enjoyed during the most wonderful (and darkest) time of the year," including:“Is Your Blood As Red As This?” by Helen OyeyemiRead about the other entries on the list.
Oyeyemi’s collection of linked short stories is brighter in palette than some of her more gothic work, but the stories themselves are no less eerie for it, especially “Is Your Blood…” which manages to blend an unusual arts academy, a haunted brass puppet, and a young woman who can see spirits together into a tale of relationships, how an artist’s disposition can affect their art, and the weird ways we connect with one others—even if those others aren’t quite human. It’s a strange story, bursting with odd details and strange flourishes (like the nihilistic puppets of one of the art students, and the fear amid the puppet collection that they might all be split up) that only serve to deepen the weird sense of humanity and empathy the narrative creates.
--Marshal Zeringue
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