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Matryoshka
There’s something wrong with her husband, Mark. Lucy had heard all the rumours about him, the whispered warning behind her back. The half heard Chinese whispers seemed to haunt her, mocking her wherever she goes. Now it appears that whatever’s the matter with Mark is spreading; tainting, infecting both strangers and those that she loves the most. So, Lucy will go to any lengths to protect both her young daughter and her unborn child.
- GenresHorror
116 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 12, 2021
Lucy is heavily pregnant with her second child and struggling to cope with her three-year-old Susie. There’s also something wrong with her husband Mark - she’s heard rumours about him, whispered warning behind her back, mocking her wherever she goes. Now it seems whatever’s the matter with him is spreading, tainting strangers and those she loves the most so Lucy has to do whatever it takes to protect her children.
I went into this knowing very little about it and it worked all the better for it. Having now read it, I’m not sure of how much to discuss in this review without spoiling the twists and turns that readers need to discover for themselves. Online, Jones has said the novella is “about child birth, loss of identity and post-partum psychosis”, which it absolutely is and once you realise things are going very badly for Lucy, everything goes downhill. You can see the signs, Lucy can almost see the signs, but there’s too much forward motion for her to make any changes. Well told with a pace that doesn’t let up, this feels claustrophobic and oppressive, horrific but realistic and offers no easy get outs. It also presses a lot of soft spots on the way (I found myself cringing in places), including an excellent sustained sequence in a caravan park that will make any parent sweat. Lucy is a compelling protagonist, clearly suffering mentally and trying to keep herself together and she has our sympathy, even when she does things that make those around her question her sanity. With a clever last line, this is well worth a read and I would very much recommend it.
I went into this knowing very little about it and it worked all the better for it. Having now read it, I’m not sure of how much to discuss in this review without spoiling the twists and turns that readers need to discover for themselves. Online, Jones has said the novella is “about child birth, loss of identity and post-partum psychosis”, which it absolutely is and once you realise things are going very badly for Lucy, everything goes downhill. You can see the signs, Lucy can almost see the signs, but there’s too much forward motion for her to make any changes. Well told with a pace that doesn’t let up, this feels claustrophobic and oppressive, horrific but realistic and offers no easy get outs. It also presses a lot of soft spots on the way (I found myself cringing in places), including an excellent sustained sequence in a caravan park that will make any parent sweat. Lucy is a compelling protagonist, clearly suffering mentally and trying to keep herself together and she has our sympathy, even when she does things that make those around her question her sanity. With a clever last line, this is well worth a read and I would very much recommend it.
May 2, 2021
I was a Russian doll, split open. Imperfect copies of me lay broken in two at my feet, each one smaller than the next until there was nothing left but a baby swaddled in blankets which wore my face. I stepped across an endless beach searching for the sea, for the dunes, for the end, but in each direction there was nothing but the perfect white sand littered with myriad cracked husks of my body.- "Matryoshka"
Anything that accurately portrays the real distress of those suffering from severe and enduring mental illness interests me, as it's so often badly done in fiction. Penny Jones' work is influenced by her experiences as a psychiatric nurse. In her novella she unpacks antenatal psychosis, layer by layer, pushing the limits of what's real and what's imagined. She also explores womanhood, motherhood, and sense of self, in a society that teaches us we can have it all and judges us when we don't excel in every role.
March 2, 2022
mental health narratives in horror can be dicey but Penny Jones wears her experience as a mental health professional on her sleeve in this beautifully written, visceral and incredibly 'real' novella. Having established herself as one to watch with her fantastic collection Suffer the Children, Jones is going from strength to strength - this is a highly recommended read
May 17, 2021
Penny Jones follows up her superb collection ‘Suffer Little Children’ with a novella that remains in the world of infants and those who choose to walk the tightrope of parenthood. And, like the aforementioned collection, delivers both in terms of fear and beautiful writing.
