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Sometimes We're Cruel, and Other Stories
A town where people go missing and inexplicably return as cruel versions of themselves.
A not-quite-human mother races against time to build a new body for her ailing daughter.
Lovesick ghosts inhabit the body parts of living people in a world where the only other choice is amputation.
Obsession. Selfishness. Cruelty. Doppelgängers. In these dark, speculative stories—six reprints and six never before published, including the novelette 'Girls Tied to Trees'—J.A.W. McCarthy explores how far humans and the not-quite-human will go to tame the darkness in their world and within themselves.
A not-quite-human mother races against time to build a new body for her ailing daughter.
Lovesick ghosts inhabit the body parts of living people in a world where the only other choice is amputation.
Obsession. Selfishness. Cruelty. Doppelgängers. In these dark, speculative stories—six reprints and six never before published, including the novelette 'Girls Tied to Trees'—J.A.W. McCarthy explores how far humans and the not-quite-human will go to tame the darkness in their world and within themselves.
212 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2021
9 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
J.A.W. McCarthy
41 books54 followersJ.A.W. McCarthy is a Bram Stoker Award and Shirley Jackson Award finalist and author of Sometimes We’re Cruel and Other Stories (Cemetery Gates Media, 2021) and Sleep Alone (Off Limits Press, 2023). Her short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including Vastarien, PseudoPod, Split Scream Vol. 3, Apparition Lit, Tales to Terrify, and The Best Horror of the Year Vol 13 (ed. Ellen Datlow). She is Thai American and lives with her spouse and assistant cats in the Pacific Northwest. You can call her Jen on Twitter @JAWMcCarthy, and find out more at www.jawmccarthy.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
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August 29, 2022Review going in an upcoming issue of SCREAM Magazine!
Short message: J.A.W. McCarthy is an author to keep an eye on. Capable short horror fiction storytelling with a variety of tone, style, sub-genres, and narrative. Impressive!
Short message: J.A.W. McCarthy is an author to keep an eye on. Capable short horror fiction storytelling with a variety of tone, style, sub-genres, and narrative. Impressive!
November 14, 2022
I've sampled four of the five 2021 Shirley Jackson Awards shortlist for single-author collections. I seem to disagree with the jurors more than usual this year: I abandoned two books, and could barely finish a third. But McCarthy's collection (which did not win), is easily one of my favorite books this year.
This is a dark, horrific set, with quite a few stories that made me queasy (very rare for me). The protagonists, often unreliable, are young girls and women, growing up in challenging environments, or dealing with family trauma. Uncanny events and often misleading hints are sprinkled like breadcrumbs, as we navigate toward often surprising, cruel and uncomfortable reveals. I often have trouble with body horror in fiction, but here it is usually interwoven with specific personal experiences and works well. The voices are mostly deftly rendered and affecting. The writing could be a bit tighter here and there, but is effective for the most part.
The title story is a stunning statement that opens the collection and pretty much lays out the author's general approach. I also loved "With You As My Anchor", "Those Who Made Us", "You Are the Arm", the hilarious (!) "When Your Ghost Comes In", and the closing "Girls Tied to Trees", opening with the seemingly innocent but cruel girls' social hierarchy (reminds me a bit of Monica Awad's Bunny, but McCarthy's is much less of a flashy performative flourish), ending with the twin horrific reveals. None of these were on the Jackson shortlist for short story; the jurors were obviously aware of them and (I suppose) had other trees to climb (or be tied to).
More detailed notes here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
This is a dark, horrific set, with quite a few stories that made me queasy (very rare for me). The protagonists, often unreliable, are young girls and women, growing up in challenging environments, or dealing with family trauma. Uncanny events and often misleading hints are sprinkled like breadcrumbs, as we navigate toward often surprising, cruel and uncomfortable reveals. I often have trouble with body horror in fiction, but here it is usually interwoven with specific personal experiences and works well. The voices are mostly deftly rendered and affecting. The writing could be a bit tighter here and there, but is effective for the most part.
The title story is a stunning statement that opens the collection and pretty much lays out the author's general approach. I also loved "With You As My Anchor", "Those Who Made Us", "You Are the Arm", the hilarious (!) "When Your Ghost Comes In", and the closing "Girls Tied to Trees", opening with the seemingly innocent but cruel girls' social hierarchy (reminds me a bit of Monica Awad's Bunny, but McCarthy's is much less of a flashy performative flourish), ending with the twin horrific reveals. None of these were on the Jackson shortlist for short story; the jurors were obviously aware of them and (I suppose) had other trees to climb (or be tied to).
