Postcards #14

That's a joke, though we are moving so it seems apt. I may not post as often for a while as it's ramping up and I'm also working on book revisions, so bear with me.

Don't many dark and horrific tales begin with a move to a new town, though? A strange place with seemingly friendly people and fun festivals?

Here is a tiny list of entertaining and terrifying short stories and novels you will enjoy if this kind of rural terror sounds intriguing to you. I will stick to moving-related stories.

Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon

A family moves to an idyllic little community that has pointedly refused modernity. An important festival is coming and is causing conflict within the community and the new family. Curiosity drives the new resident, Ned, to pry. He shouldn't have.

Rainy Season is a favorite, from Stephen King's short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes

A couple comes to Willow, Maine having rented a house, only to be told they need to leave for one night. They do not.

Cunning Folk by Adam Nevill

A family in financial straights moves to the English countryside to renovate a house. The prior owner committed suicide. Their neighbors are....freakishly odd.

The Farm by Scott Nicholson

A woman leaves her big city job and marries a religion professor and moves to a small Appalachian town. She thinks it will help her struggling 13-year-old daughter. Nothing goes as planned.

Blood Vintage by J.F. Penn

A young woman flees to the country to start over and work at a vineyard. She finds herself in a world of ancient practices subject to a cycle as old as time. The winery owner has plans for her.

Next time I'll give you a list of books involving people who've had to return to their rural home towns. They left for a reason and hoped never to return.

If you like your fiction with a few chickens, please check out Chicken Story Time over on Substack at poisonivyhouse.substack.com

Back to the story,

Lyndsey

Photo: Aden Percem