The Strangler Fig: Stories [Kindle Edition]

Jennifer D. Munro (Author)

Book Description

Six sensual, darkly fantastic tales that reimagine classics such as Dorian Gray, Helen of Troy, and The Yellow Wallpaper. The Erotica Writer's Husband & Other Stories author turns to a darker eros with her new collection of haunting and magical tales, which have appeared in various fantasy, horror, and literary anthologies. About 100 pages.

From New Orleans to Mexico to ancient Hawaii: An obsessed paparazzo stalks his subject--a famous singer whose photos morph but face remains unchanged. An unborn triplet haunts and taunts its mother for the choice she made. An infertile woman seeks to learn the language of the dead baby she continues to carry.

Surreal, supernatural, speculative fiction, in which fertility and infertility take a stranglehold on possessed minds. Collected from the pages of Best of Crossed Genres [Year One]: Fantasy & Science Fiction with a Twist;  Thou Shalt Not: Stories of Dark Crime and Horror;  the South Dakota Review;  Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica;  and others.

[Hina, the Hawaiian Helen, included in this collection, appeared as a bonus story in the first edition of The Erotica Writer's Husband & Other Stories.]

Cover image courtesy of Rhonda "Shellbelle" Renee © 2009, ShellbellesTikiHut.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the title story:

"Munro writes with an honesty and rawness... a brilliant piece of writing..."   --Innsmouth Free Press

"...the almost melodic storytelling style, coupled with the creepy obsessiveness...made it a deeply unsettling story."   --Crossed Genres

"...Rich with descriptive detail and stunning prose... certain to catch a reader's attention."   --Associated Content

 "...a well developed horror story with a long reach. Images from this tale will envelop other mental pictures for some time to come."   --Tangent

Product Details

• File Size: 182 KB
• Print Length: 70 pages
• Publisher: Hydra House; First edition (May 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007ZTKOA0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,263 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I want more Munro! November 28, 2012

By J. Lewis

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Strangler Fig has only six stories, but in those few pages I traveled through time, place and culture and met many wonderful women characters. They had some really interesting men around them as well. These stories are so varied there is something for everyone. It is amazing that one author can successfully enter so many worlds. Whether you enjoy fantasy, macabre, sci-fi, romance or all of the above, like myself, you will be surprised and entertained by each story. Most importantly, I loved Madge and I think you will too!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious November 6, 2012

By N. Kildahl

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jennifer Monroe, a conjurer of character and place with her elegant prose, presents a wonderful feast for the reader with 'The Strangler Fig'. A small offering of only six stories, yet these stories are so transporting and immediate during the reading that each feels totally complete, often with surprise endings. Haunting and sometimes fantastical, this story collection is so satisfying on so many levels that I suggest it for a periodic 'reread' - yes, it's that good.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A sampler of strange October 25, 2012

By Jane Public

Format:Kindle Edition

There's a lot of variety in these stories, which range from horror to slice-of-life moments of character transformation. The settings range from the tropics to suburbia, and visiting the various locales was my favorite part of reading this book. The author creates a nice blend of exotic and familiar throughout, so I'd call this book a sampler--a little taste of a lot of flavors, but they're all tied together by the main characters. These ladies are desperate women, seething under the surface, yet each story's outcome was a surprise.

More About the Author

Jennifer D. Munro's refreshing, new literary voice is like Nora Ephron meets Anaïs Nin in a library. Her stories and essays have been published in over sixty literary journals and anthologies, including Salon.com; Best American Erotica; Brain, Child; the best of Literary Mama anthology; and The Bigger The Better The Tighter The Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty and Body Image. Whether fiction or nonfiction, she often offers a candid, humorous, quirky exploration of sex and the sexes. Her short "humerotic" fiction is collected in THE EROTICA WRITER'S HUSBAND & OTHER STORIES. Her dark, fantastical fiction is collected in THE STRANGLER FIG.

J.D. blogs about unconventional motherhood and longterm marriage to an unconventional man at www.StraightNoChaserMom.com. She is a freelance editor who has taught for the Hugo House Literary Arts Center, King County Library, Edmonds Writers' Conference, Hedgebrook, and Pacific Northwest Writers Association, leading classes on writing memoir, erotica, humor, and women's essays. J.D.'s writing projects have been supported by various Washington and Oregon State arts commissions and fellowships.

J.D. grew up in Hawaii as a fourth-generation islander but now lives in the Pacific Northwest. Although J.D.'s grandfather slept through the bombing of Pearl Harbor not far from his bedroom window, she's an insomniac who writes when she can't sleep. From their Honolulu rooftop, her newlywed parents watched a nuclear bomb test. The microscopic egg that became J.D. bathing in this toxic glow might account for her unique perception of the world.

Learn more about the author and her work at www.munrojd.com.