J.R. Hamantaschen's Faithfully and Lovingly was published by West Pigeon Press in July 2016.
Information about J.R. Hamantaschen:
J.R. is a part time fiction writer. His work has appeared in several dozen magazines and anthologies. Generally disdainful of publicizing himself or his work, he has published intermittently, never maintained a personal website, and changed his surname frequently over the years. His debut short story collection, You Shall Never Know Security, was published in 2011. His second short story collection, With a Voice that is Often Still Confused But is Becoming Ever Louder and Clearer, was published in 2015.
Information about Faithfully and Lovingly:
Brian and Katie, a young couple living in Washington, D.C., find themselves in a monstrous situation and facing an unexpected and horrifying moral dilemma. A story of anger, fidelity, morality and violence. From the author of the celebrated collections “You Shall Never Know Security” and “A Voice that is Often Still Confused but is Becoming Ever Louder and Clearer” and the co-host of the popular podcast “The Horror of Nachos and Hamantaschen.”
A REVIEW OF J.R. HAMANTASCHEN'S FAITHFULLY AND LOVINGLY
J.R. Hamantaschen's Faithfully and Lovingly is a dark fantasy/horror novella for adults. It will please readers of dark fiction, because it's a subtle and thought-provoking story about change, love, afterlife and vengeance. It will be of interest to those who have enjoyed reading the author's previous stories. It also serves as an excellent entry point to newcomers, because it gives readers a glimpse into the author's dark imagination and demonstrates his writing style.
Because there may be readers out there who are not familiar with J.R. Hamantaschen and his fiction, here are a few words about him. J.R. Hamantaschen has gradually made a name for himself as a writer of intriguing dark fiction. With his two short story collections (You Shall Never Know Security and A Voice that is Often Still Confused but is Becoming Ever Louder and Clearer) he has cemented his place as one of the masters of contemporary dark fiction. His stories range from dark fantasy to horror, but some of them can be best classified simply as dark fiction.
When I read Faithfully and Lovingly, I noticed that it was slightly different from the author's previous stories. This novella shows that J.R. Hamantaschen has developed quite a lot as an author and is capable of writing about dark deeds and thoughts in an engaging way. I was positively surprised by how fresh and interesting the story was and how good the ending was.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
Brian and Katie are a couple who live in Washington, D.C. Brian is a graphic designer and Katie is a speech pathologist for the learning disabled. Katie is interested in a position at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. When Brian is violently robbed and dies, things change for both of them. Twenty-eight months later Katie has settled into her new life with Trevor, but her life is disrupted by Brian coming back to haunt him...
The characterisation is good, because J.R. Hamantaschen has created realistic protagonists who have their own feelings, flaws and problems. The author observantly examines the complex relationship between Brian and Katie, because he brings out their differences and writes believably about their problems. He also writes well about what happens between Katie and Trevor, because their life changes when Brian begins to haunt Katie.
It was chilling to read about what Brian did after he died and how he felt about Katie and Trevor's relationship, because he was vengeful and felt that Katie didn't love him. There was something raw and untamed about his emotions that felt unsettling.
I enjoy J.R. Hamantaschen's evocative and striking writing style, because he fluently describes what happens to the characters and how they feel about different things. He easily draws readers into the story by writing about everyday life that is disrupted by something strange and unexpected.
I also like the way the author writes about sex. His approach to sexual situations feels intriguingly bold and uninhibited, because he doesn't shy away from difficult issues.
It's great that Faithfully and Lovingly has a bit of dark and witty humour in it, because it fits the story. I won't go into details about the events in order to avoid writing spoilers, but I can mention that when Katie and Brian meet Mindy, who's an old family acquaintance of Katie, readers are treated to a memorable scene in which Brian loses his self control over something that Mindy says to them and can't help but laugh at what he hears. This brilliant scene is darkly amusing.
I can highly recommend J.R. Hamantaschen's Faithfully and Lovingly to speculative fiction readers, because it's excellent. If you are looking for new dark fiction to read, please consider reading this novella, because it's refreshingly different from other modern dark fiction stories. It will linger on your mind for a long time after you've read it.
Highly recommended!
(PS. If you find this novella enjoyable, I recommend taking a look at the author's short story collections, because they contain fascinating and thought-provoking stories.)