[Review] Palimpsest by Caitlin Marceau

Palimpsest

Caitlin Marceau

Ghost Orchid Press

⅘ Stars

By Marina Garrido

Trigger Warnings: implied cannibalism, child abuse, murder, body horror.

Palimpsest is Marceau’s first collection, and it’s composed of one poem and 13 stories, most of which were previously published in anthologies and magazines. The writing flows seemingly in all stories, which are medium-paced and mostly center around the supernatural. The characters are well-developed and have distinct voices, so realistic that it crushed me every time one of them met a less-than-pleasant fate. In terms of themes, the author gravitates towards disease-centered apocalyptic scenarios (Infected and Helena), whiteout snowstorms (Whiteout and Hunger), and cults (Little Black Book and Centre Ice). Marceau also puts a new spin on two of the most classic monsters, the zombie (Helena) and the vampire (Highway 16). She was able to give these monsters a fresh take, which, considering their position as pillars of the horror genre, is no easy task.

My major criticism of this collection was that the strongest stories (Run, Stuck, Little Black Book, and Infected) were positioned one after the other, right at the beginning of the collection. This positioning sets the bar way too high, and it makes the second half of the book disappointing, even though all the stories are well-written and have interesting plots. I believe that spreading out the aforementioned tales throughout the collection would’ve made the reading experience more balanced and enjoyable; however, it was still a very pleasant read. As touching on every story would make this review way too long, I’ll be taking a closer look at my favorites.

Run: A boy makes an unexpected friend while trying to avoid his bullies, and that friendship quickly changes his life. I absolutely love horror stories revolving around kids, and this one reminded me of Stephen King’s IT, which is one of the highest compliments. The characters have distinct personalities and voices, the plot is compelling, and the ending doesn’t disappoint either.

Stuck: There’s not much I can say about this one without spoiling anything. I strongly suggest you go into it blind if you can. The main character doesn’t move or speak at all during the story, which consists of only her inner monologue, and yet, this is one of the best stories I’ve ever read.

Little Black Book: My absolute favorite story from this book, this tale is  a fun twist on the figure of the “crossroads demon.” It depicts them as the all-too-familiar door-to-door solicitor who tries to convince people to join their congregation by offering the possibility of their greatest desire…. for a price. This one was short, sweet, and hilarious. I’d love to read a whole novel about these demons and their business practices.

Infected: Due to the COVID global pandemic that has been happening since 2020, I advise caution approaching this story, as it depicts a scenario a little too close to our current reality, and that can be very triggering. We follow a woman who’s being detained in a prison-like camp, and the story alternates between her current situation and flashbacks that explain how she got there. Even though this was written in 2014, it depicts a future that seems way too possible considering these past two years (2020/2021), and because of that, it was the story that impacted me the most.

Palimpsest is due for release on 16th March. and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon: https://geni.us/palimpsest or the online shop: https://ghostorchidpress.square.site/