Divine In Essence by Yarrow Paisley Book Review

Divine In Essence by Yarrow Paisley is a collection of horror stories. It was published in 2024. The book features horror, child abuse, and some strong topics.

The otherworldly and human emotions are linked with bizarre elements. Following a supplemental narrative, the stories are separated into four sections: Divine, In, and Essence, and a standalone story, totaling ten short stories. Every story examines challenging concepts like trauma, identity, and the eerie specters of family relationships.

Spoiler Free Plot

“Divine in Essence” by Yarrow Paisley is a collection of ten amazing short stories that blend literary styles and evoke a range of emotions, from unsettling to beautifully frightening.

The first story, “The Great Event,” is about a young girl who expects a life-changing event, but instead finds herself at the center of a strange and disturbing phenomenon involving her father and their haunted house.

The second story, “I in the Eye,” is told from a young boy’s perspective and explores his silent struggle to express himself as his father’s fiancée becomes more dominant in his life.

“Your Mother Loves You” is about a boy forced by his mother to live as a girl, leading to a troubled adulthood. When a family member dies, he’s forced to confront his past and his manipulative mother, but his journey to self-discovery remains unresolved.

In “The Metaphor of the Lakes,” a woman is trapped in a strange house with a violent man and other mysterious figures. She tries to make sense of her life through diary entries and symbolic imagery, but her reality is distorted and surreal.

“Fever Visions” follows a protagonist’s surreal journey which involves coping with loss and the uncertainty of life. “Nancy & Her Man” tells the story of an unlikely bond between a man torn between life and death and a quirky woman he meets in a cemetery. “Icarus in Bardot” explores the immortal life of a nomad who fears facing reality and forming human connections.

In “Rocking Horse Traffic,” the main character escapes a traumatic experience by hiding behind a rocking horse, plunging readers into a strange and fantastical world. Meanwhile, “The Life of Cherry” is a poignant and symbolic tale that explores the cycle of life, death, and rebirth through the story of a character whose existence embodies these themes.

My Thoughts on Divine In Essence

Readers who enjoy surreal stories and literary explorations of the strange and the unusual will enjoy Divine in Essence. It is just the perfect book for you. Readers are taken to universes where mortality, love, and the constraints of physical life are examined in these ten short stories, which are both captivating and terrifying. Divine, In, and Essence are the four divisions of the book, each with three stories, while The Life of Cherry stands alone. The book challenges readers to consider the more profound, occasionally spoken mysteries of life.

Reader discretion is advised because the stories can be strangely pleasant but also highly frightening, touching on topics like assault on children and incest and containing horrible imagery.

This collection of short stories delves into the complexities of human existence, identity, and the search for meaning. Each tale is a haunting and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition, often blurring the lines between reality and the surreal.

The stories follow characters as they navigate transformative moments, confront their past, and struggle to make sense of their existence. From a young girl’s encounter with a metaphysical phenomenon to a woman’s desperate attempt to piece together her identity, these tales are woven together by themes of identity, trauma, and the human search for connection and meaning.

Content Warnings

This book is not suitable for sensitive readers, as it contains explicit and thought-provoking content that explores complex themes in a bold and unapologetic manner.

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