DAYS OF UNEASE

An overwhelming sense of dread permeates each of the six short tales in Ford’s collection.

In the story “The End,” Professor Todd nods off during a late night at the office working on his debut fiction novel. When he awakens, the world seems to be in disarray; while the U.S. and other nations brace themselves for war, strangers at the professor’s office drop shocking news concerning his late mother. Are these the first signs of impending global doom? (“An unnatural hush hung over the world; something massive and unseen was absorbing the ambient sounds of everything that moved.”) “Not Counting Hope” takes place in a harrowing alternate world in which slavery was never abolished in America. Benjamin and his wife, Darling, who are both Black, work for “employers” (the modern term for owners). An enslaved person out past curfew will likely land in a subterranean holding cell, but Benjamin, who has no idea why Darling suddenly vanished or where she is, vows to track her down. Ford propels these riveting stories with psychological scares in lieu of more overt horror or thriller genre conventions. For example, “Apparitions” is, generally speaking, a ghost story: In the late-19th century, Londoner Cecilia Blessington moves to her grandparents’ Boston home after they die under mysterious circumstances. She hears inexplicable noises at night, like a creaking floor. Her ensuing investigation amps up suspense—it’s only a matter of time before she checks the basement. Similarly, in the book’s ominous closing tale “Obsidian Sky,” the moon’s bizarre disappearance practically incites a panic as the world’s citizens demand an explanation. Underneath the subtle horror lie profound recurring themes of systemic racism, unwavering family loyalty, and the acceptance and inevitability of death. Readers will easily knock these stories off in a sitting—the only real complaint is that this stellar collection is over too soon.

These somber, hard-hitting, and memorable stories boost tension and never let up.