More detailed notes here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
August 8, 2021
A horror revelation, Sometimes We're Cruel is part fantastical body horror, part meticulous dissection of the soul. Bodies are shared, reshaped, escaped, leaving us with a residue of dread. Easy to tell from early on that this merciless book is something special. At the crossroads of Gwendolyn Kiste and David Cronenberg, J.A.W. McCarthy will haunt you.
September 9, 2021
SOMETIMES WE’RE CRUEL by J.A.W. McCarthy is a stunning collection. The ideas are fresh and horrifying, and rendered with crystal clear prose, an eye for detail, and well drawn characters. Each story is a razor sharp little gem. A multi-layered and haunting book. Highly recommended!
December 12, 2022
Sometimes we like to read
This book was chosen for my book read and it took a while for me to finish. This book was good I enjoyed the themes and the characters and how each story had a mind of its own. It’s dark and twisted but makes for a read that holds your interest and keeps you up at night.
This book was chosen for my book read and it took a while for me to finish. This book was good I enjoyed the themes and the characters and how each story had a mind of its own. It’s dark and twisted but makes for a read that holds your interest and keeps you up at night.
September 19, 2021
Astonishing!
Every story in this collection is a gem. These are breathtaking tales told with exquisite prose. I look forward to reading more from McCarthy. Highly recommended!
Every story in this collection is a gem. These are breathtaking tales told with exquisite prose. I look forward to reading more from McCarthy. Highly recommended!
November 11, 2022
Great horror stories! I never lost interest and, besides one story, all of them had a horrible, creepy element. All stories had great endings.
February 15, 2022
An excellent collection! I really enjoyed the themes of body horror and identity. McCarthy has such a great way of diving deep into these complex characters and relationships; many of the stories focused on a woman's point of view, too, and I love seeing that in horror so much -- these intense friendships and relationships between women are really examined with a dark lens in the stories, and it continuously lured me deep into the worlds spun here. A few of the stories felt connected in a really cool way, too, like they shared a similar, twisted universe of characters. Highly recommend this creative, clever collection!
August 6, 2021
‘Sometimes We’re Cruel’ by J.A.W. McCarthy is a delightfully peculiar and deliciously dark collection that had me reminiscing about the very best of du Maurier, Jackson and Carter. This unique and devastating collection will wreck you if you let it!
November 10, 2022
Ghosts that reside in body parts. A house that absorbs pain, and sometimes more. Doppelgangers. Haunted movies. Uncomfortable scenes that stay with you, leaving an uneasy feeling in the back of your mind. This short story collection is definitely a creeper.
March 27, 2022
There are no tropes here, and no familiar ground. Ever story is a masterpiece of unease and dread, leaving you unsettled and without a sense of closure. These stories will creep you out, and they'll definitely stay with you. This debut collection is simply incredible.
September 19, 2021
Jen McCarthy’s “Sometimes we are cruel” is dominated by body horror and possession, and given that this collection contains 12 stories, you might be forgiven for thinking that the subjects would tend to be repetitive - not so. In fact, the opposite is the case, as McCarthy delivers radically different scenarios with character-driven protagonists, both good and bad, to make you squirm through all 170 pages of her memorable debut collection of short stories and a mesmerizing array of voices and horrific situations.
I fell on this book after being impressed with the flawless voice McCarthy delivered in Scott Moses’ anthology of horror, “What one wouldn’t do…”, her “ With Animals” being one of my favorite pieces in the book, and being the first story, set up my anticipation of the rest of that collection, Individual enough to stand out, a not inconsiderable task given the talent on show within that book, she delivered a really great piece on necromancy.
The Novella that rounds off this collection, “Girls tied to trees” is one of the highlights here, the MC distinctive in her ticks and beliefs, as she fights off facing her past, wonderfully shown piece by piece to the reader in a great coming of age tale, but there are some finger clenching cringe-inducing moments in the book, "When your ghost comes in" opening with a belter, and firmly establishing itself as not only a great take on the possession trope, but showcasing the brutality I wanted more of – McCarthy promises body horror in almost all of the tales, but also delivers that shocking sudden violence that we horror readers crave – confirming our worst nightmares and providing the release of tension we knew was always going to happen. That she does so with cold clarity and unflinching detail really makes you sit up and pay attention – here is a voice that is only just emerging, but already the potential here is phenomenal. “One to watch” probably doesn’t do her work justice.
"Contrition" was a nice short, not least for the inclusion of the paranormal experience-inducing filmmaker's name. "A. Todesfurchten"? Hmm. A fear of death? My beady Austrian eye is onto you, Lady.
