The collector of hearts : new tales of the grotesque

It can appear in a dream state; it can breathe in familiar shadows; it can be unique or unbearably recognizable. What is it about the grotesque that fascinates, provokes, and fills us with a rising sense of dread? In these twenty-seven tales of the forbidden, Joyce Carol Oates explores the waking nightmares of life with eyes wide open, facing what the bravest of us fear the most. With eerie brilliance, this master of the short story reminds us just how seductive - and terrifying - they can be. ... Twenty-seven stories of the grotesque. The story, The Hand-puppet, is on a toy which menaces a family, in The Dream-Catcher an Indian artifact suddenly comes to life, and in The Hands, a man's hands escape his control, doing the bidding of another As a follow-up to the acclaimed anthology Haunted, this collection offers another twenty-seven frightening short stories, including such literary gothic pieces as "The Crossing," "Scars," and "Death Mother."