I’m not the biggest fan of the horror genre in any form. In fact, I have recently complained to some of my writers about the number of horror films we’ve covered this year already. But when one of the YouTubers I follow, @WillowTalksBooks, announced she had written a book of horror short stories, I decided to give this one a try. Willow Heath’s book, Managing and Other Lies: A Queer Horror Collection, provides not only some scary stories to keep you up at night, but provides some insight into the trans experience, as most of the stories have trans or Queer characters in them.
Story #1: “Managing”
The first story, “Managing,” is the longest in the collection, at 87 pages long, and may be the best in this book. This story is written in first person as a journal, by an unnamed protagonist who has been hired to clean and maintain a home on the outskirts of an English village. Our protagonist describes the increasingly unsetting happenings in the at first seemingly empty, creepy gothic maze of a house.
While it starts a little slowly, after a certain point it became a real page turner of a story that made me gasp aloud or squirm multiple times. I will share the warning that this one does have some “body horror”, assault and other potential triggers which some may want to avoid. This doesn’t feel like a story that this just written like that to shock, but instead has a lot more depth to it, and things to think about afterward.
It isn’t immediately clear from the journal entries what the sex of our protagonist is, but it’s clear this is someone who has been struggling and trying to find themselves after a breakup (an extremely relatable feeling for most people). Eventually, we learn that this protagonist has inner struggles with their identity and sexuality, and fear connected with that, as well as having to face scorn and bias for not conforming to what much of society sees as acceptable. But of course, this is a kind of ghost story, and there are some twists and turns as we explore this person’s story, and the home they have been sent to “tidy up.”
The home itself is cold, and gothic and maze like, and seemingly empty at first. When a mysterious older woman appears in one of the bedrooms, and a gruff older man appears to “help” with the garden, things get more interesting. Without revealing any spoilers, the two ghost-like characters, and the home itself, feel like they are also representing different pieces of our protagonist; as they struggle with their own identity, their fear, anger, and desire to be transformed, so they can finally find themselves and be happy.
“Managing” offers a lot to think about in regard to not only the trans experience, or the Queer experience, but just being a woman. The idea of that some of us are not being allowed to have autonomy over our own bodies, and facing toxic masculinity when we don’t fall in line, is something that connects with both of groups.
There is some body horror elements, but of course, there are some aspects of fully transitioning one’s sex to another that could seem quite frightening in a similar sense, so it suits this story. It’s also an interesting look at the psychology and thinking of a person in that situation, trying to wrestle with two halves of themselves (the alluring feminine and a rather toxic masculine one which our protagonist would like to be rid of). In addition, this protagonist is quite anxious and fearful of what has to be done to be happy or feel “normal” and be accepted in a world which is not very accepting.
Other stories in Managing and Other Lies
As mentioned, several but not all of the stories in this collection feature someone who is trans or from the Queer community. They are written in different styles as well, which I wasn’t at first expecting, but it produced an interesting contrast.
Story #2 “Chloe.claire1” is written in the form of social media posts and DMs between a trans YouTuber and a slightly obsessive and very lonely fan. I was at first skeptical about how this format might work as a story, but I admit, like “Managing,” I felt drawn in by what was happening and reading other meaning into the messages.
As someone who has been on social media as a “scooper” and running a website, I have occasionally received similar messages that feel like a person reaching out because they are lonely, or they want something from me. I tend to be a bit leery of those messages, particularly if people seem very persistent and pushy. This story has made me feel even moreso that way, as it gradually fed into my fears about allowing those people to get too close or know too much about me. (So again, aspects of this story are quite relatable).
That being said, you do feel a lot of empathy for Claire, the obsessive fan who is stuck in an abusive home. Claire questions their own sexual identity while reaching out to YouTuber Faye, who has recently come out to her following as a trans woman. In my circles on social media, I have seen a similar story told by several people about them being stuck in a similar situation, and trying to break free. It is always heartbreaking to see those from the LGBTQ+ community feeling forced to stay with family in an abusive situation where their family refuses to support or even accept who they are.
“A Mother’s Love” is the next story in the collection, has a similar theme of family and acceptance, or lack thereof. This one is instead told in play format, with mostly dialogue and a little stage direction. At the center of this is piece is a very real feeling conversation between parent and child about her coming out as a trans woman (again, a relatable scene for many), and then things go horribly wrong. Add into the mix a bizarre and terrifying ghost of a man which only Cassandra can see.
Now, I said that “Managing” might be the best story of this collection, but “We Understand Each Other Perfectly” is a close contender. This story, again, features a trans protagonist. This story uses the sort of teen runaway hitchhiker “cautionary tale” but with the twist of making our villain someone who at first seems like a fairly safe person to travel with, a woman.
As with the other stories, things go horribly wrong, and this is one of the more terrifying stories in Managing and Other Lies in my opinion. It delves into TERFs and toxic feminist behavior towards the trans community. This story left me thoroughly unsettled by the end, enough that I had to put the book down for a while after reading.
“Baby” the next to last story, is simply dialogue, but it is surprisingly effective as the story moves along, and we understand how frightening and upsetting the situation is for two new parents.
Lastly, “Little Blue Sticky Notes” appears to be the only non-Queer story, written about an abused woman whose husband has been killed, and her trying to move on with her life without him. But as with the other stories, things don’t go well. This story felt like a bit of a sad note to end on, but then it’s a collection of horror stories, so I don’t know what I was expecting. I’m more of the cozy fantasy with happy endings type.
Willow Heath’s Managing and Other Lies is both unsettling and thought-provoking
My personal reaction to some of the stories aside (truly I am a soft-hearted scaredy-cat and these types of stories aren’t my bag), the stories are well written, intriguing, and page turners. I also appreciated reading some stories from the trans perspective, to help widen my own knowledge and understanding in this sense.
My Rating: 8/10
Managing and Other Lies: A Queer Horror Collection by Willow Heath is available on Amazon on paperback or for Kindle. You can find out more about Willow via her YouTube channel Willow Talks Books and website Books and Bao. (See Willow’s LinkTree for those links). In 2023 Willow Heath also narrated the audiobook for The LGBTQ+ History Book if you’d like to check that out on audible.
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