Bridgett Nelson’s debut fiction collection,
A Bouquet of Viscera, presents a set of horror tales that range from the darkly fanciful to
the most deeply, personally disturbing. There's not a single tale that
doesn't hit most or all of the right notes. Many of the stories draw upon
her real-life experience in the medical field to build a believable — and
usually unsettling — backdrop. Apart from a scant handful of issues that a
little editing would fix, Nelson's prose is assured, powerful, and
immersive. Standout stories include "Aura," "Cooked," and "Jinx"; and
their companion tales are scarcely less noteworthy.
The cover,
by Lynne Hansen, couldn't capture the overall feel of this
collection any better. Good stuff all-around.
