Yellowcake: Stories

Lanagan's fourth short story collection (Black Juice, rev. 5/05, White Time, rev. 7/06, Red Spikes, rev. 11/07) features ten typically strange and eerie tales (most previously published in her native Australia or in the UK; a few also appeared in U.S. fantasy collections). With little exposition or context setting -- and lots of unexpected and bizarre imagery -- Lanagan leaves readers perpetually, deliriously off-balance through language that is more imagistic than descriptive and settings that can be simultaneously realistic and extraordinary (e.g., the hardscrabble maritime community in "An Honest Day's Work" beset by a sea creature). Amidst all the weirdness, familiar elements are frequently Lanagan's point of departure. "Night of the Firstlings" is the Exodus story (sort of), and "The Golden Shroud" is a Rapunzel retelling with a horror bent and from the prince's point of view. Lanagan also plays with narrative perspective in "Catastrophic Disruption of the Head," bringing readers inside a disturbed mind (from which they will likely be relieved to emerge), and in "Ferryman" (about the River Styx's father-daughter family business). Familial relationships are a common theme: a grandfather awash in memories finds redemption in "The Point of Roses"; an adoring son accepts his mother's loftier (literally) destiny in "Into the Clouds on High." An appended "Where the Stories Started" section touches on the author's inspiration for each tale. Unsettling, startling, often gruesome -- these imaginative works demand much of their readers, occasionally providing catharsis and unfailingly provoking thought and discussion. elissa gershowitz