Some of the stories hit harder than others, that’s might be due to my spreading them out, my mood at the time of reading, but when I think back over the anthology as a whole, the overarching feeling I had was of respect for the storytelling, being impressed at the range and characterization, and the over-arching mood of dread that was injected into every piece.
A very solid 4 ⭐’s and I can’t wait for a longer piece (Novel / Novella), something to really get my teeth into. Like ears. Or intestines. Or wherever Jen is going to take us next.
I fell on this book after being impressed with the flawless voice McCarthy delivered in Scott Moses’ anthology of horror, “What one wouldn’t do…”, her “ With Animals” being one of my favorite pieces in the book, and being the first story, set up my anticipation of the rest of that collection, Individual enough to stand out, a not inconsiderable task given the talent on show within that book, she delivered a really great piece on necromancy.
The Novella that rounds off this collection, “Girls tied to trees” is one of the highlights here, the MC distinctive in her ticks and beliefs, as she fights off facing her past, wonderfully shown piece by piece to the reader in a great coming of age tale, but there are some finger clenching cringe-inducing moments in the book, "When your ghost comes in" opening with a belter, and firmly establishing itself as not only a great take on the possession trope, but showcasing the brutality I wanted more of – McCarthy promises body horror in almost all of the tales, but also delivers that shocking sudden violence that we horror readers crave – confirming our worst nightmares and providing the release of tension we knew was always going to happen. That she does so with cold clarity and unflinching detail really makes you sit up and pay attention – here is a voice that is only just emerging, but already the potential here is phenomenal. “One to watch” probably doesn’t do her work justice.
"Contrition" was a nice short, not least for the inclusion of the paranormal experience-inducing filmmaker's name. "A. Todesfurchten"? Hmm. A fear of death? My beady Austrian eye is onto you, Lady.
Some of the stories hit harder than others, that’s might be due to my spreading them out, my mood at the time of reading, but when I think back over the anthology as a whole, the overarching feeling I had was of respect for the storytelling, being impressed at the range and characterization, and the over-arching mood of dread that was injected into every piece.
A very solid 4 ⭐’s and I can’t wait for a longer piece (Novel / Novella), something to really get my teeth into. Like ears. Or intestines. Or wherever Jen is going to take us next.
August 17, 2021
There’s a peculiar darkness to Jen’s writing which immediately draws me in. Like those peripheral entities you can’t ever quite see—Sometimes We’re Cruel is like having coffee with one of those. Like hearing something we’re not meant to be privy to from an unflinching orator.
With echoes of Gwendolyn Kiste and Karen Russell, this collection isn't one to miss. I'd even go as far as saying that McCarthy is one of my favorite living writers.
With echoes of Gwendolyn Kiste and Karen Russell, this collection isn't one to miss. I'd even go as far as saying that McCarthy is one of my favorite living writers.
July 22, 2022
These are the types of stories that seep under your skin and take on a life of their own in the rich landscape of the uncanny valley. Fabulously dark and unsettling with rich characters from everyday slices of society, McCarthy will draw you in and won’t let go. I highly recommend this collection, absolutely one of my favorite recent reads.
May 23, 2022
Simply a stellar collection of short fiction. The worlds that McCarthy builds in so few words are so rich and so real. I had a hard time putting this book down. I flew through these!
My favorites, in order of appearance:
- With You As My Anchor
- You Are The Arm
- Exactly As We Are Meant To Be
- When You Ghost Comes In
- Contrition (1999)
- Girls Tied To Trees
My favorites, in order of appearance:
- With You As My Anchor
- You Are The Arm
- Exactly As We Are Meant To Be
- When You Ghost Comes In
- Contrition (1999)
- Girls Tied To Trees
February 1, 2022
Great collection from an exciting new voice in horror. Many of the stories had themes of autonomy viewed through the lens of a supernatural conceit. Interesting, empathetic horror with a taste for the occasional bit of viscera. Highly recommended.
August 27, 2021
A must-read collection for fans of weird fiction, body horror, and dark coming of age stories. McCarthy is a phenomenal storyteller!
March 14, 2022
McCarthy is definitely working with something special. While the stories in this collection, as with every collection, vary in quality, more than a few have that uncanny ability to worm their way into your psyche and sit in the most unsettling of ways. More hits than misses, and even the misses display a skill at atmospheric strangeness that suggest the deep wealth of talent the author holds. Can’t wait to see what she does next.
September 19, 2022
I picked this collection up after reading a story by the author elsewhere and absolutely falling in love with her writing. And it did not disappoint! Wow wow WOW. Every story in this collection is melt-off-your-face creepy-good. I loved it SO MUCH. I'm usually a binge-reader, but these stories were so intense and powerful that I wanted to space them out to allow each one time to process, reading one or two each night. Highly, highly recommended. Officially declaring that I will read anything J.A.W. McCarthy writes!
