TW: death, unreality, depersonalization/dissociation
Just that little nudge like a child being pushed out of sleep in the morning, late for school. A gentle push out and to the side, usually the left side, while working, while cooking dinner. Sometimes this was followed by something that felt like weightless hovering.
–The Rooms Behind The Kitchen – Christi Nogle (Read it in Haven Spec Magazine)
An eerie little bit of — I’m not even entirely sure how to categorize this genre-wise, actually! A ghost story in essence, I’d say, with some of the gothic sensibility around the home and memory; but prose that flows and turns about on itself like Marquez and Allende. Nogle’s writing certainly has some of the spirit of magical realism if not the hallmarks.
As someone who suffers from depersonalization/dissociation, I also found this remarkably spot on in terms of how it’s described. Down to the autopilot movements of cooking and “socializing” with others, this is an extremely emotionally accurate depiction, if a little close to home.
Elliott Dunstan 