Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners is a mind-meltingly weird collection of perfectly-crafted literary fantasy and horror stories. In each, Link gradually establishes a complex external logic for the world circumscribed in the story. Some of the stories, like the frightening and sinister Catskin, borrow from classic fairy tale tropes. Others, like the bizarre The Hortlak and Some Zombie Contingency Plans turn the characters and conventions of horror on their heads. Link also plays with metafictional structures to great effect, writing self-reflective stories within stories that will keep your head spinning for days. In all of the stories, however, these narrative elements are delicately built upon a solid foundation of realistic human interaction; they are stories of mothers and children, estranged lovers and lovesick teenagers. Every aspect of these stories is a compelling argument that the world inside the pages is reality, and that our own lives can only pale in comparison.

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Recommended by Sara D.