Synopsis:
In Lucky Girl, Ro, a struggling writer, knows all too well the pain and solitude that holiday festivities can awaken. When she meets four people at the local diner—all of them strangers and as lonely as Ro is—she invites them to an impromptu Christmas dinner. And when that party seems in danger of an early end, she suggests they each tell a ghost story. One that’s seasonally appropriate.
But Ro will come to learn that the horrors hidden in a Christmas tale—or one’s past—can never be tamed once unleashed.
Edition:
E-ARC provided by Net Galley
My Thoughts:
I am not sure I was the right audience for Lucky Girl. I thought, going in, that I was in for something akin to Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, but in hindsight, it is ridiculous to expect an author to accomplish in 112 pages what took Straub something north of 500 pages.
Honestly, I really feel like that is my chief complaint with this story – it is just too short. There isn’t enough time to really become invested in the characters, in my opinion.
I like the premise – Orphan’s Christmas? Check. I often attend those myself (my parents are both still alive, but my family is unfortunately not very close). Spooky stories? Hell yeah! But, based on the way the book ends (by a long shot the strongest part of this tale), I think it isn’t near as impactful as it could be because we just don’t have enough time with the characters to build up our Give-a-Shit-Meters™️. At least I didn’t.
I will say this though – Rickert can definitely write. I just wish this story had been fleshed out a tad more.
Review:
It was fine. But as mentioned, I don’t think Lucky Girl was a good fit for me. If you like Krampus, or are particularly keen on novellas, I’d totally give it a shot. At worst you’re losing like an hour or two. It’s fine, unless you would otherwise be using that time in saving-the-word type endeavors.
Who knows – maybe you’ll love it. If you do, please let me know!
Lucky Girl - How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story By M. Rickert Tor.com Published: September 13, 2022 ISBN: 9781250817334 Paperback, E-book 112 Pages
