Thing Bailiwick is a horror collection by Fawn Bonning, and what a collection it is! Featuring twelve stories that explore some very thrilling situations, Bonning definitely has a voice that can become the source of nightmares. But it also comes with an unexpected twist, or a certain wisdom if you will, which won’t just leave the reader drenched in sweat and suffering from high blood pressure – it might just plant a little piece of “clarity” as the pages keep turning.
Even though Bonning has an obvious love for animals, she is clearly not scared to explore their dark side. This can be seen in the opening story, entitled “D-Dog”. It follows a pregnant mother and her sympathy for a stray dog. After taking it home and caring for it, she unknowingly puts her whole family in danger. What should’ve been an act of kindness turned into a fight for survival.
This is followed by several different stories, many of them involving some kind of animal. However, Bonning also likes her original creations of dark creatures, for example the stories entitled “The Trophy” and “The Eleventh Hour”. In some cases she simply digs into the darker side of people with stories such as “A Murder”. Basically, you’ll find an array of situations ranging from typical to ones completely out of this world.
The first thing to notice about Bonning’s style is her patience. Referring to the first story yet again, which is a personal favorite, there is a steady buildup to something the reader isn’t really expecting. After the initial pages I started wondering whether it truly was a horror collection I was reading, but then the climax came. As it played out clearly in my mind thanks to Bonning’s amazing skill, I had to take a break before reading the next story.
Another thing I loved about her approach was the change in narration, for example “Curveballs”. It is as though the narrator is an authentic African/American gangster and the characters perfectly fit into their roles. The way Bonning adopts these different styles according to her leading character, truly had me convinced more than one writer contributed to the collection.
Apart from creating colorful stories and convincing characters, Bonning shows great control over the horrific parts. Her ability to build up suspense and literally wear the reader down until there are no more nerves left, she comes through with a dim, silver lining. Unlike most modern horror stories where darkness usually prevails at the end, Bonning prefers giving her characters more credit.
Last but not least, readers will appreciate the tiny bursts of wisdom that show up every now and again. If nothing else, you will walk away knowing a few more words and maybe even have a different perspective on life. Personally, I loved this collection and I consider it as one of the most powerful I’ve read thus far. From an objective perspective, it has the talent to appeal to a very broad audience. Bonning is a brilliant writer and she truly has a gift for pulling her reader into the middle of the story.
Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.
