​UNHEIMLICH MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK BY TRACY FAHEY: BOOK REVIEW

This chapbook contains five new short stories, one extended essay, a piece covering the history behind Wildgoose Lodge, and story notes for The Unheimlich Manoeuvre. That book, which I reviewed here, is being reissued in a deluxe edition; this chapbook represents the new material in that edition, allowing those of us who already have the book to pick up the additional pieces in this format (which I think is very considerate).

The first piece is an academic essay in which the author discusses the relationship between the uncanny and domestic spaces in her own work; using examples from the stories, along with quotes from various reviews, she draws connections between Freud’s essay on the subject of the uncanny in fiction and the stories in her collection. It’s a fiercely intelligent and thoughtful essay that demonstrates a level of insight into the themes underpinning the author’s work that I found extraordinary.

Of the five new tales, ‘Haunted By The Ghost’ is a flash piece on a single page that reads almost as poetry - it uses two symmetrical passages as a call and response, turning sunshine to chilling shade with remarkable efficiency.

‘That Thing I Did’ is a study of grief and depression that resonates with a powerful desperation. Fahey cleverly runs the narrative along a twin track, with the backstory behind the cause of the lead character's grief and guilt unspooling in tandem with his slow motion emotional collapse. Fahey captures the spiral of misery with great clarity and without mawkishness, before landing a hammer blow in the closing pages. Stunningly well crafted.

‘The Wrong House’ invokes dislocation, isolation; the terrifying feeling that one’s life is wrong; that, to quote the song, you may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful wife. Again, Fahey is masterful in painting a portrait of psychological trauma, with a vivid eye for the telling detail and a voice that drew me in and evoked my sympathies immediately. 

‘Possession’ takes themes from the first two stories - dislocation, deterioration - but threads in a new concern in terms of identity. Fahey does a fine job of grounding this tale, as the others, in the mundane; in this case, a new job in a new town and a new house. The main character is an estate agent, and Fahey does a superb job of painting a portrait of her new office environment, and the people she works with, before the strangeness begins to intrude. What I especially enjoyed about this one was the slippery feeling of things just gradually falling out of control, without there being any obvious trigger point; anyone who has ever started struggling with memory loss or disorientation as a result of prolonged sleep issues will find this one uncomfortably relatable, I suspect. 

And then ‘I Wait For You’ flips the script by taking the perspective of the house as a starting point; a delicious conceit that Fahey commits to with full hearted glee, producing in the process a brilliantly eerie tale that examines notions of ownership and belonging.

The story notes that close the chapbook out cover the entire collection, and give a fascinating insight into the process behind the creation of the tales.

Overall I’d say if you haven’t yet picked up The Unheimlich Manoeuvre, you should grab the deluxe edition; these stories are every bit as strong and fascinating as those in the main book, and they manage to fit in thematically whilst creating their own resonances and perspectives. Similarly if, like me, you read and enjoyed the earlier release, this serves as a brilliant coda to that book; providing the opportunity to revisit Fahey’s preoccupations with domesticity, identity, and the alienation of the familiar. As with the original release, very highly recommended.

KP
9/2/20

​​UNHEIMLICH MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK BY TRACY FAHEY

Tracy Fahey’s stunning debut collection, The Unheimlich Manoeuvre, is a book that refuses to stay quiet. Originally released as a limited edition by Boo Books in 2016, it was nominated for Best Collection in the 2017 British Fantasy Society Awards. In 2018 a second edition was published by the Sinister Horror Company.

---