are a highlight throughout You Know It’s True) and generally appear grounded in a real world where debt, jealousy, and depression are as scary and omnipresent as murderous millipedes and suicide cults. And where Ligotti’s prose is sharp and lucid, Hamantaschen’s is loose and conversational, which makes the whole affair seem that much more tragic. J.R. is a great storyteller, but because of the choices he makes with his prose, you never lose the sense that he is talking to you. He’s the perpetually sad friend, the transparent edgelord, the I-need-someone-to-hear-me-and-say-’I-get-it’ dude at the bar—and because of that, and similar to Ligotti, You Know It’s True feels intensely, sometimes awkwardly, personal.
Which, in my mind, is how good fiction should feel. Hamantaschen lets it all out in his stories and it truly feels like someone showing you the best and worst of themselves, completely uninhibited (albeit aided by pseudonymity).
The stories themselves are uniformly excellent, each with accompanying notes by the author where he reveals more of himself than he ever has before. In some ways, while You Know It’s True feels like a goodbye, it’s also a long-awaited introduction to its mysterious author. I found the notes fascinating, as they helped to fill out my image of the author as a person, rather than a cult figure. Some highlights of the collection include the dark and caustic “I Should Have Been a Pair of Ragged Claws/ Scuttling Across the Floors of Silent Seas,” the languidly paced and relationship oriented “Nothing Goes Wrong From the Couch,” the genre experiment “Grab More Knives,” and, of course, the ending novella “Beholden to the Past, Impatient to the Present, Cheated of the Future”—a bizarre, but empathetic exploration of masturbation addiction with a daydreamy weird conceit.
You Know It’s True has more Hamantaschen on the page than ever before, and if you’re a fan of his stories, that is most likely what you want. He, the man, is inextricable from his work. And he is—for all his depression, anxiety, and self-loathing—the reason we keep coming back. You Know It’s True offers its author on full display and we, the reader, are left to cringe and marvel in equal measure.
You Know It’s True presents itself as a rather grand document. Here it is—the final collection from acclaimed indie horror author J.R. Hamantaschen. This has been a promise a long time coming, last seen in his collection A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe, where he suggested a desire to stop writing short fiction and start writing novels. You Know It’s True is Hamantaschen doubling-down on that suggestion, while taking his small but loyal audience on one more trip around his merry go-round of mean-spirited pessimism and self-loathing.
If you haven’t read Hamantaschen, that may give you pause. Surely, not even horror fans really want to read something so... proudly vile. But, Hamantaschen, who often frames himself as a provocateur, uses horror as a means of emotional exorcism (or ineffective therapy). Where some authors delve deeper into corporal extremity and blood and guts to chase their new high of increasingly shocking content, Hamantaschen plums emotional depths. He brings to the table an unapologetically depressive perspective that can be shocking and uncomfortable to the uninitiated. Hamantaschen’s characters find joy in killing bullies, committing suicide to the detriment of others; they keep lifelong secrets and their masturbation habits kill people. And while the characters don’t come around to turning the other cheek or learning to be happy, we are left with an unsettling portrait of real, damaged people uncajoled by good taste and Doing the Right Thing.
Thomas Ligotti is the go-to pessimist in horror literature and it’s interesting to see how Hamantaschen and Ligotti differ in their approaches. Where Ligotti creates characters that are so anxious they appear almost entirely alienated from reality, Hamantaschen’s characters are much more steeped in contemporary life. His characters chat and joke (relationships, and his eye for portraying them, are a highlight throughout You Know It’s True) and generally appear grounded in a real world where debt, jealousy, and depression are as scary and omnipresent as murderous millipedes and suicide cults. And where Ligotti’s prose is sharp and lucid, Hamantaschen’s is loose and conversational, which makes the whole affair seem that much more tragic. J.R. is a great storyteller, but because of the choices he makes with his prose, you never lose the sense that he is talking to you. He’s the perpetually sad friend, the transparent edgelord, the I-need-someone-to-hear-me-and-say-’I-get-it’ dude at the bar—and because of that, and similar to Ligotti, You Know It’s True feels intensely, sometimes awkwardly, personal.
Which, in my mind, is how good fiction should feel. Hamantaschen lets it all out in his stories and it truly feels like someone showing you the best and worst of themselves, completely uninhibited (albeit aided by pseudonymity).
