The Circle
All three of the short stories in this novel are related. I liked two of the three stories as I thought the third story just was too weird for me. I like weird, I really do, but that story was way out there for me. I wanted to read a novel by Bentley Little for Halloween Bingo this year and time is closing in on me so this novel is what I have choosen. Three short stories, one gross but richly, one greedy and dark and one driven and brutal.
The first short story is about a boy in a loin cloth. Helen is at home alone when this boy runs into her house, runs purposely into her bathroom and shuts the door. She waits and finally he opens the door and runs out. She runs after him. He runs into their garage. Strange? Yes. But, what is even stranger is, what Helen finds in her bathroom when she checks. She cannot let this boy leave now. Helen believes that her future lies within this boy. This tale gets even more twisted as it progresses and I was dying to know what other secrets this boy held. It’s a gross one but rich.
The second short story is about a group of boys who want to visit a shrine which is in the backyard of a woman who is thought to be a witch. It’s the opportunity to have a wish granted but what would that wish be? This could be a fun adventure or it could be a trip they wished they never attempted.
The last story is exciting! There is screaming out on the street and a neighbor goes out to investigate. This neighbor has been watching his horror films as what transpires, tells me that this man is not taking any chances. I enjoyed the depth and breadth of his undertaking as he tries to come to grips with what a young boy tells him he has seen just a few minutes ago. Oh, this neighbor is driven and this story is brutal.
This was a very short novel and one that I enjoyed immensely. Bentley Little, I will be reading you in the future.
I am using this novel for Halloween Bingo, my Terror in a Small Town square.
