Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This is out now in the US from CLASH Books.

Flowers from the Void, Gianni Washington’s debut short story collection, is a hauntingly immersive exploration of the macabre, rife with moments that will leave you unsettled long after you've finished reading. From puppet-masters to bodysnatchers, ghosts, and immortal teenagers, each story unfolds with an eerie sense of doom, often tinged with dark humor that offsets the creeping horror.

Washington excels at crafting deeply introspective, atmospheric narratives where characters are perpetually searching—be it for identity, belonging, autonomy, or simply a moment of peace. Yet, these searches rarely culminate in happy endings. Instead, Washington invites us into worlds where getting what we want doesn’t erase the past and transformation often comes at a harrowing cost.

One of the standout stories in the collection, “Under Your Skin,” follows biracial teen Phillip, who craves visibility in a world that overlooks him. When his strange white classmate Martin offers to beat him up to gain attention, Phillip finds himself in a dangerous arrangement that leads him to Martin’s peculiar family, headed by a mortician father searching for an embalming fluid that will prolong preservation. The tension is palpable, and Washington’s ability to blend horror with a deep exploration of identity makes this story both unsettling and thought-provoking.

Another favorite, “When I Cry, It’s Somebody Else’s Blood,” dives into the bizarre and grotesque, as an alien crash-lands on Earth and begins collecting human eyeballs out of curiosity. What begins as a grotesque fascination with human anatomy transforms into a philosophical musing on memory and identity when the alien places one of the collected eyes in its own head, unlocking the memories of the person it belonged to. The story is as chilling as it is poignant, showcasing Washington’s ability to balance absurdity with a quiet emotional weight.

The collection’s exploration of emotional and physical transformation continues in “Take It From Me,” where Imelda’s body physically falls apart due to the emotional toll of failed relationships. In this world, emotional pain has a visceral impact, and Imelda’s disintegration mirrors her fractured sense of self. However, through mysterious packages that deliver replacement body parts, Imelda begins to reclaim her agency, reminding readers of the resilience required to heal and rebuild after loss.

Washington’s writing is poetic and immersive, weaving between reality and the uncanny with a lyrical ease that makes each story feel deeply reflective. Her fragmented, introspective sentences, often brimming with metaphor, evoke the existential and philosophical questions that linger just beneath the surface of her tales. Themes of identity, loss, and transformation pervade this collection, with characters constantly grappling with the tension between loneliness and the desire for connection.

While some stories in Flowers from the Void may feel slow-paced, their cumulative effect is powerful. Washington’s deft hand at crafting atmospheres of creeping dread and poignant resolution makes this collection an ideal read for fans of horror that lingers in the mind long after the final page. If you loved the body horror of Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, this collection is a must-read. Perfect for the Halloween season, Flowers from the Void will leave you both unnerved and introspective, wondering just how much of yourself you’re willing to lose in the search for belonging.

📖 Recommended For: Fans of atmospheric horror with a slow-burn, readers who appreciate introspective, poetic prose, anyone intrigued by existential questions and eerie transformations, lovers of macabre short stories, fans of Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova.

🔑 Key Themes: Identity and Belonging, Mortality and Immortality, Loneliness and Intimacy, Emotional and Physical Transformation, Fate and Memory.