The stories themselves are uniformly excellent, each with accompanying notes by the author where he reveals more of himself than he ever has before. In some ways, while You Know It’s True feels like a goodbye, it’s also a long-awaited introduction to its mysterious author. I found the notes fascinating, as they helped to fill out my image of the author as a person, rather than a cult figure. Some highlights of the collection include the dark and caustic “I Should Have Been a Pair of Ragged Claws/ Scuttling Across the Floors of Silent Seas,” the languidly paced and relationship oriented “Nothing Goes Wrong From the Couch,” the genre experiment “Grab More Knives,” and, of course, the ending novella “Beholden to the Past, Impatient to the Present, Cheated of the Future”—a bizarre, but empathetic exploration of masturbation addiction with a daydreamy weird conceit.
You Know It’s True has more Hamantaschen on the page than ever before, and if you’re a fan of his stories, that is most likely what you want. He, the man, is inextricable from his work. And he is—for all his depression, anxiety, and self-loathing—the reason we keep coming back. You Know It’s True offers its author on full display and we, the reader, are left to cringe and marvel in equal measure.
January 14, 2023
Took my time with this one. I would read a short story in the book here and there. Keep a score on each story from 1 to 5. Ended up with an average total of 4.3. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I tend to be hit or miss with short stories and this one ended up being a hit. There were a couple of top faves which were House Katz (which seems to be a top pick with a lot of readers) and More as a Knower than a Sufferer. There was not a single story that went below a 3 which I found me flabbergasted. This is my first book by Hamantaschen and it won't be my last.
May 7, 2021
If you love the pessimism and nihilism of Thomas Ligotti but want something a touch more edgy, this is the book for you.
Read my full review over at HorrorTree
https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
Read my full review over at HorrorTree
https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
March 10, 2021
HAMANTASCHEN IS TAÀAAASTY
HAMANTASCHEN IS BACK ! (But for how long ?)
This is the second J.R. Hamantaschen collection I have read. The other one I have read is the one before that (too long a title to scribble here).
I enjoyed the first collection particularly a New York based tail with overtones of Ted Klein.
This collection feels more breezy (if one can use that word when talking about horror) than the last which felt heavier.
Reading this I wondered if 'Apartment Horror' could be a new or at least newly separated and named genre. If not that can we have 'breezy horror' ?
A lot of this feels like if the back stories of background players in Freinds were revealed in a spin off show and they turn out to be very much darker and weirder than the show runner expected. That all the time on set they were wearing their very best clothes.
People in these stories are depressed dejected and dissapointed and dissapointing.
Some stories in this book expose how good folk turn bad.
It starts with a short and darkly comic family drama which although one gets the twist that's coming quite early still delivers a tight neat swerve into a skid that kicks up a lot of dust.
It finishes with the longest tail in the collection which was my fave (although that might be recency bias) whose premise felt very familiar in a jungian psychological sense. Someone told me something similar is explored in a book called gravity's rainbow but I haven't read that. I don't like woody Allen but this does a bit of that and transcends it: gives new resonance and questions re allens famous masturbation joke.
Inbetween there are mad cats, a dissolving wedding party (shades of Klein again this time Petey in the banter picked up and put down as one navigates a party), miscarriage, semi sci fi nice guy necrophilia with a real good hook, a too confident room mate, an up to date account of home invasion, an eye popping coming out tail that finally pays attention to the 'played' party, a not so wonderful life, tender tinder trouble, a child's sleep over party (I thought I would hate this - I loathe reading about children's antics however it turned out to be my third fave after the last and the third becoming a decent sci fi bit).
Some stories are better than others but that will depend on I individual readers.
The stories are all short (bar the last), fast, loose and finally allways deep and usually deeper than one imagines.
Every story is gobbled up by its successor ie the reader can't wait to get into the next tail.
Recommended.
I hope it's not his last collection but look forward to the novel.
Sorry for typos or whatever bad grammar writing this fast.
HAMANTASCHEN IS BACK ! (But for how long ?)
This is the second J.R. Hamantaschen collection I have read. The other one I have read is the one before that (too long a title to scribble here).
I enjoyed the first collection particularly a New York based tail with overtones of Ted Klein.
This collection feels more breezy (if one can use that word when talking about horror) than the last which felt heavier.
Reading this I wondered if 'Apartment Horror' could be a new or at least newly separated and named genre. If not that can we have 'breezy horror' ?
A lot of this feels like if the back stories of background players in Freinds were revealed in a spin off show and they turn out to be very much darker and weirder than the show runner expected. That all the time on set they were wearing their very best clothes.
People in these stories are depressed dejected and dissapointed and dissapointing.