March 4, 2022
this book was horrifying & creepy in the best of ways.
September 4, 2021
A solid entry for a debut collection letting us know J.A.W. McCarthy is someone to watch. "Sometimes We're Cruel" is a Weird story about longing and belonging with an odd melancholic happy ending. "Black Doves" is more than just a Thrill Kill Kult. Two thrill killers and a sibling who is a sinner sometimes. The monsters in "Those Who Made Us" are great and creepy, and the relationship is tender, and there's some nice things to say about creation. "Girls Tied to Trees" is an excellent coming of age haunting.
January 3, 2023
A Shirley Jackson Award-nominated debut collection of short stories from a fiercely talented new writer. A collection burning with dark desires—with envy, want, and obsession. A collection of body horror, of doppelgangers, of characters desperately craving others’ lives and even (literally) others’ bodies. In the title story, people unpredictably disappear from a small town, only to return days or even years later cruelly changed. In “With You as My Anchor,” two teen girls play a dangerous game which leaves one lost and adrift when her best friend drowns. The surviving friend’s grief, and the solution to her grief, are both harrowing. In “Those Who Made Us,” a mother and daughter hunt down humans for the body parts the daughter needs to survive. Other stories are told from the perspective of the hunted, of humans whose body parts are taken, who are slowly consumed. In one such story, “You Do What You’re Told, “ there is a final quiet and satisfying sense of empowerment when a woman turns the tables on a man who has been stalking her, who has been sending strange women at night to take from her bits of her body—hair, skin, flesh—who has been trying to create his own image of her, or of who he thinks she is. But in other stories, like “Exactly As We Are Meant to Be,” the consumption is complete, as the victim is taken and her identity completely consumed. This is a set of stories about both hunters and hunted, predators and prey. It’s about terrible desires, about shame and guilt and greed and longing. About identity, and intense friendships and relationships that take a dark turn. “Sometimes We Are Cruel” is a darkly spellbinding collection, deeply disturbing, a portal into a strange, surreal landscape where the strange and shocking is nevertheless rooted in very real human emotions. (Content warnings for graphic gore, violence, body horror, and self-harm).
March 27, 2022
I am not really the best short story reader. I have trained my brain to read epic fantasy, to wait for the payout, to let the anticipation build. I am trying to be a better short story reader. Sometimes We’re Cruel by J.A.W. McCarthy is a collection that makes it easy for me to be a better short story reader. Every story in this collection is phenomenal. They are full of the little things we do- sometimes intentionally, sometimes not-that hurt people and ourselves, because sometimes we are cruel. The stories are like the little paper cuts we add to our psyche, the little words that wound, the little forgetful or selfish things that leak out, no matter how we try to correct them. Personally, my favorite is When Your Ghost Comes In, but I really enjoyed every story so much. I would try and review each story, but I do not want to risk spoiling anything, so I will leave it at that. Every story fits into the collection title so well. I am looking forward to future collections!
October 8, 2021
An excellent debut collection! The stories are quite varied and yet the collection feels very cohesive and consistent in quality. Human themes of family and identity interweave with body horror, possession, spells, and ghosts. Some favorites here are "Sometimes We're Cruel," "With You As My Anchor," "Those Who Made Us," "Something All the Little Girls Want," and "Girls Tied to Trees." J.A.W. is an extremely talented writer, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next!
September 1, 2021
WOW!
I'm not easily spooked, but a few stories in this fantastic collection had me gasping. Some of them will stay with me for a loooong time... (I'm looking at you, "Contrition.") (AND YOU, "Girls Tied to Trees.")
I'm not easily spooked, but a few stories in this fantastic collection had me gasping. Some of them will stay with me for a loooong time... (I'm looking at you, "Contrition.") (AND YOU, "Girls Tied to Trees.")
January 26, 2022
This was great and every story was unique. I love short story collections like this. It's a real gem. I don't think I can possibly choose a favourite but I do think the first story, Sometimes we're cruel, would be great as a novella too.
March 5, 2023
You must have read something in your life that kinda blew you away, something you'd struggle to describe in words but you felt you needed to try. Well, Sometimes We’re Cruel And other stories by J.A.W. McCarthy was one of those books for me.
I've recently found an appreciation for short stories, the word count it seems is no hindrance whatsoever to the depths of darkness to be plundered. Its not about extreme horror, violence, ghosts or monsters anymore. Just look into your mind, explore the shadows, or better still look into this author's mind and you'll appreciate where some people are capable of going.
