‘This Book Belongs to Olo’ & ‘The Story’ – Ronald Malfi (From the collection ‘Ghostwritten’ – Titan Books)

 


As I’ve mentioned previously, the plan was to have a post here for each of the novellas from Ronald Malfi’s ‘Ghostwritten’ collection. I started off well with ‘The Skin of Her Teeth’ and was pretty pleased when I kept things going with ‘The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride’ (last week was tough, the blog was lucky to get any posts at all…) And while things continued in that manner, over the weekend, when I read ‘This Book Belongs to Olo’; my reading plans ended up hitting a bump. I should have seen it coming really… I finished ‘This Book Belongs to Olo’ and just kept going, I didn’t want to wait for another week ;o)

That should tell you all you need to know about my experience with ‘Ghostwritten’ but that would make for a very short post here so I’ll tell you about those final two novellas in a minute. As far as the collection, as a whole, goes, I would highly recommend you give ‘Ghostwritten’ a go if you haven’t already. And if you have, well… read it again. I will be doing just that ;o) There is some really thoughtful horror to be had here and it’s the kind of horror that will stick around long after you’ve finished reading. Creepy as hell, genuinely unsettling and all linked in the most subtle of ways; each novella very much stands on its own but there is also a lot to had from spotting those links and watching a shadowy world build up around the edges of the plot.

But lets talk about those last two novellas. I’m afraid that quick thoughts are the order of the day, today is going to be a busy one, work in the morning and hospital in the afternoon…

‘This Book Belongs to Olo’

Page Count: 136 Pages

In which there is a lot more to Olo’s birthday party than anyone could have guessed, especially when he opens his ‘home-made’ pop-up book…

As much as I enjoyed this novella, and I did, my final thoughts weren’t so much about Olo as they were about his mother; there is definitely a tale waiting to be told there and I’d happily read it. It would certainly tie into the wider themes being explored in ‘Ghostwritten’. Anyway… :o)

I know I started off by talking about Olo’s Mum but don’t worry, Olo’s story is just as compelling, horrifying and just a little bit sad, all at the same time. Olo is a child who either has the power to alter reality or lives in a ‘space’ adjacent to the wellspring of that power. The horror, and tragedy, of it is that Olo uses that power in just the way that a lonely child would; creating moments of sheer terror for anyone caught within his orbit, just like that old ‘Twilight Zone’ story, ‘It’s a Good Life’. Olo’s relentless optimism adds a real bittersweet note to the story, especially when you see that he is incapable of realizing his own fate. I’d love to be able to ‘see the good’ like Olo does but I’m not sure I’d pay that price. ‘This Book Belongs to Olo’ is one of those horror tales where you finish reading and go to check on your own kids, just to see if they’re ok.

‘The Story’

Page Count: 106 Pages

In which a journalist comes across an on-line ‘choose your adventure’ book and finds out, the hard way, that ‘The Story’ is one that you do not want to finish.

It has been a couple of days since I finished ‘The Story’ and I’ll be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my head around what happened, what may have happened and what (probably) didn’t happen. What a way to round off ‘Ghostwritten’, with a tale that is brimming over with tension, paranoia and days that just disappear, the only evidence that they happened at all is the state of Grady’s flat. ‘The Story’ raises a lot of questions and the only answer you get is, ‘maybe… you figure it out’. Well, that’s what I’m (still) trying to do but the journey, that the reader takes with Grady, is worth the price of admission in the meantime. I’ll definitely be reading ‘The Story’ again.

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