A great tale that will hit close to the bone for many, ‘Matryoshka’ deals with the little promoted negative effects of motherhood. Jones, through her career in mental health nursing and psychiatry, has a real, deep understanding of the trauma that some mothers may feel, and this comes across so well on the page. The attention to detail is impressive, with Jones effortlessly pulling you into Lucy’s world - a place where the mundanity of domestic bliss becomes ominous, where the kindness of family members and strangers could be a cover for something more threatening. It’s a very dark tale in very capable hands.
Jones evokes a credible sense of dread early on, with hints of past trauma and worrying changes in the behaviour of Lucy’s husband, and this only grows over its 109 pages. The expertise here is not only demonstrated in Jones’ application of knowledge from her career, but by her considerable skills as an author. Jones is an excellent literal writer, breathing life into ‘Matryoshka’ with wonderfully evocative language and vivid descriptions of Lucy’s physical world and her deteriorating mental state as the dark forces swirl and conspire against her. All of this combines to make for an engrossing, at times relentless, story which will leave you both impressed and disturbed for some time.
A great tale that will hit close to the bone for many, ‘Matryoshka’ deals with the little promoted negative effects of motherhood. Jones, through her career in mental health nursing and psychiatry, has a real, deep understanding of the trauma that some mothers may feel, and this comes across so well on the page. The attention to detail is impressive, with Jones effortlessly pulling you into Lucy’s world - a place where the mundanity of domestic bliss becomes ominous, where the kindness of family members and strangers could be a cover for something more threatening. It’s a very dark tale in very capable hands.
Jones evokes a credible sense of dread early on, with hints of past trauma and worrying changes in the behaviour of Lucy’s husband, and this only grows over its 109 pages. The expertise here is not only demonstrated in Jones’ application of knowledge from her career, but by her considerable skills as an author. Jones is an excellent literal writer, breathing life into ‘Matryoshka’ with wonderfully evocative language and vivid descriptions of Lucy’s physical world and her deteriorating mental state as the dark forces swirl and conspire against her. All of this combines to make for an engrossing, at times relentless, story which will leave you both impressed and disturbed for some time.
April 16, 2021
I want to preface this review by admitting that I’ve been a fan of Penny Jones’ writing ever since reading her short story “Non-standard Construction” (printed in Great British Horror 2) and even after experiencing the recurring nightmares that followed, I’ve been a keen follower of everything she writes. As a close friend and an invaluable mentor, Penny has always been incredibly supportive of my own work, and despite her dubious opinions on sugar sprinkles, I value her excellent writing advice as much as I groan at her terrible jokes. So when she offered me an ARC of her brand new novella Matryoshka (Hersham Horror) I jumped at the chance.
For me, the most wonderful thing about Penny’s writing is it is impossible to pigeonhole her into any specific genre box. While her stories do often have recurring themes, she approaches each one with a fresh angle of attack every time. She is never predictable nor does she rely on tropes, her characters are as likeable as they are often horrible, and her prose has a delicious, dark beauty to it where dreadful events are described in layers of lyrical narration.
Matryoshka follows a similar kind of path that Penny began with her excellent debut collection Suffer Little Children (Black Shuck Shadows, shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award, 2020) which she explored the horrors found in childhood and the horrors that children can be. A raw and often distressing exploration of grief, loss and emptiness, those six tales were light on gore but heavy on dread. The kind of quiet, creeping horror that worms around in your head for a long time after reading, where the tragedies of the past are interwoven with with the present and happy endings are reserved for fairy tales. Something that Penny is particularly good at.
It is difficult to discuss Matryoshka in depth without giving away too much, and I honestly feel that the less you know about it, the more gripped by it you will be. In terms of a plot synopsis (and potential content warnings) Penny herself says that it is “about childbirth, loss of identity and post-partum psychosis” (Rebbie Reviews) which is like saying Stephen King’s The Breathing Method, is about pregnancy and childbirth. Yes, it is indeed about these things, but it also explores so much more about the human psyche, conflicting and crippling emotions, and the doubts and uncertainty that motherhood can bring to so many women, especially if they feel isolated, unsupported or alone.
