A few weeks ago, I reviewed Robert Aickman’s short story collection, Painted Devils (you can read what I had to say here). It took me a few weeks to find my copy of Aickman’s Compulsory Games, the New York Review of Books volume that collects some brilliant stories from Aickman’s previous books.
For readers unfamiliar with Robert Aickman’s work, Compulsory Games would be a great place to start. In her insightful Introduction, Victoria Nelson notes that Aickman himself characterized his fiction as “strange stories.” And, strange they are!
Take “Hand in Glove” for an example. Millicent has broken up with Nigel and Millicent’s odd friend, Winifred, takes Millicent for a picnic in a surreal country town. Aspects of loss and lies result and Millicent finds herself in a menacing situation. Or take the title story, “Compulsory Games,” where a man in a tired marriage nearly falls into an affair with a friend, only to be rebuffed near the point of consummation. From this point forward that he’s punished, not in any overt way, but through the slow withdrawal of his wife via that same friend,
One of my favorite stories in this collection–which easily could have been titled The Best of Robert Aickman–is “Le Miroir” where a woman has an eerie attraction to a looking glass. If you’re in the mood for the unusual and offbeat, you’ll find it in Compulsory Games. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: Under the Skin by Victoria Nelson — vii
- Compulsory Games — 1
- Hand in Glove — 25
- Marriage — 51
- Le Miroir — 84
- No Time in Passing — 95
- Raising the Wind — 120
- Residents Only — 130
- Wood — 179
- The Strangers — 204
- The Coffin House — 253
- Letters to the Postman — 258
- Laura — 296
- The Fully-Conducted Tour — 306
- A Disciple of Plato — 313
- Just a Song at Twilight — 327
I’m a fan. I’ve read all his short fiction collections. Some more than once.
Steve, I’ve read several of Robert Aickman’s books, but not all of them…yet.
I have most of Aickman’s collections, but not all, and haven’t yet finished this one. Be warned that I’ve had very limited success recommending his work. Hope you do better.
Michael, Robert Aickman is an acquired taste. His work won’t appeal to everyone.
A true version of the Best of Robert Aickman would have to include all of his short stories.
Jerry, I could imagine a Library of America-like volume of Robert Aickman’s work. I would buy it in a heart-beat!
George, the 2-volume COLLECTED SHORT STORIES OF ROBERT AICKMAN was released in 1999. In 2015, Tartarus Press released THE STRANGERS AND OTHER WRITINGS which collected seven unpublished and uncollected stories, as well as miscellaneous non-fiction.
As a British writer, Aickman may not be in the purview of the Library of America.
Jerry, thanks for the info. I’ll have to see what I have of Aickman’s books and order what I need to fill in the gaps!
I’ve enjoyed the Aickman stories I’ve read and should catch up on the others.
Jeff, I’m impressed at the number of e-books your Library offers!
It’s true, they’ve been buying more all the time lately. Whereas down here, we haven’t found a single book that either of us wanted that was available as an ebook from the Palm Beach County Library.
Jeff, Diane and I donated money to the North Tonawanda Public Library in 2021 and they send us a letter thanking us. They said they would use the money to buy more LARGE PRINT books and ebooks.
OK. Just downloaded a copy of this from the library!
I picked up a copy of this about a month ago at your recommendation but haven’t cracked it open yet. I still have a few novels I need to finish reading plus the end of Michigan winters are soul crushing and I’m not quite up for this right now. My nerves are a tad raw already and my insomnia is raging again. I’ll be diving into this come April. Looking forward to it.
My husband would like this. I will have to check with him and see if he already has a copy.
Never heard of him! I need to get out more!
He does have this one and one other collection — The Unsettle Dust — that he has not read yet.
Tracy, he has a lot of great stories ahead of him!