Human, Too

by J.M. Bédard, Cori Rabjohn (Illustrator)

16 short pieces of dark surrealism and folk horror, many of which are being published here for the first time. J.M. originally conceived of these stories as akin to unsettling campfire tales, and I'd say that is a good description.

Contents:

Below
Date Night
Baby-Soft
Good Morning
Seams
The Beach
Homesick
The House
Let Go
Wolverine
The Runner
Questions
The Fence
Harvest Season
Carrots
Portable Peace

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

80 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2021

Reviews

[W.T.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as "dark surrealism and folk horror", these are vivid, unsettling stories packing a visceral, vicious punch. Bèdard is such a talented writer and there's such an incredible amount of breathtakingly gorgeous lines of prose that it's almost possible to ignore the bundles of stripped flesh she leaves piled around the edges and contours of these stories. A fantastic read.

[Audra (ouija.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a slim collection of short works, mixing flash fiction and poetry with short stories. The works are interested in transformation, nature, and body horror.

The stories, especially the few longer ones, were very strong conceptually, and I appreciated the dark paths the author was unafraid to travel down. There are many unique ideas offered here, but I would have liked to see more development in most of the stories.

The writing did tend toward the overly descriptive, which for me, sometimes made it difficult to focus on the plot. All of the stories were extremely similar style-wise; in some cases they even felt like continuations of each other. The author also tended toward using simple sentence structure (subject, verb), which made the writing feel repetitive over time.

Though there are only a few, the illustrations are nicely evocative.

My thanks to the author for my copy of this one to read and review.

[Spencer Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

HUMAN, TOO is the debut folk-horror collection from J.M. Bédard, who was kind enough to provide me with a copy for an honest review.

What strikes you first is the writing itself, which both cradles you in its arms and rocks you a bit too violently, as if to remind you not to be lulled into a false sense of safety. What strikes you second is how that writing takes the world around you and shows you yourself in its edges, in its corners, in its tree bark and lapping waters. And then, finally, you're struck by the aching humanity and unsettling alienness in the characters Bédard has built, and suddenly you feel human, too.

This collection is beautiful. Poetic, and I don't just mean the poems it includes. Lyrical. The prose is surprisingly alive, joyful, playful, and with a dangerous edge. I see shades of Henry S. Taylor in Bédard's voice. I see this sense of belonging at war with a sense of unbelonging, constantly itching the skin. I see so many emotions, just waiting to rip at the seams.

HUMAN, TOO is a short read, at just 80 pages or so, but you will want to sit with it for far longer and really taste the words, really envision yourself standing in these characters' skins. I know I did.

[SARAH (thebookish_daydreamer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a book in a great while that was so woefully short. By this I mean that I wanted more of the deliciously dark and glitteringly grotesque worlds and stories painted from the mind of J.M. Bedard. It took me all of an hour to read this fantastic collection.

I started to rate each story, and though some stuck out to me, all were beautifully written and well-crafted; even when they were a bit gray and thin around the edges. This really only served to make them better, as it leaves some details and unfinished bits to the reader’s imagination. There were those that were very surreal and left pictures of the unlikely and moderately absurd in in the mind of the reader, while others were purely terrifying (though always hinging upon eccentric), and others still that were a glorious combination of both.

I highly recommend this collection. There are a few stories that are water-centric and perfect for “beach season” as they conjured selkie and siren vibes, if they’d been written by, say, Guillermo del Toro or Apollinaire. Check this great little collection out; I don’t think you’ll regret it! Plus, you get to support a talented indie author who is a super nice human (double whammy 😉).

[Lisa M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this little collection in my local used bookstore. It had some notes from the publisher or the writer in it--a really cool find. As someone who is pretty involved in the indie lit scene, it was also cool finding this little volume. Bedard's pieces are grounded in intriguing, surreal concepts and very rich language. While some stories were more successful than others for me--I believe the story titled "The Beach" was my favorite. It was such an intimate, caring moment between two characters. It was really beautiful. There was a range of quality outside of that story, but that is common with collections. Nothing bad here, some worked for me better than others. The writing is lush and beautiful, but seeing phrases repeated over and over through a thin volume (sometimes in one piece before the next,) cheapens it. I see a successful future in the indie lit scene for Bedard.

[Shona (spectralpages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Human, Too has to be one of the most beautifully-written short story/prose collections I've ever read 🥺

There are 16 works in total, all of them are richly folkloric and explore both the sublime and grotesque parts of nature, human and otherwise.

My absolute favourite was 'Homesick', it's one of Bédard's shorter offerings but it was just perfect. As a wild swimmer myself, she perfectly articulated my love of being in the water:

'Land-life has a way of making me feel weak but, slicing through the water, I am sleek and strong.'

Thank you so much @dimshores
and @jacquelinebedard for gifting me this copy, it is an absolute treasure.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dim Shores always brings the new goods to our shelves. Mixed with a few poetic pieces and some gorgeous prose. Bédard excites the body horror, plagues the mysteries of dark surrealism and carves out the folk horror. This collection may be slim but holds a powerful debut and I think the author is only breaking the ice.
Collector #111

Favorites
-Below
-Date Night
-Good Morning
-The Fence

[Richard Staving · Rating 5 out of 5]

Human, Too is amazing. Each bite-sized piece is filled with gorgeous imagery. I want to write like this when I grow up.

[Lewis Housley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written with some intriguing images. I would like to see more from the writer, perhaps with a bit more length to some of the stories.