Don’t Look, Just Run – R.A. Clarke

Consider this book a cautionary tale. The short stories, flash fiction, micro fiction, and poems contained within this collection are the stuff of nightmares—things you should’ve run from when you had the chance.

Here, you’ll read a rhyming tale about a crafty northern witch with a deathly holiday fetish, the journal of a troubled woman who’s been offered revitalization in the form of experimental skin therapy, and two flirty college students who learn exactly why taking strange drugs is bad. Lock your doors and pull your blanket up a little higher while you navigate a feud between neighbours that spirals out of control, operate a camera with a thirst for blood, and even chuckle while a family of vacationing demons let their hungry lil’ guy trick-or-treat, human-style.

If you take away anything from this book, besides a cramp from turning pages too fast or a case of spine tingles that won’t quit—it should be this… Don’t look, just run!

Review

My top 5:

Oculus / Malady
How The Other Half Lives
Beautiful
Never Read Latin Out Loud
The Finisher

II loved this! This little book was such a bingeable, fun, and cinematic read.

Clarke has such a way of making her prose both terrifying and comedic; she hits exactly that sweet spot that a good, popcorn-ish horror movie can only do. Every single tale and poem was so exciting, and the anticipation of wondering what I was going to get kept me absolutely hooked.

There were a few stories where I had to take a moment to digest it all because I just wanted to be more deeply immersed in the vibes and the imaginary that the author painted in each of them. There are some stories that dable into sci-fi, which I didn’t expect but were much welcomed.

Aliens, witches, the afterlife — you got it. I personally would love to read a full-length novel for any of my top 5, perhaps Never Read Latin Out Loud, but they all honestly were fully cohesive and didn’t feel like any lacked more resolution or context.

All the flowers to the author, because Oculus, especially, was written so well, so masterfully cinematic. What a good read.