Hello, spooky readers! It's me, Briana. I'm back with another indie horror review. This time, we'll be discussing Hailey Piper's book Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy. Besides some solid scares, the collection contains some seething social commentary, and I can't wait to share a little more about it here.
Hailey Piper does it again. Anyone else who appreciates her work will be happy to hear that her latest collection,Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, does not disappoint.
Released in May 2021, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy is a read I couldn't wait to get my hands on this year. If you haven't read the book, here's the back cover summary to give you an idea of what we're getting into:
Love twisted into horrific shapes, nightmares driven by cruel music, and a world where what little light remains fractures the sky into midnight rainbows in eighteen stories tracing the dark veins of queer horror, isolation, and the monstrous feminine.
The universe unwinds to the tune of a malicious ice cream truck jingle in “We All Scream”. “The Law of Conservation of Death” dictates that a ghost pursue his prey across her every reincarnation. Superstitions thrive even in the distant future and across the stars when a colony shuttle mounts a witch trial in “Hairy Jack”. And try to “Forgive the Adoring Beast” as it scavenges a world of dead gods for tokens of bloody affection.
Including two new short stories and a never-before-published novelette, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy digs deep inside us and clings to the beating nightmare heart you always knew was there.
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I'm not sure which of Piper's stories I read first, but I've been hooked on her fiction ever since. One of her stories, Unkindly Girls, appeared in last summer's Worst Laid Plans anthology, edited by Samantha Kolesnik, and I knew I had to seek more of her work. Right now, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy is sitting pretty at #17 in LGBT Horror Fiction, #63 in LGBTQ+ Horror eBooks, and #774 in Lesbian Fiction on the Amazon charts. Its spot there is well-earned. Although it isn't Pride Month anymore, support this queer author by picking up this collection or something else of hers soon.
Author, Hailey Piper
In Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, Piper introduces strong female characters, challenges stereotypical LGBTQ+ tropes and representation, and blends various horror subgenres, from body horror to cosmic horror and everything in between. Out of all eighteen stories, it's hard to pick a favorite. However, "Recitation of the First Feeding" left a lasting impression on me. I also loved "Demons of a Particular Taste." While giving you an overview of these stories, I'll try not to spoil too much.
"Recitation of the First Feeding" is the last story in the collection, and it packs quite a punch. Besides containing a line that inspires the title, this story features a unique tale of identity and coming into one's own. We follow a boy named Alex as he strives to stop an entity from stealing his sister's dolls and his mother's cosmetics—and leaving Alex to take the blame for it. Along the way, he discovers a posse of demons called the Culinary Court... and things get pretty spooky and ghastly from there.
Like "Recitation of the First Feeding," "Demons of a Particular Taste" stuck its claws into my brain. In this tale, Piper plays with demons and an exorcism—two elements I can never pass up and that are very much in my wheelhouse. Though the prose feels effortless in this one and does a phenomenal job of showcasing Piper's sense of humor, it still incites a sense of dread. I loved the discovery of the truth of the exorcism ritual and how it affects the women's relationship. That's all I can say. Go read it!
These are just two stories out of a whopping eighteen in the collection, including two new, exclusive pieces not published anywhere else. If you're looking for a short story collection to explore, I can't recommend Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy by Hailey Piper enough. This book gets 5/5 stars from me. You can purchase the book on Amazon, add it to your to-read list on Goodreads, or purchase it from several other retailers. I also recommend following Piper on Instagram and Twitter. This woman is going places.
Briana Morgan (she/her) is a horror author and playwright of books such as THE TRICKER-TREATER AND OTHER STORIES, UNBOXED, and BLOOD AND WATER. She is also a proud member of the Horror Writers Association. Briana lives with her partner and two cats in Atlanta, GA.