Some stories in this book expose how good folk turn bad.
It starts with a short and darkly comic family drama which although one gets the twist that's coming quite early still delivers a tight neat swerve into a skid that kicks up a lot of dust.
It finishes with the longest tail in the collection which was my fave (although that might be recency bias) whose premise felt very familiar in a jungian psychological sense. Someone told me something similar is explored in a book called gravity's rainbow but I haven't read that. I don't like woody Allen but this does a bit of that and transcends it: gives new resonance and questions re allens famous masturbation joke.
Inbetween there are mad cats, a dissolving wedding party (shades of Klein again this time Petey in the banter picked up and put down as one navigates a party), miscarriage, semi sci fi nice guy necrophilia with a real good hook, a too confident room mate, an up to date account of home invasion, an eye popping coming out tail that finally pays attention to the 'played' party, a not so wonderful life, tender tinder trouble, a child's sleep over party (I thought I would hate this - I loathe reading about children's antics however it turned out to be my third fave after the last and the third becoming a decent sci fi bit).
Some stories are better than others but that will depend on I individual readers.
The stories are all short (bar the last), fast, loose and finally allways deep and usually deeper than one imagines.
Every story is gobbled up by its successor ie the reader can't wait to get into the next tail.
Recommended.
I hope it's not his last collection but look forward to the novel.
Sorry for typos or whatever bad grammar writing this fast.
March 25, 2021
I have been reading J.R. Hamantaschen since his first collection "You Shall Never Know Security" was plugged by "The HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast". Over the last decade (man that makes us both sound old) I have really enjoyed watching his style evolve with each subsequent collection, of course culminating in "You Know It's True".
Each of his collections had stories I really loved and some that left me lukewarm. This collection however, is solid all the at through to its very "J.R. Hamantaschen-y" finale. This is not to say that his previous works weren't full of depressing and anxiety ridden interactions, but it feels like in this collection he has really honed it to a razors edge. Characters feel natural and reasonable, never seeming "intentionally stupid" for the sake of a scare or a plot development. Which of course makes the scares all that more impactful when they do arrive.
Which brings me to the pacing and flow. I think J.R. did a good job of choosing the order of the stories so it doesn't feel clumpy or uneven. Further down, at the story level, J.R. continues to prove that he knows how to keep you hooked and anxious while the fuse slowly burns towards the conclusion. You will never find yourself bored or wanting to skip ahead.
J.R. also did something in this collection that was unexpected. At the end of each story he included a paragraph or two about it; sometimes the inspiration for the creature or the ideas behind a relationship or the thought process of characters. I am someone who loves the process of story telling almost as much as the story itself. I know that it can be tough for writers to "show their hand" and outright say "I wrote this because I thought a monster with X would be cool", like it demystifies their work or something, but I appreciated J.R. giving us a glimpse behind the curtain.
I really loved and recommend this collection. If this is indeed J.R.'s last collection of stories then it was a great note to end on and I wish him all the best in whatever he decides to do next.
Each of his collections had stories I really loved and some that left me lukewarm. This collection however, is solid all the at through to its very "J.R. Hamantaschen-y" finale. This is not to say that his previous works weren't full of depressing and anxiety ridden interactions, but it feels like in this collection he has really honed it to a razors edge. Characters feel natural and reasonable, never seeming "intentionally stupid" for the sake of a scare or a plot development. Which of course makes the scares all that more impactful when they do arrive.
Which brings me to the pacing and flow. I think J.R. did a good job of choosing the order of the stories so it doesn't feel clumpy or uneven. Further down, at the story level, J.R. continues to prove that he knows how to keep you hooked and anxious while the fuse slowly burns towards the conclusion. You will never find yourself bored or wanting to skip ahead.
J.R. also did something in this collection that was unexpected. At the end of each story he included a paragraph or two about it; sometimes the inspiration for the creature or the ideas behind a relationship or the thought process of characters. I am someone who loves the process of story telling almost as much as the story itself. I know that it can be tough for writers to "show their hand" and outright say "I wrote this because I thought a monster with X would be cool", like it demystifies their work or something, but I appreciated J.R. giving us a glimpse behind the curtain.
I really loved and recommend this collection. If this is indeed J.R.'s last collection of stories then it was a great note to end on and I wish him all the best in whatever he decides to do next.
