Book Review: "It Haunts the Mind and Other Stories" by Nick Roberts

Nick Roberts is the writer of The Exorcist's House series and to be honest, has surprised me as a horror writer. For those of you who remember my review of the first instalment of The Exorcist's House series, you will know that I described the book as something that was reminiscent of a 1970s horror movie. I'm not saying that as an insult. It's fun and engaging, it feels amateur and independent. It doesn't feel overly curated and you're just here for the ride. The same can be said for this book of short stories which feels like the NoSleep Podcast if it was being broadcast from a 1970s radio station which also gave you access to alt-rock and heavy metal. They aren't polished and that's the whole point. That's what makes them brilliant.

Sally Under the Bed is the story that opens the anthology and deals with a girl that went missing from a sleepover in the late 1960s. A woman is investigating it for her own work in our own modern era. She decides to track down and interview one of the girls who was at the sleepover and learn about what on earth Sally Under the Bed is and why that girl said it all those years ago upon being questioned about the disappearance. The woman, now an addict with a whole heap of trauma, explains the story of 'Sally' who was murdered by a man whom she spurned the advances of and thus, he placed her dead body under the bed. She and the other girl (there were three girls at the sleepover) play a trick on the now missing girl to do with the Sally Under the Bed mythos and thus, the girl disappears in the midst of the night whilst a woman lays dead under the bed - a ghost? But it doesn't stop there. There's a huge twist in the tale that you don't really see coming until it turns up. Nick Roberts takes you on a wild ride of folklore and urban legends akin to 'Bloody Mary' and the 'Three Kings Ritual' in this strange tale of corrupted children's games.

Another story I enjoyed was The Paperboy which is about a boy who starts a paper route on which he meets a strange man who demands that the boy makes sure he always brings him the paper. The boy promises but one day, he instead chooses to hang out with his friends and goes to collect golf balls in order to sell them for money. On this day out, he witnesses a horrible murder and, upon being seen, the main character and his friends run off as they are chased down by the murderers. What happens next is anyone's guess but honestly it makes for a great lesson in how you should perhaps stick to your own trail. Sometimes, spurning your responsibilities can get you into far more trouble that you think it will. Nick Roberts writes this as a child would write their memories and yet, it is still absolutely terrifying. I have to hand it to him, it was captivating and absolutely brilliant.

The final story I want to discuss is Grandma Ruth, which I thought was genius. It is about a woman called Annie and her girlfriend, Sage. Annie gets a phone call from her cousin telling her that her grandmother is in the hospital, awaiting death it seems. This is a grandmother whom Annie hints at being absolutely vile and it seems like Annie cannot wait for her to die. She goes to visit her grandmother in the hospital in order to forgive her for the horrors she put the family through but things take a terrifying turn for the worst in events I cannot describe in this review. Another fantastic story from Nick Roberts, I have to say this one perhaps had the most 'contemporary horror' atmosphere out of all the stories in the anthology I believe.

From stories about a theatre-owner who wants his life to go out with a bang to a man in addiction therapy and slowly learns about its truths, from rehabilitation and the secrets to getting clean all the way to the bitter end - this is a fantastic anthology that, if you love horror you are going to absolutely adore. This was such an exciting read!

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