Penny tells the story from the main character, Lucy’s, perspective as she navigates the complexities of mothering one child while heavily pregnant and expecting another, as the worrying suspicions she has about her husband grow like a cancer in her mind. Convinced that her family are not what they seem, and concerned for her unborn child’s future, Lucy begins to plan her escape, often guided by an unknown, ghostly voice. The monsters in this story are not what you think, despite the deft red-herrings thrown in, instead the real horrors are found in Penny’s tense, unwavering pacing, the inescapable feeling of claustrophobia, and the distrust and panic that seeps from Lucy as she makes one bad decision after another.
If you’re unfamiliar with what the title refers to, matryoshka dolls, also known as Russian dolls or nesting dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size which are placed one inside another. It very cleverly mirrors the ways in which Lucy feels like she is being split apart and diminished in size, as her reality is slowly stripped away. It is also an interesting metaphor for pregnancy and how our unborn babies are like us, but not like us; how two seperate individuals can be both connected yet distinct.
The ending of this story chilled me to my core, and admit I actually found it quite difficult. As a mother myself to two children, and someone who experienced post-natal depression after the birth of my first child, the last few pages hit me hard. As is expected for a novella-length story, you could easily read this in one sitting, yet I actually had to take breaks between some scenes to breathe and go and hug my kids because I found the premise of someone I loved being eroded – whether it was true or not – deeply upsetting. But that is also the sign of excellent writing, and honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted it to have ended any other way. It is a gut-punch for sure, but it works so damn well, as Penny masterfully turns those feelings of despair and hopelessness that dog Lucy and the reader throughout the book, all the way up to eleven.
I honestly think this is without a doubt Penny’s best work yet, topping even her exceptional “Dendrochronology” (Hersham Horror) which was shortlisted for the 2020 British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story. I cannot wait to read what she does next.
For me, the most wonderful thing about Penny’s writing is it is impossible to pigeonhole her into any specific genre box. While her stories do often have recurring themes, she approaches each one with a fresh angle of attack every time. She is never predictable nor does she rely on tropes, her characters are as likeable as they are often horrible, and her prose has a delicious, dark beauty to it where dreadful events are described in layers of lyrical narration.
Matryoshka follows a similar kind of path that Penny began with her excellent debut collection Suffer Little Children (Black Shuck Shadows, shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award, 2020) which she explored the horrors found in childhood and the horrors that children can be. A raw and often distressing exploration of grief, loss and emptiness, those six tales were light on gore but heavy on dread. The kind of quiet, creeping horror that worms around in your head for a long time after reading, where the tragedies of the past are interwoven with with the present and happy endings are reserved for fairy tales. Something that Penny is particularly good at.
It is difficult to discuss Matryoshka in depth without giving away too much, and I honestly feel that the less you know about it, the more gripped by it you will be. In terms of a plot synopsis (and potential content warnings) Penny herself says that it is “about childbirth, loss of identity and post-partum psychosis” (Rebbie Reviews) which is like saying Stephen King’s The Breathing Method, is about pregnancy and childbirth. Yes, it is indeed about these things, but it also explores so much more about the human psyche, conflicting and crippling emotions, and the doubts and uncertainty that motherhood can bring to so many women, especially if they feel isolated, unsupported or alone.
Penny tells the story from the main character, Lucy’s, perspective as she navigates the complexities of mothering one child while heavily pregnant and expecting another, as the worrying suspicions she has about her husband grow like a cancer in her mind. Convinced that her family are not what they seem, and concerned for her unborn child’s future, Lucy begins to plan her escape, often guided by an unknown, ghostly voice. The monsters in this story are not what you think, despite the deft red-herrings thrown in, instead the real horrors are found in Penny’s tense, unwavering pacing, the inescapable feeling of claustrophobia, and the distrust and panic that seeps from Lucy as she makes one bad decision after another.