April 19, 2021
J.R. Hamantaschen's fourth book is another great collection of short stories from the author of "You Shall Never Know Security" and "A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe." Hamantaschen is a master of melding the weird and unexpected, and gives you just enough of a peek behind the curtain of the universe in each story to leave you wanting more. These stories are not for the faint of heart, as they can get quite graphic and disturbing (especially the first story in the collection, which deals with the effects of suicide and is as close to distilled Hamantaschen as you can get), but readers with a strong stomach should savor the horror. He says that this is his last collection of short stories, and if that is the case, bummer, but it's a hell of a collection to go out on.
Also, he WILL reply to your email, and is a phenomenal penpal. Ask him about baseball stadiums.
Also, he WILL reply to your email, and is a phenomenal penpal. Ask him about baseball stadiums.
March 1, 2021
In this latest collection, Hamantaschen once again demonstrates his wild imagination and natural ability to freak readers out.
Hamantaschen's tales have a weird feel about them, sometimes tragic, sometimes outright creepy, and sometimes darkly humorous. And the reader can never really tell where the story is ultimately going to end up. It's difficult to provide an adequate description of Hamantaschen's work as it's just something one needs to feel for themselves.
In short, YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE is another fine collection of strange tales that I very much recommend. On a personal note, I wanna party with this guy! ☺
Hamantaschen's tales have a weird feel about them, sometimes tragic, sometimes outright creepy, and sometimes darkly humorous. And the reader can never really tell where the story is ultimately going to end up. It's difficult to provide an adequate description of Hamantaschen's work as it's just something one needs to feel for themselves.
In short, YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE is another fine collection of strange tales that I very much recommend. On a personal note, I wanna party with this guy! ☺
April 6, 2025
In what is supposedly his final short story collection, J.R. Hamantaschen holds true to form with this twelve stories in some ways, though to a long time reader shows some divergence from what one might have come to expect. The characteristic deep reflection an navel gazing either done by or about his characters, especially those displaying his characteristic depression and anxiety, is as always present. The, for me at least, expected dread and discomfort surrounding relationships which may or may not be functioning well (mostly romantic, but also between friends) is present in most of these stories as well. 'No Hole in a Small World Can Truly Be a Small Hole' is a great example and one of my favorites. One thing that I think is new, or newly prominent, maybe do to changes in Hamantashen's own life, is horror surrounding kids. While the Birds/Covid send-up, 'House of Katz' was not my favorite story in the collection, the several times near the end where the protagonist is internally encouraging the dog to tear up and throw the 'cats/katz' around was particularly effective. 'May As Well Blame it on the Heat' mixes the author's frequent themes of relationships either gone/going wrong or the participants feeling like they are (arguably maybe the same thing?) with the loss of an expected child and the desire to have one being the linchpin in that dysfunction. And while 'Grab More Knives' ultimately causes no harm to a little tyke, the threat to a child is ever looming, and the compulsion to protect drives much of the action. Children, of a sort, are the center of the story in 'Its Always Time to Go', which I particularly enjoyed.
I do think the opening story, involving a suicide pact, and the closing story involving a sexual super power, are probably both the most Hamentaschen-y of the included stories particularly due to their protagonists and I think will feel the most comfortable and expected by fans. Post-first story the pacing is a bit slow, but certainly picks up with 'Grab More Knives' and I don't feel it slows down after that.
I know there's been a vocalized desire by Hamentashen to maybe work on something longer, and the final story here is a novella. However, a number of these feel as though they could easily be expanded into something longer, possibly even novel length.
I do think the opening story, involving a suicide pact, and the closing story involving a sexual super power, are probably both the most Hamentaschen-y of the included stories particularly due to their protagonists and I think will feel the most comfortable and expected by fans. Post-first story the pacing is a bit slow, but certainly picks up with 'Grab More Knives' and I don't feel it slows down after that.
I know there's been a vocalized desire by Hamentashen to maybe work on something longer, and the final story here is a novella. However, a number of these feel as though they could easily be expanded into something longer, possibly even novel length.
July 7, 2021
What are we reading?: You Know It’s True, by JR Hamantaschen
Rating: 5/5: Frail Human Psyches Laid Bare
Give me the short version: Characters struggle like flies trapped in the existential web of their lives.
Gird your mental loins for what a cynic would call another clinical Hamantaschen discussion of the human condition—except truthfully there’s nothing cynical about these stories; more a profound tongue-in-cheek compassion for the way his characters are stripped and paraded about for our delectation.
