Review: Monica J. never disappoints.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2012
Monica J. O'Rourke, <strong>Jasmine and Garlic</strong> (Biting Dog Press, 2011)If you've read Monica O'Rourke's stuff before, you know what you're in for here (and if you haven't, for the love of pete, hop to): visceral, over-the-top horror with just enough of an underlying tone of sexiness to make it really, really disturbing. (Sometimes it's not just an underlying tone--there's a story or two in <em>Experiments in Human Nature</em> that push all the right buttons at all the right times, erotically--but that's the exception, not the rule.) And "Jasmine and Garlic", which starts off sounding like an abortion morality play and ends up going in a very, very different direction, fits the bill perfectly. Short, gross, and very, very ugly. (Kind of like Richard Wagner, but with more gore and less power chords.) As usual, there's a deft hand for drawing characters in a very short space, a solid plot, and all the blood, body parts, and other assorted nastiness you'd care to think about. Also as usual, not for the weak of heart or stomach: but for those who know what they're in for, it's pure balm for the soul. ***