Sam's Reviews > The Visible Filth

Nathan Ballingrud writes certifiably creepy stories, that is safe to assume from the general reception of his debut collection, the Shirley Jackson Award-winning collection NORTH AMERICAN LAKE MONSTERS. I will defintely concur

While he does write scenes that can make my skin crawl, the thing that really stands out to me is the emotionally devastating treatment of interpersonal relationships. THE VISIBLE FILTH, like many of his stories, features a troubled couple who have thoughts and feelings that will be painfully recognizable to anyone who has been there. Ballingrud hypnotizes you with precise and painful descriptions as the relationships change or decay, then abruptly snaps your head back into the truly weird and unsettling things that going on.

This is a great story with a great presentation. The cover has beautiful art from Pye Parr, the layout is very clean and easy to read, and at 64 pages you are getting a substantial story. I would have actually liked it to be longer, maybe a novel, but only because I really enjoy Ballingrud's writing and I'm greedy. The story is suitably mysterious, maybe it is best left that way. Still... Absolutely recommended.