Guises | ||||||||
Charlee Jacob | ||||||||
Delirium Books, 288 pages | ||||||||
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A review by Lisa DuMond
Within Guises, Jacob explores endless variations of the masks -- literal and figurative -- that hide
human frailties and reveal the true nature of the wearer. From the works of art in the titular story to
the seemingly surface attraction of the weary hero of "The Piper," the nature of the camouflage ranges
from the breathtakingly beautiful to heart-stopping horror. And sometimes, the extremes are indistinguishable
from each other. Such is the makeup of appearances.
One of the most effective stories, "The Santa Ana Winds," is a brief and chilling tale wherein it is
impossible to discern how much of the masks surrounding a grieving woman are genuine and how much are a
reflection of her own beliefs. Perhaps more important is the face she reveals to the nightmarish world of her existence.
In Guises, all parties are in disguise; it is recognizing that truth that is essential to drawing every nuance from the stories.
"Four Elements And An Emphatic Moon" takes the deceptive nature of exteriors to a higher level, leading
readers through incarnations of the body as well as transformations of the face, in a tale of obsession and
hide-and-seek across the span of history. The endlessly searching Crainte dons her masks to follow doggedly
after one of the other focuses of Jacob's work: love, or at least something that looks like it from the inside.
Make no mistake; seen from the outside, there is little within these dark stories and poems that could be
genuinely classified as love. Within Jacob's lush prose there is an excess of emotion, but few would put
it down to such tender feelings. In Guises, as in virtually all of her work, Jacob returns again
and again to the explicit dissection of all things sexual. She handles it deftly, disturbingly, never more
than a twist of phrase from another excursion into her peculiar take on sex at its most repulsive.
If there is a weakness to Guises, it is the fault uncovered whenever Jacob's work is
seen in collection. Taken separately, each story's impact is a solid body blow, but read in concentration the
examination of sex loses its power and begins to feel like just one more obsession -- this time of the author. One
begins to await the next graphic encounter with more ennui than apprehension. There is a point at which another
focus would be extremely welcome, amidst the constant flogging of a mortally wounded, if not dead, horse.
Will that minor caveat turn any readers away? Hardly. Charlee Jacob has not gotten to her impressive domination
of the horror field by disappointing fans, and those fans know exactly what they're getting into with Guises.
In between reviews, articles, and interviews, Lisa DuMond writes science fiction and humour. DARKERS, her latest novel, was published in August 2000 by Hard Shell Word Factory. She has also written for BOOKPAGE and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Her articles and short stories are all over the map. You can check out Lisa and her work at her website hikeeba!. |
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