As JR says himself: “All the JR trademarks are there: self-loathing, depression, delusions of grandeur, a granular focus on a small-scale twist, weird mental and sexual hang-ups, revulsion of bodily functions …”
This is the fourth collection of his that I’ve enjoyed, so I know those trademarks well. I progressed at a very slow reading pace, about a story a fortnight because they are so fraught and damnit we’re in a pandemic people, I need to horde my emotional bandwidth. Characters struggle like flies trapped in the existential web of their lives, and overall the variety of stories on offer all handled with the same deft skill is breathtaking.
Standout favourites for me were House Katz, more traditionally formatted with its sudden onslaught of feline apocalypse; and the transcendental fire of For Most Of My Sad Life I Figured I Would Just Die Alone, which despite its dark matter delivers a message of hope and self-belief. Nothing Goes Wrong From The Couch was a very close third, beginning with the everyday and landing firmly in alien bug horror.
The author’s notes at the end of each story were invaluable, enriching understanding with the context of how the piece came about, and elevating even the stickiest narratives above their shock value.
Favourite bit: “The cat in the lead, an orange Maine Coon, spit and hissed ferociously, his nails between the holes in the screen, pulling and flailing with the almost-frenzied panic of a man who’d just caught his penis in his zipper, or, perhaps more seriously, someone trying to wrench his arm out of the mouth of a ravenous dog.”
Rating: 5/5: Frail Human Psyches Laid Bare
Give me the short version: Characters struggle like flies trapped in the existential web of their lives.
Gird your mental loins for what a cynic would call another clinical Hamantaschen discussion of the human condition—except truthfully there’s nothing cynical about these stories; more a profound tongue-in-cheek compassion for the way his characters are stripped and paraded about for our delectation.
As JR says himself: “All the JR trademarks are there: self-loathing, depression, delusions of grandeur, a granular focus on a small-scale twist, weird mental and sexual hang-ups, revulsion of bodily functions …”
This is the fourth collection of his that I’ve enjoyed, so I know those trademarks well. I progressed at a very slow reading pace, about a story a fortnight because they are so fraught and damnit we’re in a pandemic people, I need to horde my emotional bandwidth. Characters struggle like flies trapped in the existential web of their lives, and overall the variety of stories on offer all handled with the same deft skill is breathtaking.
Standout favourites for me were House Katz, more traditionally formatted with its sudden onslaught of feline apocalypse; and the transcendental fire of For Most Of My Sad Life I Figured I Would Just Die Alone, which despite its dark matter delivers a message of hope and self-belief. Nothing Goes Wrong From The Couch was a very close third, beginning with the everyday and landing firmly in alien bug horror.
The author’s notes at the end of each story were invaluable, enriching understanding with the context of how the piece came about, and elevating even the stickiest narratives above their shock value.
Favourite bit: “The cat in the lead, an orange Maine Coon, spit and hissed ferociously, his nails between the holes in the screen, pulling and flailing with the almost-frenzied panic of a man who’d just caught his penis in his zipper, or, perhaps more seriously, someone trying to wrench his arm out of the mouth of a ravenous dog.”
November 27, 2025
Absolutely loving these stories. The author has such a perfect way of describing the nuances of verbal and physical relationships between people and society at large... it's fascinating and hilarious to read even though this is a collection of horror. And yes, the horror IS THERE but you are taken on this almost stream of consciousness ride only to crash out and realize the story is over. Thankfully, there are author notes after each story to help you get into what the author's thought process was and it always amazes me that it is so unlike what I am currently taking away from a given piece.
The stories take place in different settings and different types of people, but there is this human connection tying us all together that the author deftly weaves (these are my stream of consciousness thoughts, I guess)... I am so thankful I have found this collection of stories.
Is it because I love sociology or people watching? Is it because I feel a little but like a Miss Marple of the human experience? But reading the thought processes of these characters is amazing and such a gift.
I personally don't see this as Lovecraftian or cosmic horror? But it is in the horror genre and has plenty to creep you out. Maybe it's the writing that gets you so inside the characters' heads and suddenly there is this cliff drop into their reality. I very much hope more people read these stories and find the thrill and enjoyment that I did!
The stories take place in different settings and different types of people, but there is this human connection tying us all together that the author deftly weaves (these are my stream of consciousness thoughts, I guess)... I am so thankful I have found this collection of stories.
Is it because I love sociology or people watching? Is it because I feel a little but like a Miss Marple of the human experience? But reading the thought processes of these characters is amazing and such a gift.