These stories were like nothing I've read before, an almost hypnotic prose coupled with a depth and creative imagery that delves into those dark places you probably didn't even know existed.
It’s only a little piece of herself, and the bit of control she gets from choosing that precise piece is enough to keep her from folding in on herself over and over again until she becomes nothing more than ragged edges about to split. And it keeps the man away. It keeps him from getting any closer.
There's twelve short stories here, normally I'd go into some of my favourites but I can't do it. All these stories are exceptional, the emotive shock surrounding mainly traumatic events enables these characters to virtually leap from the page and cling resolutely to your shoulder harboring nightmares. Leaving an impression of the story permanently etched in your mind.
There's even a list of triggers conveniently found at the end of the book, so if you've got issues check them out. Self harm, alcoholism, domestic violence and child death being common themes. Primary though is body horror but prepare yourself for something that feels new and unique. I would definitely read more from this author and eagerly await the next offering.
Heather saw that the last thing Alicia felt before her death was not only fear but, stronger than that, her love for Josh. Perfect, unspoiled love. A love crystalized in the most intense of moments, frozen at its apex before resentment and disappointment had a chance to destroy it.
Describe this in one sentence.
Definitely a favourite, highly recommended for fans of deep, dark and powerful fiction.
I've recently found an appreciation for short stories, the word count it seems is no hindrance whatsoever to the depths of darkness to be plundered. Its not about extreme horror, violence, ghosts or monsters anymore. Just look into your mind, explore the shadows, or better still look into this author's mind and you'll appreciate where some people are capable of going.
These stories were like nothing I've read before, an almost hypnotic prose coupled with a depth and creative imagery that delves into those dark places you probably didn't even know existed.
It’s only a little piece of herself, and the bit of control she gets from choosing that precise piece is enough to keep her from folding in on herself over and over again until she becomes nothing more than ragged edges about to split. And it keeps the man away. It keeps him from getting any closer.
There's twelve short stories here, normally I'd go into some of my favourites but I can't do it. All these stories are exceptional, the emotive shock surrounding mainly traumatic events enables these characters to virtually leap from the page and cling resolutely to your shoulder harboring nightmares. Leaving an impression of the story permanently etched in your mind.
There's even a list of triggers conveniently found at the end of the book, so if you've got issues check them out. Self harm, alcoholism, domestic violence and child death being common themes. Primary though is body horror but prepare yourself for something that feels new and unique. I would definitely read more from this author and eagerly await the next offering.
Heather saw that the last thing Alicia felt before her death was not only fear but, stronger than that, her love for Josh. Perfect, unspoiled love. A love crystalized in the most intense of moments, frozen at its apex before resentment and disappointment had a chance to destroy it.
Describe this in one sentence.
Definitely a favourite, highly recommended for fans of deep, dark and powerful fiction.
March 17, 2022
I am not really the best short story reader. I have trained my brain to read epic fantasy, to wait for the payout, to let the anticipation build. I am trying to be a better short story reader. Sometimes We’re Cruel by J.A.W. McCarthy is a collection that makes it easy for me to be a better short story reader. Every story in this collection is phenomenal. They are full of the little things we do- sometimes intentionally, sometimes not-that hurt people and ourselves, because sometimes we are cruel. The stories are like the little paper cuts we add to our psyche, the little words that wound, the little forgetful or selfish things that leak out, no matter how we try to correct them. Personally, my favorite is When Your Ghost Comes In, but I really enjoyed every story so much. I would try and review each story, but I do not want to risk spoiling anything, so I will leave it at that. Every story fits into the collection title so well. I am looking forward to future collections!
December 10, 2022
An absolutely beautiful collection.
My favorite story in this was the titular “Sometimes We’re Cruel” but I don’t think there was a single one I didn’t like. They were all beautiful, chilling, or heartbreaking in their own unique way. McCarthy is a fantastic writer and I hope I get to read more of her work in the future.
My favorite story in this was the titular “Sometimes We’re Cruel” but I don’t think there was a single one I didn’t like. They were all beautiful, chilling, or heartbreaking in their own unique way. McCarthy is a fantastic writer and I hope I get to read more of her work in the future.
September 4, 2021
Wickedly Creepy
A well written collection of disturbing stories thar shock you when you realise what they mean. The content warning is a slap in the face because you realise what you suspected is true. This is modern horror at its best. You will lose sleep
A well written collection of disturbing stories thar shock you when you realise what they mean. The content warning is a slap in the face because you realise what you suspected is true. This is modern horror at its best. You will lose sleep
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