Night, Neon


Night, Neon: Tales of Mystery and Suspense is a collection of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates published in 2021 by The Mysterious Press. The volume comprises eight short stories and a novella, "Night, Neon."
The story "Parole Hearing, California Institution for Women, Chino, CA" won the Pushcart Prize, XLVI: Best of the Small Presses and was included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense, 2021.

Stories

  • "Detour"
  • "Curious'
  • "Miss Golden Dreams 1949"
  • "Wanting"
  • "Parole Hearing, California Institution for Women, Chino, CA"
  • "Intimacy"
  • "The Flagellant"
  • "Vaping: A User's Manual"
  • "Night, Neon"

Reception

Reviewer Ben East at The Guardian regards the collection as classically Oatesian in theme and style; in other words "a disquieting snapshot of American life on the verge of individual or ideological collapse."
Kirkus Reviews regards the stories as less plot-driven and more a collection of horror fantasies presented through "flashbacks, reflections, or complications of their powerful opening tableaux." Indeed, "nightmares is an even more apt term than usual for these stories."

Theme

According to Publishers Weekly,
"Abuse, madness, confinement, and flight are prominent themes in this strong collection of nine varied, dark, and disquieting stories from Oates."