Laura’s thoughts on writing, culture, and the supernatural
Laura’s Favourite Book #3: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
There had not been this many words sounded in our house for a long time, and it was going to take a while to clean them out.
Yiddishkeit and horror stories
The Ashkenazim have a long and dark history combined with living in Central and Eastern Europe. This has led to a rich folklore full of forests, doppelgangers, and questions over the complexity of a human soul.
Five Queer writers who have influenced me
Discovering the modernist and postmodernist scene was a game-changer for me: all those evocative images captured in as few words as possible. And often, these poets were just a little bit Queer.
Six spooky short stories just in time for summer
From Charles Dickens to Daphne du Maurier, I love a quick spinechiller. Yes, I know, it’s nearly summer, but here are my six spooky short story suggestions, ideal for a skin-shivering quick read under a parasol…
Laura’s Favourite Book #2: Brighton Rock
Brighton Rock is intense to say the least. It may be a classic race against time thriller, but it’s also a strange, heady mix of poverty-sticken provincialism and the potential damnation of one’s eternal soul.
Laura’s Favourite Book #1: Rebecca
Why is Rebecca one of my favourite books? Well, the big twist holds up every time I read it, the protagonist’s anxieties become mine, and the atmosphere at Manderley is a heady mix of claustrophobia and lushness.