Lazy Fascist Press, 162 pages, paperback, $12.95
Besides being one of the biggest names in horror fiction, Brian Keene has written for venues as diverse as comics, television, and newspapers during his career. And then there’s Where We Live and Die. A bizarre hybrid that bridges the gap between fiction, nonfiction, and metafiction, Where We Live and Die proves Keene is one of the best storytellers out there regardless of genre. More than a collection of tales and nonfiction pieces, this book is a painfully honest and unexpectedly heartfelt look at the true ramifications of success and a life spent involved in the ever-shifting world of publishing.
While some authors retreat from public life once they have reached a certain level of notoriety, Keene has chosen the opposite path. An avid blogger and seemingly tireless podcast host, columnist, and social media personality/pot stirrer, he somehow also finds time to take unscrupulous publishers and editors to task and to serve as mentor to more than one generation of horror and bizarro authors. While this is somewhat surprising given that none of that translates into money for a man who has to keep putting words on the page to pay the bills and stay relevant, Where We Live and Die offers a candid look at the things that keep Keene going after so long and why he still cares for literature after so many ups and downs.
The crowning jewel of this collection is the novella The Girl on the Glider. This metafictional spin on the traditional ghost story takes place during a tough time in the author’s life. After one of the many fatal accidents that happen on a treacherous road near his house, Keene and family (pets included) start experiencing strange things that only add to the turmoil of financial pressure, a baby at home, and looming deadlines. Not much can be said about this one without giving it away, but it should be mentioned that the framework of that ghost story serves as the perfect background for a piece of writing that is straightforward, creepy, and profound in equal measure. Most importantly, it shows the successful author as a worried family man with universal anxieties:
“Is there a Heaven or a Hell, and if so, where would I go? I don’t know which scares me more — that there is an afterlife and I might end up in the bad part of town, or that there’s nothing after this and that all of life’s struggles are ultimately pointless. What if everything we know, every person we’ve loved, every kiss we’ve shared, every tear we’ve shed, fight we’ve had, breath we’ve taken, every laugh and shout and orgasm and idea and everything else that constitutes life just doesn’t fucking matter the moment our heart stops beating and our brainwaves go flat?”
Beautiful and touching as it is, The Girl on the Glider is just the start of the collection. It is followed by some undead mayhem, a poem that encapsulates the history of the horror genre, a list of lessons and truths about writing, and a (semi)autobiographical narrative in which the live of a writer takes center stage. Throughout all of it, the author offers a generous glimpse into a live authors think they want but probably have no idea how it really works.
The beauty of Where We Live and Die is in its perfect balance between ugliness and beauty, triumph and failure, fame and isolation. Keene’s books have been made into movies and he has thousands of great stories to tell from years of being in the business, but he has lost friends, lovers, and even a dog to writing in a way that demonstrates how cruel of a mistress the muse can be. The fact that he opens up about all of it here makes this book a must-read for all his fans as well as a superb guide for aspiring writers: you think you want to do this? Then shut up, sit down, and listen:
“They say that success breeds contempt, but they are misinformed. Success breeds one thing — loneliness.”
Where We Live and Die is both great entertainment for fans good writing and a valuable guidebook for new authors. It also joins The Complex, Dark Hollow, Take the Long Way Home, The Cage, and Darkness on the Edge of Town as one of Keene’s best books and further evidence of the fact that part of what makes his writing a pleasure to read is his hard-earned understanding of human behavior, feelings, and flaws.
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Gabino Iglesias is a writer, journalist, and book reviewer living in Austin, TX. He’s the author of Zero Saints, Gutmouth, Hungry Darkness, and a few other things no one will ever read. You can find him on Twitter at @Gabino_Iglesias.