I personally don't see this as Lovecraftian or cosmic horror? But it is in the horror genre and has plenty to creep you out. Maybe it's the writing that gets you so inside the characters' heads and suddenly there is this cliff drop into their reality. I very much hope more people read these stories and find the thrill and enjoyment that I did!
April 22, 2021
Girl You Know It's True
If this truly is the final short story collection we will see from Mr. Hamantaschen for the foreseeable future, it is a satisfying end point to this part of his writerly journey. When I was a much younger man reading his first collection I was probably just like "duh the monsters are like cool and stuff, Lovecraft, blah blah, blah" but as time and age wear me down, the thing that sticks with me about his works are the people within them. They're not placeholders waiting to be eaten by the cosmos, they are imbued with an inner life that belies a deep understanding of human nature and behavior on JR's part, sorrowfully lacking in most of his contemporaries. This complexity, makes the tragedies they encounter all the more gut-wrenching. Sometimes that's the most disturbing part of these stories, seeing parts of yourself or those you know in these characters and watching them scuttle around like mice in mazes (or on glue traps) they've created for themselves. But when there's monsters, that's cool too. JR makes up some really crazy monsters. And finally, I feel that JR Hamantaschen is the finest titler of stories in our time. Anyway just buy the book.
If this truly is the final short story collection we will see from Mr. Hamantaschen for the foreseeable future, it is a satisfying end point to this part of his writerly journey. When I was a much younger man reading his first collection I was probably just like "duh the monsters are like cool and stuff, Lovecraft, blah blah, blah" but as time and age wear me down, the thing that sticks with me about his works are the people within them. They're not placeholders waiting to be eaten by the cosmos, they are imbued with an inner life that belies a deep understanding of human nature and behavior on JR's part, sorrowfully lacking in most of his contemporaries. This complexity, makes the tragedies they encounter all the more gut-wrenching. Sometimes that's the most disturbing part of these stories, seeing parts of yourself or those you know in these characters and watching them scuttle around like mice in mazes (or on glue traps) they've created for themselves. But when there's monsters, that's cool too. JR makes up some really crazy monsters. And finally, I feel that JR Hamantaschen is the finest titler of stories in our time. Anyway just buy the book.
September 26, 2021
I guess this was my first taste of nihilistic fiction and I think I'm a little too sensitive or something because I had to take a lot of breaks. The first story in particular, and its after notes, I think could be very triggering for anyone suffering from depression or thoughts of suicide.
That said, the author's creative choices and narrative voice were completely original and I was delighted to find that I could rarely guess the twist or where the story's theme would lead. The touches of humor that would arise in the darkest of contexts were effective too.
That said, the author's creative choices and narrative voice were completely original and I was delighted to find that I could rarely guess the twist or where the story's theme would lead. The touches of humor that would arise in the darkest of contexts were effective too.
December 8, 2021
Fantastic stuff. I love Hamantaschen's conversational, character-forward prose, which blends nicely with the right level of weirdness. Lots of heavy concepts that are balanced well with dark humor. The character work is outstanding, with some of the deepest levels of exploration I've seen from short fiction recently. I was told JR's style was very edgy, and while I guess I could see it that way, that wasn't my first reaction. To me, it all came off as very honest. Will be reading his older collections soon.
June 5, 2024
Unsettling
I hesitated writing this review because I couldn't just say how much I enjoyed it and leave it at that. No, instead I was pulled into each tale, then left with the sensation I had been part of a wicked plot to reveal the sordid undercurrents of each character, but I recognized some of myself in each one.
I don't know if this makes sense, but this was truly unsettling.
I hesitated writing this review because I couldn't just say how much I enjoyed it and leave it at that. No, instead I was pulled into each tale, then left with the sensation I had been part of a wicked plot to reveal the sordid undercurrents of each character, but I recognized some of myself in each one.
I don't know if this makes sense, but this was truly unsettling.
March 2, 2021
3.5
Review to come!
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.
Review to come!
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.
March 24, 2021
Great collection of stories!
November 5, 2024
Another excellent collection from J.R.
October 23, 2025
If you love a word salad novel this one is for you, i struggled through the entire book and only left the last story unfinished. A terrible collection IMHO!
May 3, 2022
Classic Hamantaschen! I liked this a little bit less than his other books, and after a second reading I think it's because the stories in this collection seem to be longer than the ones in previous collections. The last story especially takes up around 20% of the total length of the book exploring a really simple premise, and I'm not sure what the impact of the story was meant to be. It's not particularly insightful, funny or horrifying, and the best Hamantaschen stories are all three. But even bad Hamantaschen is still worth a look!
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