{"id":8367,"date":"2015-01-29T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2015-01-29T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gadflyonline.com\/home\/?p=8367"},"modified":"2015-02-02T09:16:46","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T14:16:46","slug":"literature-review-melissa-mendelsons-porcelain-classically-thrilling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/literature-review-melissa-mendelsons-porcelain-classically-thrilling\/","title":{"rendered":"Literature Review: Melissa Mendelson’s “Porcelain” Classically Thrilling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"porcelain<\/a><\/p>\n

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Melissa Mendelson\u2019s Porcelain, <\/em>a horror novella in her upcoming Notebook Stories series, features Paige and Shelli, sisters spending a seemingly monotonous summer together with family in a middle-of-nowhere town. Troubled Paige and troublesome Shelli, exploring the few entertainment options this little Hicktown has to offer, happen upon an eerie antique store, and here begins the story\u2019s classically frightening arc \u2013 a large ominous window hides the store\u2019s angry shopkeeper and his angry, potentially possessed porcelain doll. With resentment for the insane shopkeeper and well-intentioned pity for her sister, Shelli brings the doll home for Paige\u2019s amusement \u2013 but who will become the real plaything as the tale unfolds?<\/p>\n

Although Porcelain<\/em> follows the pattern of most other horror films and novels, it begins more like a family drama than anything else. Sisterly arguments and admonishments from the girls\u2019 Aunt August make up the majority of the first several chapters, but the genre\u2019s character types appear in true form. Paige is oddly clairvoyant, while her family remains completely oblivious. They lead normal lives where nothing extraordinary ever happens.<\/p>\n

That being said, the piece also retains a sense of tension that creates an all-fearing, paranoid atmosphere for the reader. Phrases like, \u201cWho could possibly be knocking at the front door?\u201d and, \u201cPaige froze, sensing someone behind her,\u201d seem to gear up for the beginning of gore, but they turn out to be simply unexpected events and keep the reader guessing. This teasing continues for a tad too long, perhaps taking advantage of an inevitably expectant audience, but is not overwhelming or disturbing by any means.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the real terror doesn\u2019t start until about twenty pages in, when Mendelson skillfully inserts several obvious, earnest signs that the roller coaster ride will soon start. At this point, the sisters have arrived on the town\u2019s main street, so to speak, which the author describes as \u201csomething like out of Stand By Me<\/em> or Under the Dome<\/em>,\u201d finding the perfect comparisons to create the ominous small town in readers\u2019 imaginations. The sisters happen upon the \u201cdecaying, white structure\u201d that is the antique store; upon entering, Paige passes a monkey figurine that \u201cclapped its cymbals together\u201d as the lights flicker overhead. No more teasing or guessing; the suspense ends now. The press copy of the story ends soon after however, and readers must await the full release of Porcelain<\/em> for just a little longer.<\/p>\n

Short horror tales are usually full of unrealistic fanfare and choking suspense immediately upon introduction of the conflict, but readers be assured that Mendelson\u2019s tale won\u2019t drop you into the action cold turkey. With class and finesse, she spends time building her characters and increasing horrific tension in carefully measured increments to lay out a really fantastic reader experience.<\/p>\n

As a rampant author of short stories, poetry, and fan fiction, Mendelson pays homage to Stephen King several times throughout the piece, with references to Stand By Me <\/em>and Under the Dome <\/em>as noted above, as well as the appearance of his famed killer-clown novel, IT<\/em>. Paige loves all things scary apparently, movies, literature, and toys it would seem, which is perhaps where she garners her supernatural clairvoyance. The author is obviously a fan of King\u2019s work, and it\u2019s reasonable to assume that he provided inspiration for Porcelain<\/em>.<\/p>\n

She says the entire Notebook Stories series was written during her high school years, serving as a private means of creative expression in those angsty, grungy years before the turn of the century.<\/p>\n

\u201cPorcelain is the first [attempt] to blend my life into fiction,\u201d she says of her work, although it\u2019s unclear as to which character Mendelson parallels herself.<\/p>\n

The story is as yet open-ended. A love story may be in the works, but probably not one to appear as a central plot element; characters may die and evil may continue to reign, but the forces of good won\u2019t go down without a fight. It seems as if this tale will be firmly anchored in a love of pure horror; readers can safely assume that Mendelson\u2019s dedication to and care for her work is complete and strong, and this will certainly shine through.<\/p>\n

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—<\/p>\n

Associate Editor Candace Carter is a history major at the University of Virginia; when she’s not writing for The Cavalier Daily, she spends her time reading and watching German films. Her work with Gadfly is endlessly rewarding and enjoyable, and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Melissa Mendelson\u2019s Porcelain, a horror novella in her upcoming Notebook Stories series, features Paige and Shelli, sisters spending a seemingly monotonous summer together with family in a middle-of-nowhere town. Troubled Paige and troublesome Shelli, exploring the few entertainment options this little Hicktown has to offer, happen upon an eerie antique store, and here begins the story\u2019s classically frightening arc \u2013 a large ominous window hides the store\u2019s angry shopkeeper and his angry, potentially possessed porcelain doll. <\/p>\n

READ MORE.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":8860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,223,217,220],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8367"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8367"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8861,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8367\/revisions\/8861"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}