Where to find it: Part of Paul Tremblay's anthology Growing Things and Other Stories
What is it, in summary?: A father goes missing, leaving two sisters behind, all the while something continues to grow in there basement...then there's a knock at the door.
What do you love about it?: This story leaves so. many. questions. I want answers to a whole bunch of them. You could explore sibling dynamics, the dystopian setting, worldbuilding, or deep dive into the psyche of any of these characters.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Worldbuilding! Whether it's on a small scale of the house and what happens next or a greater look at the (potential) post-apoc setting.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: The titular story in the anthology is all that's required. It's also a 'spiritual prequel' to Tremblay's novel A Head Full of Ghosts; this is not required reading to understand the short.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Not much. It's horror but most is shown off-screen.
Growing Things - Paul Tremblay (short story)
Media: Short story
Approx length: <50 pages
Where to find it: Part of Paul Tremblay's anthology Growing Things and Other Stories
What is it, in summary?: A father goes missing, leaving two sisters behind, all the while something continues to grow in there basement...then there's a knock at the door.
What do you love about it?: This story leaves so. many. questions. I want answers to a whole bunch of them. You could explore sibling dynamics, the dystopian setting, worldbuilding, or deep dive into the psyche of any of these characters.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Worldbuilding! Whether it's on a small scale of the house and what happens next or a greater look at the (potential) post-apoc setting.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: The titular story in the anthology is all that's required. It's also a 'spiritual prequel' to Tremblay's novel A Head Full of Ghosts; this is not required reading to understand the short.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Not much. It's horror but most is shown off-screen.