If you’re unfamiliar with what the title refers to, matryoshka dolls, also known as Russian dolls or nesting dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size which are placed one inside another. It very cleverly mirrors the ways in which Lucy feels like she is being split apart and diminished in size, as her reality is slowly stripped away. It is also an interesting metaphor for pregnancy and how our unborn babies are like us, but not like us; how two seperate individuals can be both connected yet distinct.
The ending of this story chilled me to my core, and admit I actually found it quite difficult. As a mother myself to two children, and someone who experienced post-natal depression after the birth of my first child, the last few pages hit me hard. As is expected for a novella-length story, you could easily read this in one sitting, yet I actually had to take breaks between some scenes to breathe and go and hug my kids because I found the premise of someone I loved being eroded – whether it was true or not – deeply upsetting. But that is also the sign of excellent writing, and honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted it to have ended any other way. It is a gut-punch for sure, but it works so damn well, as Penny masterfully turns those feelings of despair and hopelessness that dog Lucy and the reader throughout the book, all the way up to eleven.
I honestly think this is without a doubt Penny’s best work yet, topping even her exceptional “Dendrochronology” (Hersham Horror) which was shortlisted for the 2020 British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story. I cannot wait to read what she does next.
April 26, 2021
Now this story is disconcerting, strangely terrifying and makes you question everything you see and hear in it
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
May 7, 2021
In this novella, Jones steps off the well-worn path of maternal paranoia and parental vulnerability to give us a tale that is fresh and steeped in ambiguity. The reader follows protagonist Lucy, heavily pregnant and with the challenges of raising Susie, a toddler only a treat away from a tantrum, while husband Mark is consistently absent due to work and seemingly distant and secretive when he isn’t.
As Lucy begins to rationalise the dysfunctional nature of her family, depersonalisation and ambivalence towards them, fuelled by sinister voices that infer husband and child are not who they seem, takes hold, driving her to employ drastic measures to protect her unborn child.
This story is deceptively simple. There is a danger that some will read Matryoshka and miss its deeper message, choosing instead to look for the obvious thrills and chills rather than the very real, yet subtle, horrors lurking beneath. That message underscores the impact of physical and mental challenges of motherhood and the responsibilities of being a parent, it raises the very real struggle that some mothers (and fathers, of course) face in the absence of fiscal and emotional support. The mental health themes pervading the story are handled deftly and with great sensitivity, and the sinister elements provide a genuine sense of unease as Lucy struggles to determine fact from fiction as her life slowly unravels. The last line gave me a shudder that I’ve not experienced since reading the final sentence of King’s Pet Sematary.
A thoughtful, thought-provoking read. Wonderful.
Highly recommended.
As Lucy begins to rationalise the dysfunctional nature of her family, depersonalisation and ambivalence towards them, fuelled by sinister voices that infer husband and child are not who they seem, takes hold, driving her to employ drastic measures to protect her unborn child.
This story is deceptively simple. There is a danger that some will read Matryoshka and miss its deeper message, choosing instead to look for the obvious thrills and chills rather than the very real, yet subtle, horrors lurking beneath. That message underscores the impact of physical and mental challenges of motherhood and the responsibilities of being a parent, it raises the very real struggle that some mothers (and fathers, of course) face in the absence of fiscal and emotional support. The mental health themes pervading the story are handled deftly and with great sensitivity, and the sinister elements provide a genuine sense of unease as Lucy struggles to determine fact from fiction as her life slowly unravels. The last line gave me a shudder that I’ve not experienced since reading the final sentence of King’s Pet Sematary.
A thoughtful, thought-provoking read. Wonderful.
Highly recommended.
May 3, 2021
I close my lids across my eyes,
And wish to see no more.
