The Respectable Face of Tyranny
by Gary
Fry
Spectral
Press (2012)
82 pages
Quiet horror is something of a real treat to read, especially after
reading something blatantly shocking or terrifying. It was after a
particular graphic novel that I turned to Gary Fry's Respectable
Face of Tyranny as a kind of decompression. The thing about quiet
horror though, is how it can claw at the back of your mind a tad more
insidiously than the knife-wielding maniacs.
In this novella, Josh, a divorcee dad, has moved to a quiet coastal
town in the wake of a financial drubbing in his portfolio, not to
mention the shellacking his ex-wife's lawyer put on him. The idyllic
little burg is meant to serve as a getaway from the hustle, and
hopefully offer a way to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Sally.
It's not working out. Josh's mind is consumed with what amounts to a
quietly devastated life and he's at a loss to put things back
together. And it's starting to take a real toll on the relationship
he has with Sally, who has started into her rebellious stage. During
introspective walks along the seaside, Josh sees strange things along
the beach, including--but not limited to--odd scratchings of symbols
in the sand and macabre creatures etched into the cliffs--and just as
tall.
While I didn't connect with Josh all that much as a character, I was
rapt by the imagery Gary provides through this tale. The weird comes
out in fits and bursts, and keeps you guessing as to whether it's all
in Josh's mind or if there are things in the little town that are
starting to come out of the woodwork. The alchemy of the
father-daughter relationship rings true, and I actually wound up
feeling more fearful for Sally than Josh.
Another engaging little gem from the folks at Spectral Press.
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