Dennis Etchison

Today, March 30, is the birthday of Dennis Etchison (1943-2019). Etchison was primarily a short fiction writer, but today’s story, “A Wind From the South”, was Chapter 2 in Etchison’s novel California Gothic. I liked it enough to want to read the novel.

A woman named Evie who lives in a California suburb is about to get in the shower when the doorbell rings. Her husband is out, and her son is visiting a friend, so she foolishly answers the door.

A young woman is standing there asking how to get to – no, not Sesame Street – the local elementary school. Evie invites her visitor in, her second mistake. The young woman begins to describe the life she hopes to have in the neighborhood. A life that sounds frighteningly like Evie’s.

I’ll refrain from saying any more about the story. Which may not be fair, since it isn’t currently in print. I read it in The Death Artist.

It tired some of Etchison’s work years ago. It didn’t seem to be my cup of tea at the time. But given the high regard in which he’s held by a number of authors who work and opinions I respect, even if I don’t always agree with, I’m going to give him another try.