The eye receives the messages,
And sends them to the brain.
No guarantee the stimuli must be perceived the same
Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts
By the time I had finished reading Matryoshka there was a disturbing sense of relief as I set it down. There were times when the story sailed emotionally close to my own safe harbour walls.
Lucy is heavily pregnant, has a young daughter to look after, and a husband Mark who works late. Things are not well in the home, there are tensions Lucy is hearing indistinct sounds and has doubts about Mark. When a new neighbour who Lucy thinks looks like herself, throughout we only see from the first-person and Penny Jones carries this through without wavering. Only seeing and thinking as Lucy makes it troubling as the we see the behaviour of Lucy become more erratic.
After the scene in the garden it becomes clearer this is not a darker force taking over people, but the enemy is within. The writing puts you right there with Lucy, which for me as a reader made her journey both dark and terrifying. In the closing act the distress, and disorientation endured by Lucy at the holiday park is palpable as she tries to save her daughter.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story that kept its direction of travel and destination hidden till the final page, and would definitely recommend Matryoshka.
And wish to see no more.
The eye receives the messages,
And sends them to the brain.
No guarantee the stimuli must be perceived the same
Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts
By the time I had finished reading Matryoshka there was a disturbing sense of relief as I set it down. There were times when the story sailed emotionally close to my own safe harbour walls.
Lucy is heavily pregnant, has a young daughter to look after, and a husband Mark who works late. Things are not well in the home, there are tensions Lucy is hearing indistinct sounds and has doubts about Mark. When a new neighbour who Lucy thinks looks like herself, throughout we only see from the first-person and Penny Jones carries this through without wavering. Only seeing and thinking as Lucy makes it troubling as the we see the behaviour of Lucy become more erratic.
After the scene in the garden it becomes clearer this is not a darker force taking over people, but the enemy is within. The writing puts you right there with Lucy, which for me as a reader made her journey both dark and terrifying. In the closing act the distress, and disorientation endured by Lucy at the holiday park is palpable as she tries to save her daughter.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story that kept its direction of travel and destination hidden till the final page, and would definitely recommend Matryoshka.
April 27, 2021
POTENTIAL SPOILER. More psychological thriller than horror - in fact more of a case study. A few tense scenes but most of them kinda fizzle out. A realistic portrayal of mental health issues (but the knowledge that this is what the book is about tends to diminish the strangeness of events and therefore the tension). At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man (which I am) there are a few too many typos and grammatical errors for a final product.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2022
Matryoshka by Penny Jones charts the downward spiral of young pregnant mother Lucy as she starts hearing voices, imagining people she loves are evil twins, and generally breaking down with the trials of motherhood.
Very effective and realistic (the author worked in a hospital ward that dealt with similar cases), but as with most novellas there wasn't enough to make it truly satisfying. A well written (and scary) story though.
Very effective and realistic (the author worked in a hospital ward that dealt with similar cases), but as with most novellas there wasn't enough to make it truly satisfying. A well written (and scary) story though.
February 7, 2023
This is a terrifying downward spiral into psychosis. Despite this being a short book at only 75 pages long it was very detailed and terrifyingly scary. I really felt for the main character Lucy picking up on all the little uncertainties that became full-blown fears. As we progress through the book we watch a fragile mind splinter into the many pieces of a broken Russian doll. The book itself was an excellent read but the authors notes at the end gave so much more to the book. The author discusses two of her main fears but also drawing on her previous job experience with working in mental health with a woman with post-partum psychosis. This unsettling experience really added to this work.
This read was definitely interesting but also very disturbing and unsettling. A journey into just how dark the human mind can get to and how something as simple as gaslighting a partner can really destroy their self-confidence coupled with mental health issues.
This read was definitely interesting but also very disturbing and unsettling. A journey into just how dark the human mind can get to and how something as simple as gaslighting a partner can really destroy their self-confidence coupled with mental health issues.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews