I love short stories because the good ones can encapsulate a fully formed plot including themes and character development in a bite sized, single sitting morsel. Throwing Shadows: A Dark Collection is a series of nine short stories that perfectly capture the essence of a campfire story. The title’s name is a clever reflection of shadows being thrown by firelight. It gives a forewarning of what to expect—something relatably eerie and potentially scary, but not sinister enough to linger once the shadows dissipate. Through these stories, Roth presents a tireless exploration of various branches of fear within the human psyche.

Roth showed finesse in his descriptions, and his imagery is easily seen in the reader’s mind. The well-paced narratives and complex characters highlight the nuanced stories. His stories touched on various themes ranging from domestic abuse to bullying, the supernatural to spiritualism, technology to PTSD, grief to parenthood, mental illness to post- and pre-partum conditions .

It was evident Roth was influenced by the thriller / horror masters—Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King—and nostalgic works such as The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, and Nightmares & Dreamscapes . Without being overtly horrifying, Roth captured the essence of fear, and that is to be applauded. Sitting comfortably in an atmosphere of nostalgia and contemporary plotlines, these stories fully embraced the ‘scary stories around a campfire’ trope, and it added to the book’s originality. Roth knows his audience, and he wrote for them.

I would be remiss to not commend Roth’s ability to describe female pregnancy and post pregnancy conditions as succinctly as he did. In the opening and closing stories, Roth presented two different perspectives on pregnancy and motherhood, and did so with an eloquence and understanding of the tightrope new mothers walk between psychosis and reality. In addition to his unimaginably accurate portrayal of a solely female condition, Roth’s understanding of general mental instability and internal monologues were also astonishingly unerring and unnerving; each demonstrated his acute understanding of the human psyche. This cognizance fueled his plotlines and characters, and it added to the relatability and believability of each story .

A caveat to these stories is the high predictability factor. The plots for many were refreshed urban legends or familiar stories heard at sleep away camps or sleepovers. Less nostalgia would have been better, but it didn’t dilute the enjoyment of these stories. Rather it reflected the range of creators that influenced Roth. In fact, it showed Roth’s respect and admiration for the pioneers of times past. That said, there were a few tropes embedded in several of the stories, but each had a slight twist that refreshed them. A few even surprised me.

Like any compilation, collection, or anthology, there will be stories a reader will connect with more than others. This resonance varies by reader, as each will bring their own frames of reference to the reading. That is no different here. While each story is incredibly well written and enjoyable, I didn’t connect with them all the same. I will refrain from distinguishing those from others.

As for the book’s layout, there was also a quirk to the font where some words cast a shadow. In the beginning, I believed it a printing issue, then when realizing it was by design, I attempted to figure out if the shadowed words hid a clue, you know an ‘Easter Egg,’ but sadly, that was not the case. It was just a way of grounding the book’s title and ethos as a compilation of campfire stories. While I can appreciate its purpose, it did get somewhat distracting toward the end of the book.

Throwing Shadows is an entertaining read that has more depth than a shadow . The stories are engaging and the characters compelling. It’s the perfect read for this season, Fall, when the wind brings a chill to the air, and the sun casts its own shadow as it sinks along the horizon.

Pros:

• Solid exploration of relevant themes
• No plot holes, though a couple of stories did end ambiguously
• Embraced the nostalgic essence

Cons:

• Most stories are fairly predictable
• The shadow font on some words can become distracting

Favourite Stories:

• “The Keepsake” – Twist on wicked stepsister trope was an unexpected surprise
• “My Soul to Take” – Most original premise. Liked the question presented and the protagonist’s evolution.

Cover Score: 8/10

Book Score: 8.5/10

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This review was made by The Reviewblr

Edited by Deon Ashleigh

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