HORROR

Immortelle

Off Limits. Jul. 2021. 118p. ISBN 9781737463306. pap. $13. HORROR
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Welsh author McCarthy’s (Mists and Megaliths; Door: And Other Twisted Tales) new novella is named for the funerary decorative objects—immortelles were dried flowers placed in globe containers and left by graves to venerate the departed. McCarthy explores the immortelle via Elinor, a grieving mother who crafts an immortelle for her daughter, who was killed under mysterious circumstances. Other townspeople begin to request immortelles from Elinor, while she seeks answers as to who took her daughter’s life and plots revenge. Tensions mount as Elinor begins to suspect the parish priest and turns to spells and the supernatural. Things take a darker turn as Elinor’s path becomes clearer.
VERDICT With this novella, McCarthy has solidified her position as an heir to the canon of British women novelists, including Tanith Lee and Sarah Pinborough. This title would make a great addition to a “women in horror” library display.
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